15.
The Famine
Irish Life in the 1840s
● In 1841, more than 70% of the Irish population lived in the countryside. The
population had doubled to over 8.2 million in under a century due to:
○ Young marriages and large families.
○ Agricultural improvements increasing food availability.
● Most land was owned by landlords and worked by tenant farmers. Large farmers
rented more than 30 acres, small farmers rented between 5 and 30 acres, and poorer
people, known as cottiers, rented one acre from a farmer. By 1845, there were about
1 million cottiers.
The Causes of the Great Famine
● Potato blight is a fungus that spreads in damp and humid weather, destroying potato
crops.
● In 1845, blight arrived in Ireland, causing the potato crop to fail. Factors that made the
blight a national catastrophe included:
○ Most Irish people lived rurally and depended on farming.
○ Widespread poverty made people vulnerable.
○ Land subdivision meant people lived on smaller plots with large families.
○ The poor relied heavily on potatoes for food, which were easy to grow and
store.
○ Cottiers had no cash to buy other food as they worked in exchange for rent.
The Famine Years: 1845-1850
● 1845: Farmers noticed blackened potato stalks. Some stored potatoes from the
previous harvest were still usable.
● 1846: Two-thirds of the crop was lost to blight. Stored potatoes were depleted,
leading to starvation and disease.
● 1847 (Black '47): The worst year of the famine. With few seeds to plant, the crop was
very small. An estimated 300,000-500,000 died and over 250,000 emigrated.
● 1848-1850: Starvation and diseases like typhus and cholera worsened, with 40,000
more deaths in 1850 compared to 1846.
Famine Relief Efforts
● Many tenant farmers and cottiers were evicted for not paying rent.
● Those who could afford to leave emigrated on coffin ships, which were overcrowded
and unsafe, leading to many deaths from disease and starvation.
● The British government's initial laissez-faire approach meant minimal intervention.
They continued exporting food from Ireland, believing the blight would only last one
year.
● Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel sent aid in the form of maize in November 1845, but
people couldn't afford or cook it.
● Public works schemes paid people to build roads, walls, or bridges, but wages were
insufficient as prices rose.
● Workhouses provided basic accommodation and food for those with nowhere else to
go. By 1847, 200,000 people were in these disease-ridden workhouses.
● Charities like the Quakers set up soup kitchens and raised funds for practical and
financial help. Donations came from Queen Victoria, the Ottoman Sultan, Pope Pius
IX, and the Choctaw Nation.
The Impact of the Great Famine in Ireland
● Decrease in population: From 1845 to 1850, the population dropped from 8 million
to about 6 million due to 1 million deaths and 1 million emigrations.
● Changes in farming practices: Land subdivision ended; the eldest son inherited the
entire farm, resulting in larger farms and forcing younger children to emigrate. Many
landlords shifted from tillage to pasture farming.
● Rise in anti-British feeling: The British government's response led to increased
support for nationalist groups and a desire for Home Rule.
● Decline of the Irish language: Irish-speaking areas were hardest hit by death and
emigration, leading to a shift to English.
● New emigration trends: Emigration increased dramatically, with the population
falling by over 3 million by the 1881 census.
The Irish Diaspora
● Emigration soared, with destinations including Britain, Canada, Australia, New
Zealand, and the US. The Irish diaspora refers to Irish migrants and their
descendants worldwide.
The Irish Diaspora in Britain
● Emigration to British cities like Liverpool, Manchester, and Glasgow was common as
travel was cheap. Irish migrants lived in overcrowded slums, leading to disease
spread.
● During the Industrial Revolution, the Irish worked for low wages, making them
unpopular. They later became part of the industrial working class and were heavily
involved in building the British canal, road, and rail networks.
● Today, up to 6 million people in the UK have an Irish-born grandparent.
The Irish Diaspora in the United States
● Emigrating to the US was expensive, with the journey long and difficult. The main
entry point was New York City, initially at Castle Garden and later at Ellis Island.
● Famine immigrants, mostly Catholic and Irish-speaking, faced discrimination with
signs like 'No Irish Need Apply'.
● The Irish worked manual labor jobs, joined the US Army during the Civil War, and
helped build cities and the Union Pacific Railroad.
● Many Irish-Americans supported Irish nationalist movements. Between 1841-1850,
around 910,000 Irish emigrated to the US. Today, over 41 million Americans claim
Irish ancestry, including 22 US Presidents.
Wanna Impress? Study These Topics to Increase Your
Knowledge on the Famine:
1. The Gregory Clause 1847
2. The Soup Kitchens 1847
3. The Mass Emigration from 1845-1855
Key Terms
1. Tenant farmers - farmers who rent land from a landlord and pay rent in money or
produce, rather than owning the land they work on.
2. Cottiers - the poorest class of rural laborers in Ireland, often renting small plots of
land and living in basic cottages.
3. Potato Blight - a fungal disease that caused the Great Irish Famine in the mid-19th
century by devastating potato crops, which were a staple food for many Irish people.
4. Laissez-faire - an economic philosophy advocating minimal government intervention
in the economy, allowing businesses to operate freely.
5. Coffin Ships - overcrowded and poorly maintained ships used to transport Irish
emigrants to America and other countries during the Great Famine, often with high
mortality rates.
6. Sir Robert Peel - a British Prime Minister during the Great Irish Famine who
introduced measures like the repeal of the Corn Laws to alleviate the food shortage.
7. Public Work Schemes - government-funded projects providing employment to the
poor during the Great Famine, involving tasks like road building and other
infrastructure improvements.
8. Workhouses - institutions where the poor and destitute could live and work in
exchange for basic necessities, often under harsh conditions, during the Great Famine.
9. Quakers - members of the Religious Society of Friends known for their humanitarian
efforts, including significant relief work during the Great Irish Famine.
10. Irish diaspora - This commonly-used term refers to the mass emigration of Irish
people to other countries, especially during and after the Great Famine, leading to
large Irish communities worldwide.
Revision Questions
1. What percentage of the Irish population lived in the countryside in 1841?
2. True or False: Potato blight is a fungus that destroys potato crops.**
3. What were cottiers?
4. Fill in the blank: The worst year of the famine was known as _______.**
5. What was the British government's initial response to the famine?
6. True or False: The Quakers set up soup kitchens during the famine.**
7. What was the impact of the Great Famine on the Irish language?
8. Fill in the blank: Many Irish emigrated on _______ ships.**
9. What was the main entry point for Irish immigrants to the US?
10. True or False: Over 41 million Americans claim Irish ancestry today.**
