1. The Great Famine Also known asThe Irish Potato FamineAn Gorta Mr by Craig Morris

2. The Great Famine in Ireland was between1845 and 1849It was caused by a failure of the potato crop which at thetime was the main source of food for the Irish people A potAto diseAse or blight which originAted from the AmericAs mAnAged to reAch europe And spreAd AcrossEngland, Scotland, Belgium, Holland and IrelandEven though the country had experienced previous periods of famine, this was the worst one yet, resulting in the deaths of between1,000,000 and 1,500,000 people, more than the entire loss of British servicemen in both world wars 3. The potato disease, phytophthorainfestans which would havereduced the crop to rottenness, issaid to have come from America bycargo ship.It was an airborne disease whichdestroyed half of the potatoes inIreland in the first year of thefamine and the entire crop waswiped out the following year. By1846, 3,500,000 worth of potatoesIt was the main source of food in Ireland from when it washad been lostintroduced to the country in the 16th century. It was fairlycheap to harvest and was well suited to the climate, meaningit obviously didnt need much sunshine to grow in the boggy soil! 4. the only single cheAp foodthat can support life as asole diet according to recentnutritive reseArchFoster R.F, Modern Ireland, 1600-The potato is however1972deficient in vitamin A, so itwould have been included in adiet amongst milk and fish.These would have been rareamongst the poor.Due to an uneven economy,high land rent and absenteelandlords, the poor farmerswould have really only beenable to grow one type of crop(monoculture) 5. Severity of The Great Famine in Ireland60%-100% of people taking up rations45%-60%30%-45%15%-30%5%-15% 0%-5%The south and west of Ireland were theworst affected areas, as they weremore rural and the majority poorfarmers who worked on small plots ofland 6. Ireland was ruled by Britain from 1801until 1922, who employed the people towork on their land, reaping the fruitsof their labour and the farmers had topay high rent to stay on these smallfarms.If these farmers could not afford thehigh rent prices, they were evictedfrom their simple dwellingsSkibbereen, 1847 byJames MahoneyIreland was one of the largestsuppliers of corn, with an enormousamount of produce being exported overto their neighbour, even during thehunger 7. A poor old woman collectingwater from the wellA family being evicted by thepeelers 8. There were so many dead to bury,they couldnt provide neArenough the same amount ofcoffins to bury them. Thisresorted in coffins being usedwhich were hinged at the bottomso the deceased could be carriedto the graves and the bodiesjust released into the grave.This enabled the coffins to thenbe re-used.Britain was one of thewealthiest empires at the timebut they initially decided to donothing to help which has beenthe subject of question over theyears 9. Sir Robert Peel who was Prime Minister ofBritain at the time and lived in Tamworth,imported 100,000 worth of corn to helpIreland, with the opposition of the BritishGovernment.the corn lAws put A duty on importedgrain from outside Britain. Introduced in1804, they were originally set up in theinterests of the British farmers, so theycould continue to charge high prices fortheir home grown corn/grain.Sir Robert Peel managed to repeal the Sir Robert Peel, 2nd corn laws after the famine to try andBaronet help Ireland by buying corn from America. 1788 1850The new corn law was passed in 1846, ayear after the famine began, reducing theduty on the imported oats, barley andwheat. 10. Between 1846 and 1850, theIrish population decreased byaround 2,000,000 people, 25%of the total population.Half of these emigratedduring the famine, to placessuch asAustralia, Canada, Britainand the USA, cities such asBoston and New York Irish population 1801-1921Emigrants leave Irelandby Henry Doyle 1868 11. Irish emigration to Great Britain 12. Memorial statues inDublin,boston 13. And A bronze sculpture of A coffin shipIn County Mayo 14. It is estimated that thepopulation would reach pre- POTATO!famine levels again around2024.Despite the past, generallythe Irish people are happy golucky and due to the massemigration, you will find Irishpeople all over the world.Potatoes remain one of themain food products in Irelandtoday, and advances intechnology enabled chemicalsto be produced to ensureThanks for listeningdisease was prevented fromdestroying the 15. Referenceshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/famine_01.shtmlhttp://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/ireland_great_famine_of_1845.htm http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/famine/ Coffin ships- http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/famine/coffin.htmInsight Guide-Ireland, Discovery Channel, (1999)ODonnell R, OBrien Pocket History of the Irish Famine (Pocket Books), (2008) Donnelly, J.S, The Great Irish Potato Famine, (2002) 16. Image ReferencesPotato blight- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytophthora_infestans Ireland Map of Rations- http://conservapedia.com/Irish_Potato_Famine Peelers- http://www.revisionism.nl/Potato/The-Mad-Revisionist.htmRobert Peel- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Robert_Peel.jpg Emigrants- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Famine_(Ireland) Population chart- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Ireland_(1801%E2%80%931923)Memorials- http://thunderations.wordpress.com/2010/03/13/the-irish-did-save-civilization-then-civilization-ground-them-down/ http://lost-at-sea-memorials.com/?p=1072http://pattyinglishms.hubpages.com/hub/Is-it-Good-to-Be-Irish http://www.flickr.com/photos/23296461@N04/5090239349/ Keith lemon- http://www.flickr.com/photos/orionbooks/6236868287/in/set-72157627752007485