Many people consider the Great Irish Potato Famine of 1845-1852 to be an unprecendented occurrence, and believe it caught the country's government by surprise. However, the failure of the potato crop that began in 1845 was no stranger to Ireland's inhabitants. Crop failures had plagued Ireland in both the 18th and 19th centuries prior to … Continue reading Irish Trivia: The History of Potato Crop Failures
an gorta mor
The Quakers and The Great Irish Famine
I’ve mentioned before that The Society of Friends (also known as the Quakers) provided an immense help to the native Irish during the Great Potato Famine in the mid-19th century by running soup kitchens to feed the starving populace. However, once the British Government took over that job, the Quakers continued giving support to those … Continue reading The Quakers and The Great Irish Famine
an Gorta Mor (or The Great Irish Famine, 1845-1852)
Most of the time I find history boring. But every once in awhile, I stumble over something fascinating. And usually, that something makes me cry. I’d heard quite a bit about the Irish Famine at different places along the way, like in English class in high school when we read Jonathan Swift’s essay A Modest … Continue reading an Gorta Mor (or The Great Irish Famine, 1845-1852)
Gifford MacShane, Author 