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EH.Net Encyclopedia: Ireland's Great Famine (2520 words) |
 | The proximate cause of the Great Irish Famine (1846-52) was the fungus phythophtera infestans (or potato blight), which reached Ireland in the fall of 1845. |
| The works did not contain the famine, partly because they did not target the neediest, partly because the average wage paid was too low, and partly because they entailed exposing malnourished and poorly clothed people (mostly men) to the elements during the worst months of the year. |
| In pre-1845 Ireland famines were by no means unknown -- that caused by arctic weather conditions in 1740-41 killed a higher share of a much smaller population (Dickson 1998) -- but those that struck during the half-century or so before the Great Famine were mini-famines by comparison. |
| GREAT FAMINE (979 words) |
| The country is now commemorating the 150th anniversary of the potato famine that would lead to the deaths of millions of citizens and the emigration of many millions more. |
| The ensuing devastation was known as "The Great Hunger" and resulted in widespread starvation and mass emigration to Britain and the Americas. |
| In 1845 the population of Ireland was estimated at 8,295,000. |
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