Great Famine of 1315–1317

The “Black Death” was one of, if not the most devastating pandemics to sweep the earth since humans have populated it. It was widely thought to be caused by a bacteria called Yersinia Pestis and in recent studies and research, evidence has made a strong case for the confirmation of that bacteria as the cause of the Black Death. Graves in Europe that were tied to that time period and the Black Death showed traces of that bacteria in both southern and northern Europe (Haensch et al. 4). In the 14th century about 20-30 years before the outbreak of the Black Death, there was a great famine occurring in much of Europe and coincidentally the same was happening in a large part of Asia along with China. The occurrence of these famines caused a large…

thing to engulf a nation. This is of course the Great Hunger, also known as the Great Famine. It was one if not the most devastating events in Irish history. Costing Ireland an estimated 800,000 lives to hunger , and even more emigrating out to other nations. Though this number does not stack up to other tragedies in size, this made up roughly 10 percent of the population alone, not accounting for those who had left. But what did the loss of the potato crop do to Ireland. Potatoes started in…

influence is the Atlantic Ocean, which is no more than 70 miles from any inland location. The mild southwesterly winds and warm waters of the North Atlantic Current contribute to the moderate quality of the climate. Location/Place Ireland latitude and longitude are 53.4129° N, 8.2439° W. Ireland is also in europe. It is also next to the United Kingdom it also has an area of 27,133 square miles (70,273 square kilometers). Ireland has hills, pastures, cliffs, and many more. Also has no…

The Potato Famine, or Blight, was first recorded August, 1845 in Dublin, Ireland. It was the beginning of the greatest famine Europe would face in the 19th century. In a mere five years the potato harvest failed four times. During the famine, “... over one million Irish perished and a further two million fled the land, never to return.” (Nally, David. “That Coming Storm”). In just under five years, three million people were either dead or had immigrated. Needless to say the Potato Famine forever…

Most immigrants who arrive in America have justified reasons for doing so. Many immigrants both past and present force to leave their country. Sometimes to become slaves in their new country. This is known as involuntary. on the other hand there are many other voluntary immigrants who choose to come to America because of problems in their home country like starvation, lack of education, and hope for a better life in hopes of achieving the American Dream. Likely the most well known cause of…

“The Irish in America” takes a harrowing look at the struggle of the Irish people throughout the history of America. The emigration of the Irish to America was significant in the expansion of the country. The railways, buildings, and urbanization of the country in the early years were built on the strong backs of the Irish. Before the potato famine, Irish families in America were in need of work to care for their loved ones. Immigrants would often do manual labor for low wages, however still…

The An Gorta Mor, commonly known as The Great Hunger, was started by a wide spread disease that infected the potatoes in Ireland in the year 1846. Because of the Active Union in 1801, Ireland was apart of the British Empire. The potatoes, which the Irish were most greatly dependent on for survival during this time period, were infected with a bacteria called Phytophthora Infestans, which caused the potatoes to become not only inedible, but also toxic. Potatoes were at the time the easiest crop…

From 1845 to 1852 the potato famine in Ireland caused great despair and panic throughout the country. As a result, one must ask the question, why did such a large number of Irish people died during the great famine of 1845? Conflict over the high death toll during the famine existed, because of the different perspectives of the Irish and the English. Although individuals suggest that the high number of deaths was a result of the famine because of disease, and hunger, a closer look at the…

Before the Irish Immigrants affected America, they immigrated to it. About 17% of the Irish immigrants came to America before the 1840s. Because of the Irish potato famine, most of the Irish immigrants arrived in America between 1845 to 1860. The Irish potato famine, or The Great Potato Famine, was caused by a late blight on potato crops year after year, starting in 1845 and slowing down by 1851. The blight, scientifically known as Phytophthora infestans, infects the leaves and edible…

While the Great famine could not have happened without the failure of the potato crop – something beyond the control of the British Government- their subsequent response, or there lack of, to the crisis greatly contributed to the devastation caused by the blight. As evidenced by Tony Blair’s 1997 apology to the Irish people, the British Government’s policies during the Great Famine toward a country it was, on paper at least, in union with, were unforgivable. Although the Conservative government…