Rural Ireland in the 1840s (The Great Famine) Flashcards
What was the population of Ireland in 1841?
8.2 million
The Protestant landlords rented out their land to _____________
The Protestant landlords rented out their land to tenant farmers
Tenant farmers rented out a __________ of their land to _______
Tenant farmers rented out a conacre of their land to labourers
Where did labouirers/cottiers live?
In very small cottages/ huts on a tiny piece of land
What did landless labourers do?
Traveled from farm to farm looking for work
What were the causes of the Great Famine?
○Rise in population
○Sub-division of land
○Over-dependence of the potato
○Potato Blight
What was the result of the Blight hitting Ireland in 1845?
1/3 of the potato crop was destroyed
What was the result of the Blight hitting Ireland in 1846?
Affected 100% of the potato crop leadig to the worst year of the Famine ‘‘Black ‘47’’
What areas of Ireland were worst affected by the Famine
Connaught and Munster
For how long did the Blight continue to hit Ireland?
Until 1850
What did Sir Robert Peel do in response to the Famine
He ordered the importation of Indian Maize/Corn into Ireland. However people didn’t know how to cook it. They called it ‘Peel’s Brimstone’
What were the results of the Famine?
- Death and Emigration
- Led to anti-British feelings and the growth of nationallism
- Wiped out a whole class of people - the landless labourers and cottiers
- Irish language was decimated
