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The Great Famine, also known as the Great Hunger (Irish: an Gorta Mór [ənˠ ˈɡɔɾˠt̪ˠə ˈmˠoːɾˠ]), the Famine and the Irish Potato Famine, [1] [2] was a period of mass starvation and disease in Ireland lasting from 1845 to 1852 that constituted a historical social crisis and had a major impact on Irish society and history as a whole. [3]
The legacy of the Great Famine in Ireland (Irish: An Gorta Mór [1] or An Drochshaol, litt: The Bad Life) followed a catastrophic period of Irish history between 1845 and 1852 [2] during which time the population of Ireland was reduced by 50 percent. [3] The Great Famine (1845–1849) was a watershed in the history of Ireland. [4]
During the Great Famine, workhouses became so overwhelmed that large numbers of paupers were assisted to emigrate. This had the effect of permitting more to enter the workhouse in the hope of escaping starvation and disease. In response, Guardian-assisted emigration was reserved only for those who had received indoor relief for over two years. [9]
The workhouse population grew quickly from 1845 due the effects of the Great Famine, and the workhouse adapted to accommodate an additional 747 people. [3] Belfast was rapidly expanding, which put continued strain on the workhouse: there were around 15,000 admissions during 1870, which had risen to over 29,000 in 1913. [1]
Ennistymon: This was the first memorial in Ireland to honour those who suffered and were lost during the Great Famine. It is erected across the road from Ennistymon Hospital, built on the grounds of the local workhouse where an estimated 20,000 Irish died and a mass graveyard for children who perished and were buried without coffins. [1]
In this commentary piece, William Lambers reflects on the Irish potato famine of the 1840s and urges steps be taken to prevent future famines
As a result of the Irish Poor Law Act of 1838, a workhouse with a capacity for 800 people opened in the city on 10 November 1840 and was the first operational workhouse in Ulster. During the Irish Famine (1845-1849), the number of people who were poverty-stricken drastically increased and, like many other workhouses in Ireland at the time, the ...
The Listowel Workhouse was filled with many destitute people who died every day from starvation and disease during the Great Famine. Between 2,500 and 3,500 people died in the Listowel workhouse during this period. [4] As a result, a new burial ground was required to bury the high numbers of deceased inmates.