©The Potato Famine in Ireland 1845-1849

Copyright ©2010 Hugh Doherty.

Dr. John O'Donovan (1806-1861) of the Ordnance Survey
In a letter to his superiors, on 16th October 1835, from Glenties, Co. Donegal, he lamented the reliance of the population solely on the potato for survival. He was fearful of an oceon storm which would destroy the growing crop and of the famine that would follow. He was also stressing the point that the seven fold population increase since the time of Queen Elizabeth 1st., could not be sustained by the potato only. He was strongly advocating that the matter should be remedied or the situation would end in general destruction.

Daniel O'Connell (1775-1847) Irish M.P.
Was the first Catholic in Britain or Ireland in over 100 years to be elected to the House of Commons and in his final speach there, three months before his death, he appealed for aid, as follows;
"Ireland is in your hands, in your power. If you do not save her, she cannot save herself. I solemnly call on you to recollect that I predict with the sincerest conviction that a quarter of her population will perish unless you come to her relief".

Irish M.P., Isaac Butt (1813-1870) Educated at The Royal School, Raphoe & Trinity College Dublin, complained that; "Ireland had been promised great things from the Act of Union 1800, which had brought Ireland under the rule of the British Parliament, with all the advantages of being linked closely to a great and prosperous Nation. But, Ireland was now about to learn just how close or otherwise that link was ?" Isaac Butt is buried in Church of Ireland graveyard, Stranorlar.

A Potato blight (Phytophthora infestans) epidemic occurs following a Beaumont period, that is, not less than 48 hours having a min. temperature of 50F., and relative humidity of 75%. Beaumont periods are called after the research worker who showed that such circumstances were critical for the epidemic spread of blight.
This blight struck in September 1845 and destroyed about one third of the crop. It re-appeared in 1846 and was at its worst in 1847 ("Black forty seven"). This type of Blight was only identified about 20 years after it first struck and the fungicide spray to prevent it was not developed for a further 20 years.

Background to Starvation
The Potato sustained a dramatic rise in population which peaked at 8.5 millions in 1845. Surplus potatoes were fed to pigs to produce pork for human consumption. The variety "Lumpar" which was planted extensively was unknowingly very susceptible to Potato Blight. Grain crops were grown for fattening cattle which could be sold to pay rent to the landlord. This "eco-system" with the potato as its hub enabled the people to live, work and pay their rent.
The Ordnance Survey 1834 in the Parish of Killygarvan noted : "The old method of paying the rents by the produce on a farm of six acres was thus : the potatoes and oats fed the family, the oat straw the cow, the Barley paid the November rent, its straw thatched the cabin. The flax turned into cloth kept the family engaged in winter and paid the May rent".

Categories of people at risk
Many farm labourers were paid for their work "in kind", potatoes or land for growing potatoes, rather than money. When the crop failed in 1845 their families were first to suffer starvation. Landless "Cottiers" (living in rented cottages and renting land) were next to suffer, followed by tenant farmers. Land rents fell due on "Gale days" in May and November each year but inability to pay rent meant that land-agents, who received 5% commission acting on behalf of Landlords, mercilessly seized stock, forced evictions and even "levelled" tenants' houses to prevent re-occupation. On Christmas Eve, 1847, a Land-agent nailed "Notices to Quit" on the doors of all tenants on Lough Eske estate near Donegal Town.
Official recording of evictions began in 1850 and in that year 49,000 families were evicted.

The phenomenon of Mary (Anton) Sheridan's field, Drumhallagh Lower, Rathmullan.
It is said that Potatoes grown in this field, escaped the blight and at harvesting time the field was dug three times over. Firstly by the family and then by others, in desparation, trying to secure even the smallest potatoes which could be used as seed.

1. Potato blight which struck in 1845 and peaked in 1847 devastated crop yields.

2. Farm labourers who usually received potatoes in lieu of payment for their work were in immediate difficulty followed by the landless Cottiers (cottagers) who would have rented land for growing potatoes.

3. The land tenure system was controlled mostly, but not all, by absentee Landlords whose land agents enforced the collection of rents regardless of the ability of tenant farmers to pay

4. Wet Summers, favourable to the spread of potato blight also caused the loss of peat harvests used in Winter heating. The Winters of 1846 & 1847 were the coldest on record.

5. The schoals of fish (herring) usually plentiful around the coast, unfortunatly, migrated away for some years (as they do periodically).

6. Ironically, Irish grain had to be sold and exported to pay rent to Landlords and was being shipped out of Irish Ports while ships with aid from other countries were sailing in. From this it can be argued that there was plenty of food within Ireland and that there was no need for starvation except for the system of having to sell grain to pay rent to Landlords or else face eviction. The "Speenhamland system" which operated in southern England when Wheat became scarce could, perhaps, have helped solve the problem in Ireland.

