The 1845 Irish Famine | Part 1: The Great Hunger
The background and first years of the Irish famine through the eyes of those who lived it.
In this episode, we explore the early years of the Irish Potato Famine, a devastating event that reshaped Ireland's history. Known as The Great Hunger (an Gorta Mór), this crisis led to the deaths of over a million people and forced millions more to flee their homeland. But this was no mere natural disaster—it was a crisis made worse by the actions, and inactions, of those in power.
We'll examine the role of Charles Trevelyan, a British civil servant whose policies worsened the famine's impact, turning a natural blight into a human-made catastrophe. We'll also meet Asenath Nicholson, an American humanitarian who travelled across Ireland, documenting the suffering and offering aid. Her accounts give us a glimpse into the lives of those who endured unimaginable hardships.
As we unravel these early years, we'll see how British colonial policies and mismanagement turned a crop failure into a national tragedy.
Sources:
- Book: The Great Hunger by Cecil Woodham Smith
- Book: The Famine Plot: England's Role in Ireland's Greatest Tragedy - Tim Coogan
- Book: Black '47 and beyond by Cormac Ó Gráda
- Book: Ireland's Welcome to the Stranger: Or An Excursion Through Ireland, in 1844 & 1845, for the Purpose of Personally Investigating the Condition of the Poor. By A. Nicholson
- Book: Compassionate Stranger: Asenath Nicholson and the Great Irish Famine by Maureen O’Rourke Murphy
- Book: Black Potatoes The Story of the Great Irish Famine by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
- Article: Irish Tools Of Labour
- Article: The Artist Who Dared to Paint Ireland’s Great Famine
- Article: Tony Blairs speech to Irish parliament
- Poem: The Eviction by William Allingham
- Media: Wikitounges: Siobhán speaking Irish
- Usage License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/us/
- Media: Skibereen song
- Media: Fields Of Athenry song
- Media: Boys On The Dock by Dropkick Murphys song
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