The Irish Potato Famine was one of the worst famines in history.
It is also referred to as “The Great Hunger” or “The Great Famine.” This period of time was filled with disease and
starvation with very little relief. The population of Ireland decreased
significantly and the Irish Diaspora created an impact that is still felt
around the world today.
Background
There were a number of factors that led to the Famine being as devastating as it was. During the 16th and 17th Centuries, England conquered Ireland and killed tens of thousands of people. In 1695, English Penal Laws restricted Irish rights. This meant that Catholicism was outlawed and Irish Catholics had no civil or human rights.
When the Irish pushed to western Ireland- only able to grow potatoes at that time (obviously things are different now. At this time, 2/3 of Irish society was dependent solely, or almost solely, on the potato, and most of these people were the poor. An acre of potato ground produced 6 tons of food. The Irish landholding system was known as a main source of poverty and violence. At this time, Ireland was exporting wheat, oats, barley and other crops specifically grown for export, which made up 75% of crops.
The Irish population in 1845 was 8.2 million people. The summer of 1845 was unseasonably cold and wet. There were previous crop failures, but they were not as devastating because they were more localized and less severe in general. Other countries have had famines that killed more people, but Ireland's Great Famine killed a larger percentage of their population.
Potato Disease Spreads
The potato blight that caused the Potato Famine was first seen in the eastern United States in 1843. Invisible fungus spores were transported to Belgium in potatoes. In the summer of 1845, the blight was reported in Flanders, Normandy, Holland, and southern England
By August 1845, there were reports that the blight reached Dublin Botanical Gardens and there was a total failure of the crop was reported in County Fermanagh. That year, it continued to spread to other parts of western Ireland. By 1846, the disease had ravaged potato crops throughout the rest of Ireland.
Phytophthora infestans
Phytophthora (plant destroyer) infestans (infective) was the blight that infected the potato crops and led to the Famine. It is characterized by white spots on leaves that eventually turn brown and gangrenous. Potato stalks blacken and wilt. Some describe a “putrid, oozing mass of red-brown mucus” coming from potatoes.
Potato crops were connected by tubers, so as soon as one plant/tuber was infected, it spread to connected plants. The disease was also spread by wind and moisture, which meant that the unseasonably cold and wet summer that took place in 1845 aided in the spread.
Different strains of the potato had varying vulnerability to the disease and even seemingly healthy potatoes turned bad in storage
Irish Experience
In 1847 alone, 400,000 Irish men, women, and children died of starvation and related diseases. People picked out good parts of infected potatoes to eat, which led to illness.
A lack of accurate crop failure data made it difficult to know who needed the most aid and how to help those who did need it. There was a rise in crimes against people and property, including anti-export riots.
Illness
Infected potatoes affected the stomach and bowels. Various forms of Famine Fever were present. Famine Fever was responsible for 65,000 deaths. There were only about 101 hospitals throughout the country that could treat Famine Fever, so workhouses were used as hospitals as well.
The Famine "look" was a way you can tell someone was impacted by the Famine, just by looking at them. It was characterized by a narrow face, bulging eyes, a dry, musty odor, distorted limbs, parched lips, and jaundiced skin.
Typhus was the most prevalent fever that broke out during the Great Famine. Its symptoms were red blotches on the arms, back, and chest, fever, memory loss, violent twitching of limbs, muscle pain, and progressive muscle impairment.
Relapsing fever was an illness marked by vomiting, extreme thirst, a rapid pulse, delirium, and skin heat.
Scurvy had various symptoms including appetite loss, diarrhea, rapid breathing, irritability, discomfort in legs, bleeding from the gums and eyes, tooth loss, skin blotches, and protruding eyes.
Signs of starvation include the body cannibalizing itself, a swollen thyroid, inflamed eyelids, angular lines around the mouth deepening into cavities, skin and muscle hanging from the body's frame, hollowed-out face, blistering mouth sores, parchment-textured skin, teeth decaying and falling out, gums oozing pus, silky growth of hair on the face of the sufferer, and edema (swelling).
Dropsy is a condition where there is swelling from an accumulation of watery fluid in cells, tissues, or serous cavities.
