Adelman 1
Angela Adelman
English 10
Mrs. Harget
3/11/14
The country of Ireland is part of the island region in Western Europe known as Great
Britain, which is also made up of England, Scotland and Wales. Ireland is a nation divided,
consisting of Northern Ireland, which is chiefly Protestant, and the Republic of Ireland in the
south, which is chiefly Catholic. While religion was a significant factor in the division of this
island, politics are also a distinct part. In colonial times, much like the 13 colonies, Ireland was
“owned” by England. Just as the Americans fought for their independence, many of the Irish did
as well. Most wanted a free Ireland to rule as they saw fit, one free of England’s tyranny;
however, others found the idea of an alliance with England as one that would ensure their safety
and economic stability, as well as support their Protestant faith which England shared. One of
what became the Republic of Ireland’s rallying points was the English “involvement” in the Irish
potato famine. Ireland was a largely agricultural nation, and just as in the feudal system, the
Irish were typically tenant farmers that served English lords. “Because of their poverty, many of
the Irish people depended largely on potatoes for food” (Morrill). During the 1840’s a potato
blight infected the potato crops and most rotted in the ground with no chance of harvest, taking
away both sources of food and sources of income for the farmers (Morrill). English attempts at
providing relief for their colony was not enough and “hundreds of thousands of people died”
(Morrill). When documenting the famine victims coming to an area that was a holding point for
immigrants a writer referenced on the site “Emigration To North America In 1847 - Following
Adelman 2
the Famine,” said, “an eye-witness called it the Isle of Death,” due to the state of these
immigrants, nearly starved, skeletal and weak. This cultural event has significantly impacted
Irish culture and has inspired a great amount of artistic expression, some to memorialize its
victims, some to point the finger at those who may have been to blame, and some that just focus
on the significance that the potato held in Ireland, allowing others to infer how this blight
changed the Irish forever.
Memorials for the famine victims exist in many places in Ireland; they also exist in the
United States and in Canada, as many immigrants sought refuge there. One particular piece
called “Famine” created by the artist Rowan Gillespie and situated near the River Liffey in
Dublin, capital of the Republic of Ireland, memorializes the event in stark and shocking detail.
In an image of one of the statues in the piece, photographer Thierry G. Checa captures a woman
who is seeking to leave the island and is misery. The stature portrays a thin, almost skeletal
woman with rags for clothing; she is holding a bundle, maybe her baby wrapped up, in her arms.
She appears sorrowful, to the point where she’s not sure if she can struggle anymore. Her face,
looking up at the sky, maybe to God, with her mouth slightly hanging open implies that she
could be praying for rescue. If visitors to this memorial are to believe this is an accurate
representation of the famine’s victims, it is easy to see how this was a catastrophe for the Irish
people and why it is burned into their cultural memory.
A piece of proof to just how painfully burned into the collective Irish conscience is found
in a piece by artist performing artist Sinead O’Connor titled “Famine.” In this song, she is
basically calling the potato famine genocide, perpetrated by the English, to kill off the Irish
people. “OK, I want to talk about Ireland / Specifically I want to talk about the ‘famine’ / About
the fact that there never really was one / There was no ‘famine’ / See Irish people were only
Adelman 3
ALLOWED to eat potatoes / All of the other food / Meat fish vegetables / Were shipped out of
the country under armed guard / To England while the Irish people starved” (O’Connor). She
comments on how there is an “American army regulation” that says killing more than 10% of a
people causes lasting “psychological damage” and that far more than 10% of the Irish population
was lost to either death or emigration due to the famine (O’Connor). She then explains how the
scar left by the famine and other English involvement in exterminating Irish culture continues to
affect Ireland well into the present day, claiming that without honest discussion this wound will
never heal (O’Connor). She is obviously passionate about what occurred within her country and
she sees her performing as a vehicle to share her message.
While not exhibiting such a passionate tone, poet Seamus Heaney also comments upon
the importance of agriculture to previous generations of Irish people. In the aptly titled
“Digging,” Heaney looks up from his writing to notice his father digging in his garden. He then
reflects upon his father’s and grandfather’s times in the fields, his father digging potatoes and his
grandfather digging peat which was used as fuel when dried (Heaney). He remembers planting
potatoes with his father and how they would “scatter new potatoes that [they] picked, / Loving
their cool hardness in our hands” in order to start the next new crop (Heaney). He takes pride in
his grandfather; “My grandfather cut more turf in a day / Than any other man on Toner’s bog,”
showing great respect for the work of these men that came before him (Heaney). Despite this
reverence, he knows that he will not continue on in this Irish tradition of making a living from
the land; he will instead be a storyteller of sorts who makes the Irish story one for all audiences.
The tool he will use in order to dig into the collective past is not a spade or a shovel, “Between
my finger and my thumb / The squat pen rests. / I’ll dig with it” (Heaney).
Adelman 4
Heaney, O’Conner, and Gillespie all use their art in order to discuss the Irish dependence
on agriculture, specifically potatoes, and the loss felt when their blight decimated the population.
Heaney is a calm commenter on the hard-working Irish laborer that made way for him to take his
role as the storyteller of his people; O’Conner’s passionate lyrics show the anger that lingers
toward the British, who she felt could have done so much more; and Gillespie’s work acts as a
visual reminder of the atrocities of the past. Though very different, they all confirm that the past
will shape the future. The Irish are still known for their agricultural roots, their impassioned love
of their country, and their ability to remember the times of trial while being able to move forward
toward prosperity.
Adelman 5
Works Cited
Checa, Thierry G. The Famine Statues, Dublin. 2008. Photograph. Dublin, Ireland. Flickr.
Yahoo! Inc. Web. 31 Oct. 2012.
“Emigration To North America In 1847 - Following the Famine." Emigration To North America
In 1847 - Following the Famine. Irish Famine.ca, 2012. Web. 31 Oct. 2012.
<http://irishfamine.ca/passage-to-the-americas/emigration-to-north-america-in-1847>.
Heaney, Seamus. "Digging." By Seamus Heaney : The Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation,
2012. Web. 31 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/177017>.
Morrill, John S. "Ireland, History of." World Book Advanced. World Book, 2012.Web. 31 Oct.
2012.
O'Connor, Sinead. Famine. Sinead O'Connor. Sinead O'Connor, John Reynolds, Tim Simenon,
and Phil Coulter, 1994. CD