What Is The Irish Potato Famine

K.H. Connell, in his paper “Land and Population in Ireland, 1780-1845”, describes and explains the significant population growth in Ireland prior to the famine of 1845 and how the uses of the Irish land changed with the population growth.

Catholic Ireland tried to break away from England after the Reformation, but Elizabeth’s troops crushed the Irish uprising in the 1570’s and 1580’s.

It could be argued that The Great Famine was the utmost turning point in Irish Nationalism due to the lack of action of the British Government, which left deep-rooted hatred for the English within Ireland. Government expenditure for the famine equaled a total of £8 million, 3% of the total government budget. The British Government stuck closer to a laissez-faire economic policy, which is echoed through Charles Trevelyan who claimed that through relief “people grow worse instead of better.” The Irish

England was in favor of landlords in Ireland due to a good majority of the landlords to be English and that their taxes were benefiting England. This causes bias in newspapers and articles about the landlord’s behaviors which is clearly seen in this article. Historians can read the article and decipher what it was like for these landlords and how much of the article is trying to persuade their readers one way or another especially since it was written by an Englishmen. It is important in understanding the New Departure’s goals and motivations for the Irishmen and the move towards freedom for Ireland. It shows how tenants are willing to fight back against the government which in turn fuels the fire for rebellions and ultimately moves the Home Rule party deeper into existence even with landlords doing everything they can to stay in

Many poor Protestant and Catholic farmers and citizens were swayed towards nationalism between 1845 and 1851 when Ireland suffered from a tragic famine in which many people died. Both the English and Catholic churches and many local charities rushed in to help, yet English aid was not very helpful and inadequate to the large Irish population. Many of the Irish emigrated and England's rule over Ireland was questioned. With religious and historical conflicts the two communities found it very difficult to reach an understanding and an agreement as to what they both wanted.

The Irish Famine 1845-1849 “Is ar scáth a chiéle a maireann na daoine” “It is with each other’s protection that the people live” From the Fifteenth through to the Nineteenth centuries English Monarchies and Governments had consistently enacted laws which it seems were designed to oppress the Irish and suppress and destroy Irish Trade and manufacturing. In the Penal laws of 1695 which aimed to destroy Catholicism, Catholics were forbidden from practicing their religion, receiving education, entering a profession, or purchasing or leasing land; since Catholics formed eighty percent of the Irish population, this effectively deprived the Irish of any part in civil life in their own country.

     Nineteenth-century Ireland was the most densely populated country in Europe: in 1800, its population was 4.5 million, and by 1841, it had risen to eight million (Kinealy 15). Yet much of this population existed in condition of sorrow and misery lay in the dependence of the peasantry on just one staple crop, the potato; in western countries like Mayo and Galway, nine-tenths of the people ate nothing else (MacManus 602). Here was a disaster waiting to happen, made worst by the rapid rise in population in the first half of the century which forced the peasants to subsist on smaller plots of land (O Grada, The Great Irish Famine 63).

Over the course of the seven years that the Potato Famine occurred, there was a decrease in Ireland’s population by twenty to twenty-five percent. This famine happened during the time that the different countries were trading

In 1800 Ireland became a part of Britain after they failed to rebel against them. Ireland had already been a British colony, but because of them becoming a part of Britain their old government was taken down and they were forced to join the British parliament. Ireland was allowed to have 100 members to represent them in parliament. Catholics were not allowed although that was the main religious denomination in Ireland. Britain had persecuted catholics since the early 16th century when Henry VIII made the act of supremacy that made it so the pope was no longer was the head of the church in Britain http://www.britannica.com/topic/Act-of-Supremacy-England-1534. The British government implemented laws to destroy catholicism in Britain. One law

It can be argued that the reason the government failed to react as it should in time of crisis is because of the widespread belief of laissez-faire. This argument is flawed, as the strict rules against the government’s invasion of personal matters were broken on numerous occasions to benefit the British landlords, who hired the police force to guard the ports while ships full of food left a starving Ireland. John Mitchel, the leader of the Young Ireland Movement, wrote the following in 1860: The British Prime Minister had “violated every pledge previously made on arriving at place and power… but the pity was that the minister was permitted to act so with impunity” (NJCHE 4). The twisted version of laissez-faire that had corrupted the government was so normal and such a popular opinion, that they were accumsed to the prominent wrongs the leaders were invoking on the Irish people. Not only that, but there was an unspoken agreement that the concept of laissez-faire was only a strict policy when concerning the Irish, but when regarding the British people there was extreme flexibility. Furthermore, Kinealy, in her book The Great Calamity, wrote, “The underlying philosophy of the relief efforts was that they should be kept to a minimalist level; in fact they actually decreased as the Famine progressed” (NJCHE 4). By the time the blight

Ireland has always had religious problems between, Pagans, Catholic, Protestant and Jewish people. Ireland has always been a place of interest in English eyes so Ireland was continually concord over and over by the English and the currency, traditions and religions changed with every English King, Queen or Irish Rebel. Between 1641 and 1691 Oliver Cromwell changed everything, Irish Catholics, Pagans and Jews were killed or shipped off to be slaves. The influence to immigrate was very strong, their options were to go to a new world of which they knew no one and had nothing, be killed for your religion, or be gathered up and shipped away as a slave. It was a hard decision they all were forced to

During the 18th century, Ireland was oppressed by England to the point that the Irish would consider eating and selling their children for money and that the Irish were incapable of making their lives better. During that time there was also a significant religious disdain and prejudice of the Anglo-Irish (English Protestants) to the Irish Catholics.

Syria is located on the middle east and is really close to Europe or the area where we call Eurasia. It shares border with Jordan, Iran, Iraq and Turkey. For the problem, it began in early 21st century, Syria have encountered a civil war which has affected everything in the country, from the very basic needs to the serious issues.

The shrieks of a hungry child pierce through the solemn silence. All those who hear can only endure the horrid noise, for there is nothing that can be done to help. Her family can no longer provide food for her. Their home country, Ireland, has faced a severe shortage in one of the main staples of the native cuisine: the potato. This famine led to a decrease in not only the amount of available food, but also in the amount of money that each individual family had (Irish and German). These issues in unison made life exceptionally hard for the common Irish citizen. There was a point when the amount of hardships was too much for families to bear. They had two options: stay and hope that life would get better in Ireland, or relocate to America,

against the Protestants. In 1829 Catholics were not suitable for schools throughout Ireland they were only suitable for Protestants. The Catholic peasantry were still called on to pay tithes, and they continued to be harassed by the exactions of tithe-proctors and others, who if the money was not forthcoming, seized the poor peoples cows, furniture, beds, blankets, kettles, or anything they could lay their hands on (History Of Nations 12 Ireland-Scotland p.224).The Catholics were a minority in Ireland much like in the history of Quebec where the English conquered the French, the French were considered lower forms of humans they weren’t up to English standards. As the years past the Catholics started to get back at the Protestants forming the I.R.A. I.R.A. and Protestant killings continued into the early 1900s, Britain began launching multi party- talks with the goal of forging a new assembly for northern Ireland and new relations between the north and Irish republic. By 1999, Protestant and Catholic negotiators had