The Hunger: The Story of the Irish Famine

Outlines the social, political and economic conditions that allowed the famine to occur and charts the first 3 years of the crisis in Ireland and Europe. In Ireland we see how the British government’s initial response was successful in staving off the worst impact of the famine. With the coming of a new government under John Russell in 1846 the response hardens as they struggle to deal with the fall out of an economic crash. The death rate rises exponentially as resources run out for the Irish poor. By contrast, in Europe authorities act fast to ensure the impact is lower.

In late 1847, the famine is at its height in Ireland. A million people have died and of those who got to America, the diaspora work hard to rebuild their lives. Even so the British government decides that all further famine relief for the Irish must be paid for from rates raised in Ireland on Irish landlords. When landlords either cannot or will not pay, many evict their struggling tenants. 500,000 evictions force millions onto the roads – slums build up in cities, workhouses become overcrowded and fetid, millions emigrate. When it’s all done, one million people have died across Ireland. An entire class, the poorest, has been wiped out by death and emigration. In America, the Diaspora works hard to climb the economic ladder and in Ireland, a new generation is determined to achieve self-determination and to revive a dying culture.