The Irish Potato Famine Part One- A Real "Let Them Eat Grass" Situation

This week we start our series on the potato famine that struck Ireland in 1845. Between 1845-1855 Ireland would lose a third of its population, 1.1 million to death and 2 million leaving the country because of the dire situation. In this episode we discuss how the Irish had become incredibly dependent on the potato in the years leading up to the famine and the UK's government inability to organize any real strategy to help.  Terrible weather, a lack of distribution systems, and a real misunderstanding of what was actually hurting the crop would delay any real help from getting to people for the first year. We will get into the government commissions, proposed solutions, and the British thinking that the Irish needed to simply work harder and be purer of heart. Sources: The Graves are Walking: The Great Famine and the Saga of the Irish People by John KellySend us a text! Let us know what topics you want us to cover!