Political Situation
Ireland was under the rule of The British Parliament and Queen Victoria was on the Throne from 1837-1901 (in Ireland she became known as "the Famine Queen").
The Irish Poor Law Act (1838) led to the formation of 130 Poor Law Unions with Boards of Guardians responsible for each Union to run Workhouses and provide "Outdoor Relief". Workhouses had been built to take in destitute tenants at the expense of the Landlord. The Poor Law Union of Milford was formed in 1841. It covered an area of 176 square miles which included the quarterland of Oughterlin. Milford Workhouse had accommodation for "400 inmates" and was declared, "open for paupers" on 24th December 1845. Its first occupant was admitted on 6th April 1846.

Sir Robert Peel was Prime Minister 1841-1845 and he allowed for the importation of Indian Corn from America to keep down grain prices. Indian Corn was difficult to grind into meal and Irish Mills were totally unable to deal with it. To start with, much of the grinding had to be done at Portsmouth, England. Although a very high energy cereal, Indian meal was new to the Irish digestive system and became known as "Peel's brimstone". Robert Peel also introduced public work relief schemes where money could be earned by building roads and roadside walls but his efforts got a set back by change of English Government in June 1846 when the Liberals (Whigs) came to power with Lord John Russell as Prime Minister. A Relief Commission was then set up by the British Treasury and Charles Trevellyan was put in charge of relief schemes. He was against state intervention and removed support for public works in order to encourage self reliance. He also cut back on relief aid stating that "God sent the famine to teach the Irish a lesson".

Official Aid
Charles Trevellyan devised a method of aid distribution known as the "Workhouse Rule". This meant that food aid could not be given out unless all of the places in the local Workhouse were taken up. For those presenting to be admitted, it was the last resort and was considered by the people to be the end of the road, absolutely!
The cruelty of being deported to Australia for stealing "Trevellyan’s Corn" is emotionally recalled in the Pete St John song, "The Fields of Athenry" sung, nowadays, by Irish supporters at International Soccer and Rugby matches.
Deportation, for petty offenses, to Botany Bay, Australia, ceased in 1853.

Local Relief Committees:
The Soup Kitchen Act was implemented in 1847 and "Soup" was considered to be any food cooked in a boiler and distributed in liquid form, thick or thin, of meat, vegetables, grain, meal or fish. A recipe known as "St. Patrick's Soup" was devised as being suitable for "the needy".
Local Relief Committees were funded to hand out "Stirabout" to those in need. (Stirabout was two thirds Maize & one third Rice cooked in water). Thomas Batt Jr., the Rathmullan Landlord, was Chairman of the Killygarvan Parish Relief Committee.
At Gortlough, Rathmullan, there was a Brohan House ( brothan=Porridge) from which Gruel was handed out to the locals. (wallsteads still remain).

"Outdoor Relief"
Labouring schemes for building roads and roadside walls were started to enable tenants to earn money (usually 9 pence a day) to help pay rent but manual work without food was exhausting and many died by the roadsides. The roads which were laid out at that time were known as "lines" as they were usually straight. Hence the "Bankers Line" "Elly Line"etc. After he left school, Edward Shovelin(the painter), Drumhallagh, worked on the roads in the bare feet, for 4 pence a day.

Charitable Aid
The Society of Friends (known as the Quakers) aimed to help local communities to look after themselves and supplied large boilers to make soup. They operated soup kitchens and distributed rice. They traveled tirelessly, even to the most remote places where others would not go, but in 1849 they gave up and left Ireland, unable to continue, having spent £200,000. They made it clear to the British Government that private charity could no longer cope, that it required the resources of Government to save the people and that the land system needed to be completely reformed. The relief efforts of the Quakers have lived long in Irish memory because they genuinely tried so much to help and had neither political nor religious strings attached to their aid.
The Choctaw American Indians of Oklahoma, who were themelves a relatively poor tribe, contributed an amazing $710 dollars in Famine aid to Ireland even though they had their own "Trail of tears" and had faced starvation themselves a few years earlier.

Effects of Famine
Between 1845 & 1849 over one million people died and another million emigrated. Disease accounted for more deaths than starvation and Typhus Fever became widespread. The cause of Typhus fever, (spread by body lice), was not established until sixty years later. Those dealing with the destitute; Clergy, Doctors and Workhouse staff, were in the front line of infection. Protestant Clergy who were actively distributing food to the hungry were very much at risk and 40 Protestant Ministers died from the disease in 1847. Catholic Priests were also at risk because of administering the "last rites" as the lice would leave the cooling body to seek a new host. Within ten days of a person being bitten by the body louse they would start to show symptoms of fever and within another two weeks up to 70% would be dead. To make matters worse, Irish emigrants brought the disease with them to the city of Quebec in Canada.
An outbreak of Asiatic Cholera which spread throughout Europe arrived in Ireland,1849. By 1851 the population of Ireland had fallen to 6.55 millions.