What became known as the great famine
occurred between 1845 and 52 and was one of the greatest
catastrophies of the nineteenth century. It resulted in the
deaths of millions of people from starvation and disease and a
decline in Irelands population through emigration. It was thought
by many to be an English induced famine used by a greedy
government to solve the Irish question. The potato failed from
blight but the country was full of food, which was taken away
from those who grew it, to be consumed by the expanding workforce
of the industrial boom in England or by its army overseas. The
English hid behind the fact that they were the constitutional
government for the Irish people pretending to be concerned by
begging food for her people abroad while at the same time by
constitutional policies taking the food from the people. They
were ruthless in putting down all attempts by the Irish for self-government
and all attempts of resistance. They passed laws that made it a
crime for a father to protect his children or his home from
destruction. They passed coercion laws that made it a crime for
the Irish to leave their homes between sunrise and sunset or to
hold arms. They had a well-fed armed guard of military and police
watch over them while they starved. Never in the history of
mankind was there a government who acted so cruelly to its people.
Ireland never needed the begging bowl it had its own food grown
in its own land and only needed its own concerned legislatures to
pass laws to save her people. The constitutional Government of
England was then the most powerful in the world and had the ear
of the world through its influence and press. They manipulated
the facts to cover up the real truth of what was happening in
Ireland the mass murder of its people and the destruction of
Ireland. An English induced constitutional famine.
There were many reasons put forward
by them to explain the great famine during the 1840’s. The
shortage of food was one. This was a myth. During the famine
years there was plenty of food in Ireland enough to feed double
its population. Yes the potato failed but all other crops thrived.
Under the system at the time Irish food was exported mainly to
English markets but from they're found its way to many parts of
the world. It puzzled many to hear there was famine in a land
that had so much food to export .In normal countries it was usual
to export food only after its population was fed. This was not
the case in Ireland; during the period her food was taken away
against the wishes of her people, usually at gunpoint and
escorted to the ports under military guard. It was then carried
away on ships leaving misery and starvation behind.
Over
population or surplus people
Another reason
put forward was over population or surplus people. This was
certainly not the cause of famine How could there be a surplus
people when at the same time they produced a surplus of food. Why
not let the surplus people eat some of the surplus food, there
would still be plenty left to export. After the famine when the
population of Ireland was halved by deaths and emigration the
poverty of her people continued. The country suffered numerous
food shortages and famines after the 1840’s one in 1877/8
and again in 79. 1879 was of a disastrous nature. It failed again
in 1885 and once again in the west in 1889and1890. The plight of
the Irish never improved even when the population decreased and
halved disproving the theory of over population.
Providentialism.
It was a poplar
theory among apologists for the government at the time to blame
the calamity on the providence of god but those very people who
put forward this theory did not give credit to the same god who
gave an abundance of all the other crops. The wheat the barley
and oats thrived and were healthy and plentiful. The potato
blight could be put down to the providence of god but the famine
was the result of bad government from England.
Dependence
and laziness.
Visitors often
observed Young healthy men idling in towns and villages which was
wrongly put down to laziness. The real reason for their idleness
was a lack of meaningful work or opportunities of gainful
employment. This was the result of deliberate policies
implemented by successive English governments, which destroyed
the commerce, trade and industry of the country. By the eve of
the famine Ireland’s industries were decimated and her
people reduced to a total state of beggary and impoverishment.
The Irish could
never be accused of laziness they worked hard to cultivate
impossible patches of ground, they carried seaweed up hills and
mountains to prepare ground for potatoes. No other race would
have put so much effort for so little reward. They travelled
great distances for seasonal work just to earn a pittance to help
them pay exorbitant rents at home. They harvested and
planted the farms in England and Scotland providing cheap labour
for farmers there. When they emigrated and were given
opportunities and independence they became very successful
captains of industry, educators, miners and hard working
labourers. They willingly took on the work that others would not
do, building canals, great bridges railways, and worked in
dangerous conditions in steel mills, coal mines, factories and
the sweatshops of the cities.
