History of the Famine

The Great Famine lasted a total of seven years, from 1845-1851, when the potato crop failed each year. The crop failure was due to a disease, known as “the Blight.” The Irish people depended heavily on the potato crop, resulting in starvation with its failure. At least one million people died from starvation or from the epidemic diseases that came with it. By the end of the famine, Ireland’s population had reduced from eight million to six and a half million due to death or emigration. During this time all of Ireland was a part of the British Empire. When the crops first failed, British Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel ordered that food supplies be sent to the Irish at low costs. Peel’s predecessor, Lord John Russell, and his chief economic advisor for Ireland, Sir Charles Trevelyan, both felt that the government should only take a limited part in relieving disasters and the Famine was the responsibility of charitable organizations and individuals to aid. Russell also believed in protecting the rights of property owners and a free market economy, supporting the export of many needed supplies from Ireland during the famine, such as meats and grain. Early in 1847, known as the “Black ‘47”, the British government established soup kitchens throughout Ireland to feed the public, but later, Russel and Trevelyan decided to close the soup kitchens, resulting in the deaths of many more Irish.[1]

[1] Ibid.