The Irish Famine (1845-1852) saw the population of Ireland endure great hardships, it saw many starve, many emigrate and many perish due to both starvation and disease. This essay will ‘Discuss the factors which made the Famine inevitable in 1845’. This essay will explore the events that took place and lead to the famine. It will delve into the influx of population, landownership, the Irish diet and the many other factors that saw the Famine occur.
Landownership:
The Plantations were first purposed in 1521 by Henry VIII’s lieutenant. This would see “loyal English colonist” take the place of the “disloyal Irish” in an attempt to gain control over Ireland. However the first attempt of establishing the plantations collapsed due …show more content…
The Potato was also used when feeding cattle and horses. The most popular variation of the potato that was used was ‘The Lumper’, due to its ability to flourish in poor soil and produce a generous crop. This generous crop was extremely important, as due to the distribution and splitting of land, tenants did not have much land to plant. This small amount of land also saw many unable to hold livestock. ‘The Lumper’ produced a hearty crop and was also available to harvest throughout the year. The average consummation of potatoes for the landless, reached to 12 pound per male adult, per day, though this amount of consumption varied due to income. This reliance on the potato combined with both the rise in population and the failure of crops, saw many families perish due to starvation, though the majority of people died due to illnesses such as fever during this …show more content…
These saw a number of polices be established in an attempt to ‘help the Irish’. This programme was to be separate from the ‘Irish Poor Law’. The Irish poor law was created in 1838 and was established to create a relief system for the poor. This saw Ireland dived into 130 ‘unions’, with each union having its own workhouse. The workhouse acted as an institution that saw people who were poor work in return food. This Relief Programme saw the importation of Indian corn into Ireland, being sold for cheap prices. This created a problem of sorts, as many poor were still unable to afford these ‘cheap prices’ and those who could afford it were unsure of how it was cooked. This saw many cook the food incorrectly and contract food posing. Leading to further