These are not characteristics of a lazy people. But the idleness
of the people has all the hallmarks of a subjective downtrodden
population misgoverned by a despotic regime entrapped and
imprisoned by poverty and without incentives or means of escape.
Land.
The manner in which land was held
contributed to the problem, most farmers lived in constant fear
of eviction and were tenants at will. There was no industry so
the land became the only means of survival for the majority of
the people of Ireland. In the rush for land people went to great
lengths to acquire it. They paid rents that were too high and in
many cases beyond the capacity for the land to sustain. They had
no security of tenure, were rack rented and even had to give
bribes to secure a lease. They got no compensation for
improvements to lands or dwellings and could be evicted at the
will of the landlord. Most landlords were absentee and had agents
administering their estates. They cared little for their tenants
who were usually cheated and exploited for profits. When famine
ensued and the poor laws became a burden to them they evicted
their tenant ruthlessly to certain death. Whole areas were
cleared killing masses of men women and children. The quarter
acre clause was an amendment to the poor laws to appease
landlords. This amendment forced landholders to give up their
farm in order to receive poor relief, it caused widespread
hardship and became another instrument of mass extermination. It
is interesting to note that by 1841, only 5 % of lands were in
the ownership of the native Irish. The rents from Irish land were
another invisible earner for England’s economy money sent
abroad that was much needed in Ireland.
How did these ruthless landlords get their
lands, did the buy it, get it by fraud, steal it and dispossess
the original owners.
Dependence.
Since the act of
union, which was passed by bribery and corruption and against the
wishes of the people, Ireland was given disproportionate
representation in the imperial parliament, were in a minority and
were forced to depend on English legislators to pass laws on her
behalf. During the famine the Irish were helpless and could not
legislate for the people’s protection. England was in
total control of her purse strings, her trade, land, food and
security and therefore responsible for the destruction of the
people. In all of these areas the Irish were unwilling dependants.
Just two years prior to the famine the Irish people had agitated
in millions for repeal of the union. History has shown how right
they were in seeking self-government, Ireland could have saved
itself, with its own parliament and its own leaders in power.
Instead Irish leaders and politicians had to watch in frustration
as an uncaring imperial government legislated for starvation,
misery and death.
Bad /
Cruel government
Bad government
was the major cause of the famine, Ireland was treated as a
colony not as an equal and used for the benefit of England.
During the famine laws and legislation were passed which favoured
their interest over Irelands. They adopted a policy of lazes
fare, free trade and non-interference. Ireland was not the only
land effected by potato blight but every other country managed to
save its population. Why did it not happen in Ireland? Some
countries closed their ports to exports and imported substitute
foods, some from Ireland. The Irish party proposed these same
measures plus many other positive suggestions. Why did the
English government not adopt them? O’Connell asked them to
leave the oats, to tax absentee landlords, use the proceeds of
the forests and to put people to work on productive schemes. Not
one of these proposals was adopted. The government failed the
people by not providing the means or measures to save them from
starvation. They used the famine to solve the problem as they saw
it of overpopulation and poverty. They had felt their power
challenged by the repeal movement and the sheer numbers that
rallied around it. English officials were also frightened
of the vast numbers of Ireland’s population. They allowed
the famine to occur because they saw an opportunity to reduce the
population, to punish Ireland, and bring it back under its
control. Prior to the famine mass emigration was proposed as a
remedy to the Irish question of poverty and population control.
The idea had been abandoned because the logistics of moving so
many people to British North America were thought to be too great.
They took advantage of the potato blight to implement policies to
achieve their aims and settle the Irish problem permanently.
In a address to
the house of commons Lord George Bentinck said that” never
before was there an instance of a Christian government allowing
so many people to perish without interfering. The time will come
when we shall know what the amount of mortality’s been when
the public and the world will be able to estimate, at its proper
value your management of affairs in Ireland”
.
