Irish Potatoe Famine

In the early 1800s, life in Ireland wasn't easy, Irish citizens got from day to day

by farming and relying on the potato. The potato was their main source of food and

money. With out the potato, the Irish would have nothing.   No one was prepared for what

was about to happen in 1845, the beginning of the Great Irish Potato Famine.  

In the early to mid 1800s Ireland was a very poor and difficult place to live. Most

of the land was owned by landowners that lived in England and rented their land out to

Irish citizens. The owners had almost no interest in their land and property in Ireland.

They only cared about getting their money from their renters. The rents were overpriced

and living costs in Ireland were also extremely high. The living conditions for the renters

in Ireland were horrible, with one-room houses that were expected to shelter whole

families. Another problem with the country was that over 70% of the population were

illiterate. The renters would use their land to farm potatoes because they were cheap, easy

to grow, full of vitamins, and you could grow a lot in a small area and in poor farming

conditions. The whole country relied on the crop of potatoes as their source of food and

income.  
                         
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In the mid 1800s there were many seasons that produced poor crops, and in some

cases no potatoes at all. These seasons were thought to be bad crop seasons. After these

bad seasons, farmers became upset and began to grow poorer quality potatoes known as

"Lumper potatoes" or "Horse potatoes" instead of the stronger healthier potatoes. These

new potatoes were originally grown for feed for farm animals and were more prone to

disease, but because they grew in the poorest conditions possible, humans would have to

eat them due to the loss of the healthier potatoes.  

In 1845, a crop disease known as "blight" would be introduced to Ireland. It was a... [continues]

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