HISTORICAL

CONTEXT OF THE
GREAT FAMINE
Ireland in the 1830s and
1840s
IRELAN
D
In 1845 the
population of
Ireland was over
8 million people.
That’s around 3
million more
In the 1830s than the
and 1840s population of Society
Ireland was Ireland today relied on
ruled by agriculture
Britain and for
governed survival
from London
LANDLO
RDS
Most Irish Many landlords
people did lived in Britain
not own and rarely or
their own never visited their
land since it land in Ireland.
had been These were
taken by the known as
British long ‘absentee
ago landlords’
This meant Absentee
that wealthy landlords did
British people not see the
who owned awful
land rented it conditions that
out to Irish their tenants
families. were living in
IRISH
PEOPLE

More than half of

the Irish population
The majority lived on small plots About three
of land in mud Many families
of Irish people quarters of the
cabins with no depended on
at the time population
windows and one farming crops
were very could not read
room for the whole to eat and sell
poor or write
family

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 WORKHO
USES
During the The men had
1830s the British The
to work very
government conditions
long shifts
began to set up inside the
breaking
workhouse for workhouses
stones and the
Irish people to were
woman had to
work in horrendous.
knit

The Families were

workhouses separated when Once you
were they entered the entered a
designed to workhouse and workhouse
help people they would only you could not
who could get to see each leave
not help other during
themselves Sunday mass
POTATO
ES
Sir. Walter Raleigh
first brought the
potato crop to Potatoes are Over 3 million
Ireland. He nutritious so people in
discovered that the many people Ireland ate a
Irish climate suited relied on them diet of only
potato-growing to survive potatoes

The potato became a very Around the 1830s

popular crop in Ireland potatoes could be All of this
because it needed little soil eaten up to three means that
to grow and very little times a day in most the potato
equipment to harvest. This families. An crop was
meant that even poor average man could essential to
families could grow the eat up to 70 life in Ireland
crop potatoes a day!
THE
BLIGHT
The Blight
In 1845 a
affected
disease
potato crops
called The
very badly. It This was
Blight made
turned the what started
its way to
potatoes soft The Great
Ireland
and black Famine

Affected
It was a potatoes
fungus that became
was spread rotten and
by wind could not be
eaten
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ne