Admin Table of Contents
When did the Irish potato famine start?
1845
Great Famine/Start dates
The Irish Potato Famine, also known as the Great Hunger, began in 1845 when a fungus-like organism called Phytophthora infestans (or P. infestans) spread rapidly throughout Ireland. The infestation ruined up to one-half of the potato crop that year, and about three-quarters of the crop over the next seven years.
When was the potato blight in Ireland?
1845 – 1852
Great Famine/Periods
How long did the potato famine last in Ireland?
When the blight returned in 1846 with much more severe effects on the potato crop, this created an unparalleled food crisis that lasted four years and drove Ireland into a nightmare of hunger and disease. It decimated Ireland’s population, which stood at about 8.5 million on the eve of the Famine.
What caused potato blight?
The crop failures were caused by late blight, a disease that destroys both the leaves and the edible roots, or tubers, of the potato plant. The causative agent of late blight is the water mold Phytophthora infestans. The Irish famine was the worst to occur in Europe in the 19th century.
What happened during the Irish Potato Famine?
The Irish Potato Famine, or the ‘Great Hunger’, was the last great famine in Western Europe and one of the most catastrophic recorded in that region. It led to the death of up to a million people and the emigration of two million people from the island of Ireland.
What was the potato disease of 1845 called?
In 1845, Irish newspapers reported that a new potato disease had been identified and it became known as the blight. Experts believe that the blight was imported into Europe from Latin America, where it is endemic. The first reports of blight in Europe was in 1844. It was totally unknown in Ireland or Europe.
When did the potato become a staple food in Ireland?
Ireland in the 1800s. Ironically, less than 100 years before to the Famine’s onset, the potato was introduced to Ireland by the landed gentry. However, despite the fact only one variety of the potato was grown in the country (the so-called “Irish Lumper”), it soon became a staple food of the poor, particularly during the cold winter months.
What was the political impact of the potato blight in Ireland?
The period of the potato blight in Ireland from 1845 to 1851 was full of political confrontation. A more radical Young Ireland group seceded from the Repeal movement in July 1846, and attempted an armed rebellion in 1848. It was unsuccessful.