Robert
Peel
He was in power
at the beginning of the tragedy, with a little effort he could
have saved the population and the structures before they broke
down. The potato blight of 45 although serious was partial and
not widespread. He was obsessed by the Corn Laws, which
were of little benefit to Ireland and used the potato loss to
force them through parliament. The results were cheap food for
England while lessening the return for Irelands agricultural
produce so Irish farmers had to export more food to pay their
rents. He did however buy $100,000 worth of Indian meal to
relieve pressure on the market during times of shortages but this
has to be measured against a potato loss worth 10 million. Most
people during that first year had to spend all their savings to
buy food and seed to provide for the future and see them over the
crisis until harvest. A harvest that was disastrous because the
potato totally failed all over the country’
John
Russell
He was
disastrous for Ireland and the lives and suffering of millions
must be charged to his name. He could have at least followed the
example of Peel and brought in a substitute to relieve the
market, instead this political economist presided over a policy
of free trade at the expense of human life and misery. He had his
soldiers shoot down hunger maddened peasants who were trying to
prevent there food from leaving the land .He bankrupted the
landowners and farmers by wasting there money on useless schemes.
At the height of the famine he closed the public works to phase
in soup kitchens and left thousands of families to starve during
the period of transition. The Society of Friends forewarned him
of the devastation it would cause but he chose to ignore them. He
could have used the encumbered estates to implement land reform
instead he chooe a policy to encourage English and Scottish
settlers. He wasted Irish money on providing and supporting extra
police and military, not for the people’s protection but to
subdue and force them to submit to starvation. When the people
fought back he disarmed them proclaimed whole districts and made
them prisoners in there own homes. He increased the fares for
steerage passenger to England to prevent the hungry poor from
escaping there and made Ireland a prison for them, without food.
He presided over the mass exodus of her people, to North America
that was unprecedented at the time. Forced in many cases to take
sub standard ships under provisioned and unfit for human
transportation. He refused to provide money and assistance to
help the government of Canada cope with the huge influx of sick
and dying flung on their shores. He watched as millions starved
to death without helping. He gave a deaf ear to the cries of
children. It was unknown in the world to put people through such
agonising torture over such a long period of time. Some of his
own officials described it as a policy of extermination and it is
very difficult to see it otherwise.
Ireland a
Colony
Under the
colonial system there was a shortage of cash in the country. The
crops and produce were exported but so too was the money gained
by the sale, in the form of rents to absentees. Ireland
contributed vast sums to the imperial treasury in tax money held
over and above what was spent in the country. Irish taxes went to
support their wars and expansionist policies across the world but
in return received none of the benefits. The proceeds from the
forests were claimed as the property of the crown and used during
a time of famine to build Trafalgar square and to beautify
Windsor castle, every resource was taken from Ireland leaving
widespread destitution and starvation behind. Yes the usual food
left for the Irish failed but why were the other crops exported.
No substitute food was provided and when available they were
insufficient. What were the people expected to live on?
There was no
shortage of food but it was exported because under the system
there was a shortage of money in Ireland to purchase it. In
desperation during the early stages People were forced to sell
everything they possessed to buy food, their cloths, cooking
utensils, their turf and implements of trade, thus worsening
their chances of future survival. The little money that was
available in the country was spent on imported meal, brought
thousands of miles across land and sea, giving huge profits to
merchants and ship owner. Then sold to a starving Irish people
who had little money at greatly inflated prices. Money was spent
on emigration drained the resources and gave further profits to
ship owners.
These are the
results of the actions of uncaring and vindictive colonial
governments that put self- interest over human life and suffering.
Charity
and Remittances
Many lives were
saved by the charitable efforts of others. The Society of Friends
distributed over 200,000 worth of food and clothing. Irish
charities were responsible for over 300,000 of relief. The
British associations handled over 400,000 but were used by
government to prop up bankrupt unions, which should have been
their responsibility. A considerable proportion of this money had
been donated be Irish people in the colonial services and the
military. Remittances from relatives and friends living
abroad must run into millions and saved many from starvation by
providing money for food or emigration. The amount of food shared
by neighbours is incalculable and must run into millions. In a
lot of cases the charitable relief was only temporary and just
postponed the moment of death.
