Ireland's Economy
The Great Famine
How potato blight in 1845-52 caused about a million deaths and mass emigration from Ireland, and how policy failures made the famine worse.
The Great Famine struck Ireland from 1845 to 1852.
Cause
- A disease, potato blight, destroyed potato crops.
- Many poor Irish families depended almost entirely on potatoes for food.
Deaths and emigration
- About 1 million people died.
- Around 1 million or more emigrated, many to the US, Britain and Canada.
- Ireland’s population fell by about a quarter.
Policy failures
- Food like grain and livestock continued to be exported from Ireland during the famine.
- British government relief was limited, influenced by laissez-faire beliefs.
- Many tenants were evicted by landlords.
Economic lessons
- Dependence on a single crop is dangerous.
- Famines often reflect entitlement failures and policy choices, not just food shortages, similar to Amartya Sen’s analysis of the Bengal famine.
Long-term effects
Ireland’s population kept falling for decades through emigration.
The export ships
During the famine, ships carrying Irish grain and cattle left for England while many Irish families starved.
Thinking famines are purely natural disasters
Policy choices and exports worsened Ireland's famine.
Key takeaways
- Potato blight caused the Great Famine in 1845-52.
- About 1 million died and a million or more emigrated.
- Food exports continued; relief was limited.
- Single-crop dependence and policy failures worsened it.
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