Starving in Ireland: Cause of the Famine
Sculptures of Famine victims in Dublin
In the 19th century, Ireland's main source of food was its potato crops. Irish farmers could harvest triple the amount of potatoes as grain in the same amount of land, so Irish peasants' diets consisted largely of potatoes. The average man would eat 12-14 pounds of potato a day.
However, In 1845, excessive rain storms hit Ireland and caused ample amount of crops to die of overwatering. In September, the first signs of potato blight were noticed, and by October the blight moved all across Ireland. When 1846 came, 90% of the potato crops had been destroyed. Irish citizens were dying of starvation at a fearful rate. In 1847, crops were failing because there were limited amounts of seeds to plant and harvest. This time is known as Black '47. People were also subject to various diseases related to the famine. This struggle for life resulted in many Ireland residents to seek a safe haven to escape starvation. Many of them thought traveling to America was the answer. Over 750,000 died and 2 million left their homes to America, Canada, or Great Britain.
However, In 1845, excessive rain storms hit Ireland and caused ample amount of crops to die of overwatering. In September, the first signs of potato blight were noticed, and by October the blight moved all across Ireland. When 1846 came, 90% of the potato crops had been destroyed. Irish citizens were dying of starvation at a fearful rate. In 1847, crops were failing because there were limited amounts of seeds to plant and harvest. This time is known as Black '47. People were also subject to various diseases related to the famine. This struggle for life resulted in many Ireland residents to seek a safe haven to escape starvation. Many of them thought traveling to America was the answer. Over 750,000 died and 2 million left their homes to America, Canada, or Great Britain.