The Great Famine

Flashcards covering key terms and concepts related to The Great Famine in Ireland.

Great Famine

A period of mass starvation in Ireland from 1845 to 1850, primarily caused by potato blight.

Laissez-faire

An economic policy of minimal government interference in economic affairs.

Significance of the Great Irish Famine

The Great Irish Famine had profound and lasting effects on Ireland, leading to a massive population decline due to starvation and disease, increased emigration to America, a shift in land ownership patterns, and significant political and social upheaval, influencing Irish nationalism and subsequent movements for independence.

Blight

A disease affecting plants, particularly potatoes, leading to severe crop failures during the Great Famine.

Cottiers

Poor tenants in Ireland who rented small plots of land and worked for tenant farmers.

Conacre

A system where cottiers rented land from farmers, often for cultivation, in exchange for labor.

Emigration

The act of leaving one’s country to live in another, which increased significantly during the Great Famine.

Workhouse

A place where the impoverished received food and shelter in return for work, established during the famine.

Soup Kitchen Act (1847)

Legislation that allowed for the establishment of soup kitchens to feed the hungry during the famine.

Outdoor Relief

Assistance given to the poor in their homes, as opposed to requiring them to enter a workhouse.

Indian Corn

Maize imported to Ireland during the Great Famine to alleviate food shortages.

Causes of the Great Famine

The Great Famine was primarily caused by a potato blight that devastated the main food source for a significant portion of the Irish population, compounded by socio-economic issues, including reliance on a single crop, land ownership disparities, and British economic policies.

Consequences of the Great Famine

The consequences included massive population decline due to starvation and disease, increased emigration to America, a change in land ownership patterns, and significant political and social upheaval in Ireland.

Course of the Great Famine

The Great Famine unfolded over several years, starting in 1845 with the potato blight peaking in severity in 1846, leading to widespread starvation, the establishment of workhouses and soup kitchens, and ongoing effects that lasted well into the 1850s.