22 Feb 2012
Location: Ballymoney
Event Type: Historical/Cultural
The potato is still an enjoyable part of the diet of most Irish people. In the 19th century it was the staple, giving them the essentials for life. When the crop failed for a number of years in succession, in the 1840s, the result was hunger, starvation, disease and death. It was the great watershed in 19th century Irish history and its immediate and long-term consequences were immense. Ireland was never the same again and it affected the political, cultural, social and economic life of the country.
One of the most obvious effects was emigration. These migrants largely ended up in North America, with some in Canada, Australia and in Britain. For both the native Irish and those in the resulting diaspora, the famine entered folk memory.
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