Interesting Maps

Probably posted already, from 2016 Census, but fascinating. Zoomable version

Not really. The nodes aren't individual workplaces or the destinations of individual commutes. Each one is the centre point of a geographically defined electoral division, and all commutes into all workplaces in that electoral division go into the same node. Similarly all commutes out of a particular electoral division are shown as starting from the same node, regardless of where they actually start. (Presumably, commutes that start and end in the same electoral division are not shown at all.)

OK, I am only vaguely understanding that, but around here, apart from big towns, there might only be one major industry in an electoral division, surrounded by nothing, so effectively you can see commutes to a particular division/industry.

This is a very, very short version of "the geography of hurling" by Kevin Whelan that shows a similar process whereby a very long geological process ends up explaining a cultural phenomenon: hurling strongholds. These areas are also one where landlords patronage of the game sustained it, and where the soil quality was much better and less rocky, mountainous, or forested than most of the rest of the country. I'm not sure but I'm betting the map here would look very similar to a map with larger farm sizes, larger landlord estates, or other such things. I'm also thinking it looks a bit like a map of the Norman conquest but again, someone might confirm who knows better.

https://www.askaboutireland.ie/reading-room/sports-recreation/sport/wexford-hurling/the-geography-of-hurling/the-present-hurling-regio/

Comes from Ferrous?

I think this explains the North vs South divide in the abolitionist movement in the US better than anything else, a shorter slave trading route meant more/better choice of slaves and the only way to level the playing field was abolition. They dressed it up as something else but it was all about money, it's always about money.

A fraction, or so I've read, of what we've had in the last 100 years.

Apparently still rife in Africa today, especially in sex slaves (Libya, Mauritania only abolished slavery 20 years ago in practice), and if you look what the USSR and China did in their gulags and work camps (not to mention regular workhouses) during the height of the Staling/Mao years, not to mention other countries such as Brazil, Vietnam, Cambodia and various other countries with questionable regimes/military dictatorships did up until recently enough with regard to zero workers rights and forced labour under imprisonment.

Mad to think that it's still a problem to this day.

Unless it's based on places with the most commutes. It does say it is CSO data.