Chapter 12 - The Great Famine And The Irish Diaspora Flashcards
By 1841, what population did Ireland reach?
By 1841 the population of Ireland had reached 8.2 million, up from 5.5 million in 1801.
Briefly explain life in Belfast and Dublin in the 1800s.
Life was difficult for the poorest people in Dublin and Belfast (and other Irish cities).
• Overcrowding became a serious problem, leading to one, and sometimes two, families living in just one room.
• Diseases such as typhoid, cholera, smallpox, scarlet fever and tuberculosis were common in cities and towns. Death rates amongst infants were particularly high.
Briefly explain why Ireland’s population had doubled in under a century.
• The Irish tended to marry young and have large families.
• Enclosure and other improvements to farming methods arrived in Ireland, as in Britain, and the new machinery produced more food than before.
Most farmers in Ireland were tenant farmers. What were the two types?
• Large farmers were farmers who rented more than 30 acres.
• Small farmers were farmers who rented between 5 and 30 acres.
What were cottiers?
Cottiers were labourers who rented one acre from a farmer.
Briefly explain the Act of Union.
When the Act of Union came into force in 1801, the parliament in Dublin was abolished. Ireland now sent 100 MPs to the House of Commons in Westminster and was represented by 32 peers in the House of Lords. Laws passed in London applied to Ireland.
What was the biggest political issue in Ireland in the 1800s? Explain.
The biggest political issue in Ireland at this time was ‘the Catholic Question’. Many Catholics had supported the Act of Union in 1800. The British government had promised that the last of the Penal Laws would be abolished and full Catholic emancipation would be granted.
What was Catholic emancipation?
Catholic emancipation was the goal for Catholics: that they be allowed to sit in parliament.
What is parliamentary tradition?
Parliamentary tradition is the use of peaceful political means to achieve political change.
What was the Great Famine?
The Great Famine happened across Ireland between 1845 and 1850. The potato crop had failed and people were quickly dying of starvation and disease.
What were the causes for the Great Famine?
Most Irish people were dependent on farming. With the steep rise in population, people had to survive on smaller plots of land. Most cottiers worked in exchange for their rent and didn’t receive money payments, so they had no cash to buy any other food if their potato crop failed.
This dependence on farming and the potato made the poor vulnerable, so when potato blight struck, they were immediately out of options.
Explain the course of the Great Famine.
In 1845, only some areas were affected and luckily most people had potatoes stored from past harvests meaning few people died.
In 1846,two thirds of the crop was lost to blight.The poorest began to starve and weakened immune systems caused people to die of things like tuberculosis and scarlet fever.
In 1847, there was virtually no blight. The lack of seeds meant that the crop was incredibly small.
1848-1850: Starvation and disease worsened. Some 40,000 more people died in 1850 than died in 1846.
What were coffin ships?
The unsuitable ships were nicknamed coffin ships because of how many people died on them.
What is eviction?
Eviction is when someone is forced out of their home.
What is potato blight?
Potato blight is a fungus that spreads in damp and humid weather and destroys potato crops.