What Was The Irish Potato Famine?

There are two key factors in the Irish Potato Famine – the natural disaster that was the crop failure and the social/political system that created much of the poverty and misery in Ireland. To have a complete knowledge of this historical event, it is important to understand both of these factors.

Historical records show that the famine started in 1845 and continued for approximately six years. The end result was the death of a million people, of all ages. . But for a long period of time before 1845 and for several years after, this beautiful island country suffered poverty, hunger and political repression. In fact, the population of Ireland was recognized as the poorest among nations at least a decade before the famine began.

Most of the land was owned by wealthy English families, leaving the rural Irish in a state of servitude and poverty. The English believed that Irish and Gaelic traditions, music and language needed to be replaced or Anglicized, setting up a tension between the two countries that has lasted for centuries.

After the potato was introduced to Europe and the British Isles, Irish farmers began to turn this vegetable into a staple crop. Though the summer months were often lean times, the fall potato crop prepared the rural families for the coming winter. This system at least allowed the poor Irish families to survive, even if they couldn’t prosper.

Coupled with a 30-year period of rebellion against the English rule, the potato blight was too much for a poor population that had no other way to make money or eat. Potato-plant leaves turned black and shriveled because of a particular type of fungus unintentionally brought on ships traveling to the islands from North America. Thousands of plants were destroyed in a matter of days.

The situation was made more difficult by what was known as the Corn Laws, under which corn brought in from other countries was made expensive by a tariff or import fee at the English docks. The elite English citizens raised such a cry against taking the tariff off that it was never removed. This act alone may have created as much poverty and starvation as the potato blight itself.

Officials from the British Treasury department attempted to organize and administer a relief program. However, in many rural areas the native people rebelled at the idea of English assistance. When programs were instituted in rural areas they were often so badly administered that they were not effective. Some corn imports relieved a small amount of the hunger, but it wasn’t enough.

The crop failure in 1846 (the second year) was more than the population could stand. In fact, people recorded at the time that they could not remember potato crop failure in two consecutive years.

Added to the successive years of failure, oats and other grains grown in Ireland were being shipped to England to satisfy commercial contracts between the landowners and businessmen. Eventually the Irish people began to live off of wild berries, grasses and other natural items, though this stopped the starvation for only a short time.

A third crop failure in 1847, and similar conditions in the next two or three years, led to the death of a million men, women and children. Thousands more fled for the United States, if they could get onto a ship. Open rebellion was the last act of a desperate Irish population.

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