But the west coast? It's incredibly empty. So why is Ireland's west coast so barren and completely unlike the Ireland we all know from popular culture and films?

Ireland is an island on the western fringe of Europe between latitude 51 1/2 and 55 1/2 degrees north, and longitude 5 1/2 to 10 1/2 degrees west. Its greatest length, from Malin Head in the north to ...