The Great Hunger

In this podcast Professor Peter Gray examines the impact and significance of the Irish Famine and looks at why it was so devastating.

1. Introduction to the Irish Famine - the most serious peace time catastrophe in 19th Century Europe.
2. Why was Ireland so poor? Why was the potato so important to the labouring poor?
3. The Potato Blight: Ecological catastrophe, international food shortage and inflation.
4. Was the blight alone responsible for the Irish Famine? What other things contributed to the devastation?
5. A crisis of entitlement.
6. Human agency - the response of the British State.
7. The Irish Poor Law
8. Emigration to UK and North America. Coffin ships.
9. Conclusion. Questions of responsibility and indifference.

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