The Irish Potato Famine
1845-1848
Background on Ireland in the
mid-1800s
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Ireland was a farming nation.
8 Million people
Poorest nation in the world
Only ¼ of the population could read
and write.
• Life expectancy was 40 years old.
• Many married by ages 16, 17, and
18.
Background on Ireland in the
mid-1800s (cont.)
• Most of the farms were owned by the
English ruling class.
• Poorer farmers worked in exchange for a
place to live.
– They lived on the farm.
– A poor family would live in a single room
hut.
• The Irish poor depended on these farms,
and the potato, for their existence.
The Potato
• Peru introduced the potato to Ireland in
1590.
• A potato harvest could feed an Irish
family of 6 for an entire year.
• By the 1800s, almost half the Irish
population lived on potatoes alone.
– 3 million people
The Potato (cont.)
• The Irish grew a potato called a
“Lumper.”
• They were planted in March and
harvested in Sept. and Oct.
• This system went on for years in Ireland.
• In September 1845, the potato plants and
leaves began to turn black and rot.
The Famine Begins: 1845
• Many thought the rotting potatoes came from
the fog.
• In actuality, the famine was a fungus brought
on boats carrying goods.
• The winds would carry the fungus to Dublin’s
countryside.
• A single infected potato could spread to 1000
more in a couple days.
• The rancid potatoes gave off a nasty stench, as
they turned to mush.
Attempted Solutions
• A Relief Commission was created to help
those who didn’t have any food.
– The donations, though, stopped after a short amount of
time.
• Prime Minister Peel was to oversee
operations.
– He took too long to make changes, and not much got done.
• Peel tried to distribute corn imported from
the U.S.
– Many got diarrhea because they were not used to it.
– No Vitamin C in the corn (scurvy).
– The first supply of corn was never replaced.
The Famine: Year Two (1846)
• The potatoes did not grow again in 1846.
• It got so bad, many began living off of other food
items:
– Blackberries, turnips, cabbage leaves
– Seaweed, shellfish
– Roots, weeds, and grass!
• Many began to die, but not from starvation.
– Typhus, dysentery, fever, and famine dropsy.
• Not as many had died the first year b/c they
borrowed money, sold off livestock, and had the
imported corn.
The Famine Continues
• By 1847, soup kitchens were established,
but they could not provide enough food.
• People began trying to leave Ireland for
countries like America.
– One out of five died on the travels over.
• It was not until 1852 that the Irish Potato
Famine came to a complete end.
– Many began to include corn and other
vegetables in their diet and rely less on
the potato.
Famine Facts
• 775,000 to 1.5 million died
– ¼ of the population
• Even today, Ireland is still affected by
the Potato Famine.
– Smaller population than 1840.
• Many Irish ended up in other countries
(like U.S.)
• It was the single greatest disaster of the
19th Century.
Lessons Learned: Diversity
• As mentioned, the Irish learned to vary
their diet.
• The “Lumper” potato was the only potato
affected by the fungus, but all potatoes
were “Lumpers” in Ireland.
• Genetic diversity in planting is key.
• If they had planted many kinds of
potatoes, the famine could have been
avoided.