The great Irish famine

When the great Irish famine of the years 1845-49 finally ceased it had taken a toll of the Irish nation from which it has never fully recovered. More than 1.2 million people died as a result of hunger or disease. In six years, from 1846-1851, more than 1.8 million left the country. Those who were left in a stricken motherland were sunk in misery and despair. With the decimation and emigration of its users, the Irish language suffered a mortal blow. The nation seemed doomed to extinction. This definitive work is a vivid record of this catastrophe that almost wiped out the Irish nation. It also provides a history of previous famines in Ireland and gives a fascinating account of the arrival of the potato in Europe and its introduction to Ireland. Also discussed is the onslaught of the blight and the puny efforts by the London government to counter its effects.-- Publisher description