THE COST
OF THE FAMINE
The exchequer
advanced 10.700,000 between 1845/50.This was mostly paid by
Ireland. For instance improvements and drainage schemes under the
La Bouchere letter were not a gift from government they were
charged to land. The cost of this scheme to Irish landowners when
in operation between 1846 and 48 was 1,191,187. Ireland was
charged the sum of 4,845,062. paid through rates etc. thus
leaving 4,687,649 paid by government. They also paid 70,000 in
freight charges for food donated to Ireland from abroad. When you
consider the immense size of the catastrophe and the vast amounts
of money taken out of Ireland I don’t believe it was
generous or expedient or a wholehearted effort to save the Irish
people. It was mean and begrudging and mainly driven by world
opinion. By refusing to make the famine an imperial problem they
forced upon Ireland the impossible task of saving its self.
Making Ireland pay the costs while controlling the policies, the
schemes and manner in which her money was spent.
The cost in
human terms were enormous .Can you put a price on misery and
suffering is there a price tag on mortality. How can you gauge
the worth of a father or mother or what Value can you place on
lost children. A whole nation was sacrificed and left to perish
because of the unwillingness of the governments to give financial
assistance to rescue Ireland from the black hole of famine and
disease. The language the folk culture and social structures were
disseminated by the devastation what value can be placed at this
type of loss. These are priceless and in many cases can never be
replaced. Whole family lines and communities that had lived and
survived in Ireland for thousands of years were brought to a sad
end. Remember Britain was then the richest country in the
world and was actively expanding its influence across the world
and had within its power the means to save the Irish people.
DEVON
COMMISSION
What happened to
the millions referred to by the Devon commission who’s only
food was the potato and only beverage water? There food was gone
but there is no evidence to suggest they got substitute food from
other sources. They had no resources or money for food or
emigration .In normal years they were on the verge of starvation
for two months of the summer. They must have perished.
TABLES OF
DEATH
It is difficult
to state with accuracy the amount of life lost during the years
no records were kept. The figures vary in accordance with the
writer’s views; some play it down others exaggerate .If you
believe the census of 1841 there was 8,175000 people in Ireland
leaving the figure of just over one million deaths. This does not
take into account the natural increase in the population that
would have occurred had there been no famine. There is no doubt
that this figure needs to be revised. Based on a partial recount
in 41 the population could have been as high as 10,897,449 before
the famine in 1841 allowing for natural increase it would have
reached approx. 11,815 011. In 1851
THE CENSUS
OF 1851
The census of 51
only records 6,552,385 leaving if you believe the higher figure a
loss of over 5 millions. 1.5 million emigrated .The numbers
remaining would roughly tally with the numbers on the verge of
starvation reported by Devon. The census form sought information
concerning deaths in each family since the previous one of ‘41.in
all 985,366 deaths were recorded in this manner. This figure of
course is not the total number lost during the period it does not
take into account whole families who emigrated and were not
around to fill a form, or those who died in the fever sheds in
Liverpool Greenock Grosse ile or at sea. It does not account for
those who were evicted and left by the roadside to die or those
who were living in hovels described by Devon on the sides of
hills and mountains. It did not account for whole families who
were wiped out by famine and disease. It does not account for
those who died by the roadside the fields, ditches and potato
patches. Less we forget even one soul I would opt for a higher
figure than those based on the census. Whatever the loss of life
it was a holocaust that had no parallel at the time and ranks as
one of the greatest human tragedies of all time.
Why have the
Irish people and more importantly the Irish Diaspora in America,
Australia, England, Scotland and Wales not received an apology or
compensation for their suffering? They tell us it is passed
and should be forgotten that is unacceptable. Why should the
world forget the cruelty of past generations like the imposed
famine or the mass destruction of innocent people in Germany or
Africa?
WE MUST
NEVER FORGET AND WE MUST TELL THE WORLD SO THE WORLD CAN LEARN
FROM THE CRUELTY OF THE PAST AND OF MAN’S INHUMANITY TO MAN.
BRIAN WARFIELD has
written this piece for our website he has also produced a C.D.
ROM on the Irish famine and written a special suite of music in
remembrance
Available on
Compact Disc AND Tape: “A CELTIC EXODUS’ click below to
email Brian for info.
Email Brian | Home | Back |