The Irish Potato Famine
THE IRISH POTATO FAMINE
Pre-Famine History
The potato was introduced to Europe sometime in the 16th century. There are many theories on how it arrived, but the one with the most credibility is from a case study done by Theresa Purcell. She explains how the white potato, also known as the Irish potato, originated in the Andean Mountains and was brought to Europe by the Spaniards. The potato was originally classified in the same family as the poisonous nightshade so people refrained from eating it (1). During the middle of the 18th century, European monarchs discovered the nutritional value of the potato and ordered that it be planted (2). By the beginning of the 19th century the potato had taken root in most of Ireland, becoming the staple source of food for 90% of the population (Purcell, 2). The main reason for this is because the potato could support a family on a very small plot of land, and could be grown in almost any soil type and climate. To see why this was important you have to look at a little bit of pre-famine history in Ireland. After the Napoleonic Wars, Ireland was considered part of the United Kingdom. A lot of control over Ireland was exerted by the British, including landholdings. The system of landholdings was set up with a landlord who owned a huge section or land, even though he may not have even lived there. Purcell explains that these landlords, almost all of whom were protestant, controlled nearly 95% of the land (3). The landlord would have a few farmers or agents, usually British or wealthy Irish protestant, who were in charge of different plots of his land. Those farmers would then either hire Irish peasants to work the land in exchange for a small plot of their own to live and farm on, or they would divide up their land and give small plots to Irish peasants who would have to pay them taxes. A lot of these peasants didn't even have large enough plots to be thought of as land owners. Figure #1 shows a map of the
Pre-Famine History
The potato was introduced to Europe sometime in the 16th century. There are many theories on how it arrived, but the one with the most credibility is from a case study done by Theresa Purcell. She explains how the white potato, also known as the Irish potato, originated in the Andean Mountains and was brought to Europe by the Spaniards. The potato was originally classified in the same family as the poisonous nightshade so people refrained from eating it (1). During the middle of the 18th century, European monarchs discovered the nutritional value of the potato and ordered that it be planted (2). By the beginning of the 19th century the potato had taken root in most of Ireland, becoming the staple source of food for 90% of the population (Purcell, 2). The main reason for this is because the potato could support a family on a very small plot of land, and could be grown in almost any soil type and climate. To see why this was important you have to look at a little bit of pre-famine history in Ireland. After the Napoleonic Wars, Ireland was considered part of the United Kingdom. A lot of control over Ireland was exerted by the British, including landholdings. The system of landholdings was set up with a landlord who owned a huge section or land, even though he may not have even lived there. Purcell explains that these landlords, almost all of whom were protestant, controlled nearly 95% of the land (3). The landlord would have a few farmers or agents, usually British or wealthy Irish protestant, who were in charge of different plots of his land. Those farmers would then either hire Irish peasants to work the land in exchange for a small plot of their own to live and farm on, or they would divide up their land and give small plots to Irish peasants who would have to pay them taxes. A lot of these peasants didn't even have large enough plots to be thought of as land owners. Figure #1 shows a map of the