Famine

• • The were fall in population from 8.2 million people to 2 million people.
  • Farming practices changed and the land was no longer subdivided between farmers sons it was given to the eldest son.
  • A lot of people emigrated from Ireland to Countries like the United Kingdom and the United States of America. As a result the Irish language went into decline as people from Irish speaking areas emigrated.
  • The British government was blamed for the suffering of the Irish people during the Famine. This led to the support of nationalists and a desire for Home Rule.
• Over two million people died or emigrated during the Famine; therefore, an event with such a significant effect should be commemorated for a long time afterwards. We also commemorate it because its effects can still be seen today, for example, the population of Ireland still has not returned to the level it was before the Famine.
• Give two reasons why Irish emigration race remained high after the famine ended it :

  • The desire to follow in the footsteps of family members or associates kept emigration rates high. Now that IRISH communities have been established, it would be simpler.
  • Even after the Famine ended, life in Ireland was still very difficult so people were still emigrating in the hope of finding a better life abroad.
• two challenges that face Irish famine immigrants that arrived in USA

  • Many of those who emigrated were Irish speakers. America was mostly an English-speaking country so this made it difficult from them to get jobs and to integrate into society.
  • There was strong anti-Irish and anti-Catholic discrimination in the United States at the time. This made it difficult for Irish people to get accommodation or employment. There were many advertisements and signs in New York that said ‘No Irish Need Apply.’
• The Causes of the Great Famine

  • Potato blight is a fungus that spreads in damp and humid weather, destroying potato crops. (Failure in the potato crop.
  • The rise in population in Ireland
  • most people are dependent on farming this may the poor vulnerable.
  • cottiers, peasant farmers work in exchange for the rent and had no cash to buy order food when did potato crop failed leading to them getting evicted from their land
• 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.
  • in 1847 there was no potato blight but there were very few seeds to plant so the cup was very small the poor continue to die of hunger and disease.
• • Typhus and Clara killed many people due to the bad living conditions and dirty water.
  • The British government sold a Laisse faire attitude. Daniel O’Connell asked the British government to send help in 1847.
• • 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.