The Great Famine: Ireland's 1845 Potato Blight History

The Irish Potato Famine and the Corn Laws

The Irish Potato Famine occurred in 1845-1849 when the potato crop failed in successive years. The crop failures were caused by late blight, a disease that destroys both the leaves and the edible roots, or tubers, of the potato plant.

Corn Laws: These were trade laws designed to protect cereal producers in the UK of Great Britain and Ireland against competition from less expensive imports.

Workhouses: A workhouse was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment.

Analysis of the Great Famine

1. Causes that Initiated the Potato Famine

An expert panel convened to investigate the blight's cause suggested that it was the result of "static electricity," the smoke that billowed from railroads, or the "mortiferous vapors" rising from underground vacancies. In fact, the cause was a fungus that had traveled from Mexico to Ireland.

2. British Government Response and Effectiveness

Initially, England believed that the free market would end the famine. Britain repealed the Corn Laws, which protected domestic grain producers from foreign competition, but the Corn Laws failed. Britain adopted other measures to cope with the famine, setting up soup kitchens and programs of emergency work relief. However, many of these programs ended when a banking crisis hit Britain. In the end, Britain relied largely on a system of workhouses to cope with the famine.

3. Consequences of the Potato Famine

More than 750,000 Irish died and another 2 million left their homeland for Britain, Canada, and the United States. Within five years, the Irish population was reduced by a quarter. The Irish Potato Famine left as its legacy a deep and lasting feeling of bitterness and distrust toward the British.

4. Social Causes and Natural Disaster

It was a natural disaster because of the fungus, and it was a product of social causes because, under British rule, Irish Catholics were prohibited from entering the professions or even purchasing land. Instead, many rented small plots of land from absentee British landlords. Half of all land holdings were less than 5 acres in 1845. Irish peasants subsisted on a diet consisting largely of potatoes, and about half of Ireland's population depended on potatoes for subsistence.