1. Ireland: A Country Shaped by the Great Potato Famine Disaster
Presented by Stephanie Bradshaw

3. The Great Potato Famine
What is it?
What effects did it have on:
Population
Emigration
Industrialization
(pictures taken from

4. “May the roof above us never fall in, Any may we good companions beneath it never fall out.”
Home is where the heart is!
Growing rural population in Ireland
Agriculture was the main industry
“A large family was an insurance of continued sustenance in later life.”
More children = more food
(image taken from

5. The Potato Hype Land owned by wealthy landlords
Rented to poor, Irish tenants
Potato was inexpensive, easy to grow
3 million Irish relied on it for daily survival
However, prone to disease
The “lumper” potato
(taken from
Chronicle)

6. The Spread of Famine
1844 – Potato blight “Phytophthora Infestans” discovered in America
Spread over to Europe, Britain, and then to Ireland
Caused potatoes to become a big, gushy mess
Harvest failed for 3 years
No sympathy from landlords
British government offers help too late
Majority of tenants evicted from their homes

7. What Now?

8. Huge Population Decline
Irish family being evicted from their home
(taken from om/~rosdavies/WORDS/Famine.htm)
Between , population decline of nearly 2 million
1 million from disease and malnourishment
1 million from due to emigration

9. (taken from http://www.ballintemple.com/history/history%20eb.html)

10. Emigration - America Saw great opportunity in coming to America
Huge influx of people to America between , nearly all of them because of the potato famine
Poor, disease-stricken families not welcomed by Americans
Had to work their way up in American society, despite discrimination and poverty
Strong survival instinct and will to live

11. Industrialization
Famine forced many farmers to find work in the cities
1841 – rural population at 66%
Today – rural population at 38%
Famine allowed urban industry to go
Per Capita GNI PPP: 33,040

13. Follow-up Questions for the class:
Give two reasons why potatoes were a popular crop to produce in Ireland.
What was the main cause of the Famine?
How did the Irish Potato Famine shape the population of Ireland?
What effect did the Famine have on farming and agriculture?
Briefly explain the effect the Potato Famine had on America.

14. Sources
cture%20at%20st%20michael's%20college.pdf
population-wb-data.html
The Famine Ships: The Irish Exodus to America 1846–51 by Edward Laxton
Fundamentals of World Regional Geography Third Edition by Joseph J. Hobbs