The Irish potato famine, also known as the Great Famine, began in 1845 when a species called Phytophthora infestans (or P. P. Fungoidal organisms of infestans spread rapidly throughout Ireland. Potato infestations destroyed as much as half of the crops that year, and about three-quarters of the crops were destroyed over the next seven years. Since Irish sharecroppers – then as colonial rulers of Great Britain – relied heavily on potatoes as a food source, the infestation had a disastrous impact on Ireland and its population. Before the end of 1852, the potato famine had resulted in the death of some one million Irish people from starvation and related causes, and at least another million had been forced to leave their homes as refugees.
Ireland in the 19th century
With the ratification of the Union Act of 1801, Ireland effectively governed as a colony of Great Britain until the War of Independence in the early 20th century. The combined countries are collectively referred to as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
As a result, the British government appointed Ireland's executive head of state, known respectively as the Irish Lieutenant and Chief Secretary, although the residents of the Emerald Isle could elect representatives of the London Parliament.
Ireland has a total of 105 delegates to the House of Commons (the lower house of Parliament) and 28 "peers" (landowners with titles) to the House of Lords (the Upper House).
Nevertheless, it is important to note that most of these elected delegates were landowners of British descent and/or their sons. In addition, any Catholic Irishman – the majority of Ireland's native population – was initially prohibited from owning or leasing land, voting under the so-called Penal Code or holding elected public office.
Although the Penal Code was largely abolished in 1829, their impact on Irish society and governance remained at the time of the potato famine. British and Anglo-Irish families owned most of the land, and most Irish Catholics were demoted to sharecroppers and forced to pay rent to landlords.
Ironically, less than 100 years before the famine broke out, the potato was introduced to Ireland by land gentlemen. However, although only one potato was grown in the country (the so-called "Irish Lumper"), it soon became a staple food for the poor, especially during the cold winter months.
The Great Famine began
In 1845, due to infection with P. Infestans, when crops began to fail, Irish leaders in Dublin petitioned Queen Victoria and Parliament for action – initially, they did repeal the so-called Corn Act and its tariffs on grain, which made food products such as corn and bread prohibitively high.
Still, these changes have not offset the growing problem of potato blight. As many sharecroppers are unable to produce enough food for their own consumption, the cost of other supplies continues to rise, with thousands dying of starvation and hundreds of thousands of deaths from malnutrition-induced diseases.
Historians later concluded that further complicating the problem was that Ireland continued to export large quantities of grain during the period of withering, mainly to Britain. In cases such as livestock and butter, studies have shown that exports may actually increase during potato famines.
In 1847 alone, records showed that goods such as peas, beans, rabbits, fish and honey continued to be exported from Ireland, even as the Great Famine ravaged the countryside.
The potato crop did not fully recover until 1852. By then, the damage had been done. Although estimates vary, as many as 1 million Irish men, women and children are believed to have lost their lives during the famine, another 1 million emigrated from the island to escape poverty and hunger, and many landed in various cities in North America and Britain.
The legacy of the potato famine
The exact role of the British government in the potato famine and its aftermath – whether it maliciously ignored the plight of the Irish poor, or whether their collective inaction and inadequate response could be attributed to incompetence – remains debated.
However, the importance of the potato famine (or An Gorta Mor in Irish) in Irish history and its contribution to the Irish diaspora in the 19th and 20th centuries is unquestionable.
Tony Blair issued a statement in 1997 while serving as British prime minister formally apologising to Ireland for the british government's handling of the crisis at the time.
Irish Hunger Memorial
In recent years, the cities where Irish people eventually emigrated during and in the decades following the events have offered various commemorations of lost lives. Monuments to Irish Hunger were erected in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and Phoenix in the United States, as well as in Montreal and Toronto in Canada, as were cities in Ireland, Australia and the United Kingdom.
In addition, Glasgow Celtic FC, a Scottish-based football team founded by Irish immigrants, many of whom were brought to the country by the effects of the potato famine, also had a commemorative patch attached to their uniforms – most recently on 30 September 2017 – in memory of the victims of the Holodomor.
A huge Hunger Museum was built at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, as a resource for those seeking information about the potato famine and its effects, as well as for researchers looking to explore the event and its aftermath.