The Great Famine - An Gorta Mór

Broadcast on RTÉ and ARTE, February 2021

Video Duration: 101 minutes

Of all of the many many atrocities committed by the British during their long occupation of Ireland by far the most appalling was the genocide of the Great Famine. The occupation of Ireland for over 800 years by the British included ethnic cleansing, numerous acts of genocide, years of religious persecution, forced starvation, pillage and rape. They almost succeeded in destroying the great Gaelic Culture of Ireland, they destroyed the ability of most of the population to speak and use the Irish language, Gaeilge.

And then in the middle of the 19th century the Great Famine happened. The potato crop failed and for ten years the supreme power in Ireland, the British State, the most powerful and wealthiest country in the world at that time, intentionally stood by and did nothing. They allowed over a million people to die of starvation, thousands and thousands are buried in mass Famine pits or in fields and ditches throught the island of Ireland, with little or nothing to remember them. They used Crown Forces to execute forced evictions from small holdings, they actively promoted ethnic cleansing, forced migration, cultural terrorism and much more. During this period the population of Ireland was reduced by over 4 million people.

The indisputable fact is that huge quantities of food were exported from Ireland to England under British military armed escort throughout the entire period of the famine, while the people of Ireland were dying of starvation.

The Great Famine is possibly the most pivotal event/experience in modern Irish history. Its global reach and implications cannot be overestimated. In terms of mortality, it is now widely accepted that over a million people perished between the years 1845-1852 and at least one million and a quarter fled the country, the great majority to North America, some to Australia and a significant minority ((0.3 million) to British cities. Ireland had been afflicted by famine before the events of the 1840s; however the Great Famine is marked by both its absolute scale and its longevity. It is also better remembered because it was the most recent and best documented famine.

This website is dedicated to documenting the plight of the Irish people during this period and subsequently. Up to the time that the British State's occupation was forced out of 26 of the 32 counties of Ireland. If you would like to help and support this website development please contact us at the eMail address below.

If you wish further information on the Great Famine the following book is excellent. Click on the image below for further details.

ISBN: 9781859184790:

Atlas of the Great Famine