Relief Efforts
Ireland faced a lot of relief costs. Public works employment was set up so people could work on public works projects and get paid. Workhouses were another way people could get paid for working. This system was successful but ultimately did not work out. The workhouses were unheated. There was a lack of meals and sanitation was neglected. These conditions led to high death rates and disease
Support for the Irish
Charitable drives held all over the world in Boston, New York, Montreal, Washington, South America, Scandinavia, and central Europe. The Potato Faine was one of the first national disasters to see fundraising on an international scale. Below are some countries and organizations that donated to help Ireland. Note that these are the amounts back in 1845 and do not reflect what would be today's relative amount.
-Choctaw Native Americans: $170
-Queen Victoria: £2,000 (pounds)
-Worshipful Company of Grocers: £1,000
-Sultan of Turkey: £1,000
-Florence: almost £1,000
-St. Petersburg: £2,644
-Constantinople: £620
-Denmark: more than £1,000
-1847: Calcutta sent approximately £16,500; Bombay sent
£3,000.
-The Society of Friends (Quakers): first got involved in
1846; flour, rice, biscuits and Indian meal, along with clothes and bedding;
donated £200,000
-The British Relief Association: £400,000
British Response
The biggest reason why the Irish Potato Famine was as devastating as it was is due to the British response. Their response is controversial; some believe that they intentionally failed to respond properly with the intent of an Irish genocide. However, scholars have proven that this was not the case and the poor response was not intentional, although the impact made it seem like it could have been.
The British refused to close ports to keep exports for domestic use. They imported corn to help those starving, but people had to purchase the corn. People would walk several miles in each direction just to get the corn so they had something to eat.
Trevelyan’s relief plan was failing because they assumed the economy and infrastructure were modern. In 1845, Ireland's economy and infrastructure were viewed as people today view third-world countries. Trevelyan was also in charge of Scotland's relief efforts as they were also dealing with a famine. However, Ireland was worse off.
Aftermath
The Famine impacted the Irish population, and ultimately the world, in a huge way. The Irish population decreased significantly. Between 1845 and 1851, the population of Ireland fell from 8.2 million people to 6.5 million people. Again, in the grand scheme of things, this does not seem like that many people, but for a country as small as Ireland, the population decrease was a significant percentage of the population (as opposed to the total numbers). 1 million died from starvation and disease.
Famine emigration led to the Irish Diaspora. In 1847 alone, 215,000 people emigrated to North America (100,000 to Canada) and 150,000 went to Brittain.
People often emigrated without luggage, money, or even shoes. The ships that people used to flee Ireland were not equipped with enough supplies and equipment for the large amounts of people on board. Those on board ships died in shipwrecks. In 1847, there were 17,465 people that died on what became known as "coffin ships." Ships were overcrowded, which increased the spread of illness.
Most ships bound for the United States passed through New York City, though there were other means of entry. From 1847- 1851, there were 848,000 Irish emigrants to New York.Once in New York, emigrants would try to meet up with loved ones who arrived before they did. The Irish often lived in the poorest neighborhoods, suffered hunger and disease, and worked menial, low-paying jobs. The Irish also faced racism.
Many people fled to Liverpool in England. However, due to a large amount of people coming in, their resources were strained. This led to the city deporting people back to Ireland, especially those who were the most vulnerable (the sick, elderly, and families with no means of supporting themselves).
Remembering the Famine
The first official museum honoring the Famine and those impacted was the Famine Museum situated in Strokestown, County Roscommon, which was built in 1991. Others include the Queenstown Story at Cobh Heritage Centre, Skibbereen’s Famine Interpretative Centre, and New York City Irish Hunger Memorial.
Philadelphia's Irish Memorial is located near Penn's Landing. It opened October 25, 2003 and is dedicated to the millions who died in the Famine as well as the millions who found the freedom and prosperity their ancestors didn’t in Ireland. It was designed and created by artist Glenna Goodacre and stands at 30 feet long by 12 feet wide and 12 feet high. The memorial depicts the starvation and the difficult emigration journey.