Around 1845, Ireland was hit with crop failure that deeply impacted them for years to come. The Irish population heavily relied on the potato crop for their livelihoods, so when the potato blight spread to their crops, they were thrown into a devastating famine with disease and starvation (Powderly “How Infection Shaped History”). The potato was a versatile crop being able to thrive in less desirable soil and providing sufficient nutrients for sustenance (Powderly). The potato blight affected more countries than just Ireland, however, Ireland was hit the hardest due to their “disproportionate dependency” on the potato, and growing only one species of the potato was also a problem because all their crops were affected rather than just one of several (Powderly). 

Ireland was not the only country to suffer from crop failure and famine, however, what made their famine such a devastating one was the political response of Britain who ruled Ireland at the time. The political atmosphere surrounding the potato famine in the 1840s was very complex and muddled with prejudices against the Irish people (Scholl “Irish Migration to London During the c.1845-52 Famine”). The British people in positions of power felt the Irish people deserved what they got and any relief they gave to Ireland was “exposing Britain to danger and expense” (Scholl). Despite the blame for the devastation of the Irish potato famine being placed on Britain, as many as one million Irish people migrated to Britain (in addition to Australia and North America) according to Scholl. The impact of the potato famine on the Irish population was catastrophic with an estimated range of  800,000 to one million deaths (Scholl). Dr. Powderly effectively illustrates the lasting effects of the famine on the Irish people even today: 

Governmental indifference, neglect, or deliberate inaction all contributed to the death toll of the Irish Famine. It was fitting, therefore, that 150 years later, the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, apologized for the role played by the British Government. As he appropriately said,

The famine was a defining event in the history of Ireland and Britain. It has left deep scars. That 1 million people should have died in what was then part of the richest and most powerful nation in the world is something that still causes pain as we reflect on it today. Those who governed in London at the time failed their people through standing by while a crop failure turned into a massive human tragedy. 

Works Cited

Powderly, William G. “HOW INFECTION SHAPED HISTORY: LESSONS FROM THE IRISH FAMINE.” Transactions of the American Clinical and Climatological Association, American Clinical and Climatological Association, 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6735970/. 

Scholl, Lesa. “Irish Migration to London During the c.1845-52 Famine: Henry Mayhew’s Representation in London Labour and the London Poor.” BRANCH: Britain, Representation and Nineteenth-Century History. Ed. Dino Franco Felluga. Extension of Romanticism and Victorianism on the Net. Web. [Here, add your last date of access to BRANCH].