the-great-irish-famine

The Distress Papers: a priest's anguished plea

The Distress Papers in the National Archives of Ireland give us a glimpse of the people and stories behind the grim statistics. In this series, we explore the collection.

The Famine Distress Papers: the tenants of Athenry

The Distress Papers in the National Archives of Ireland give us a glimpse of the people and stories behind the grim statistics. In this series, we explore the collection.

'Her Silken Brown Hair': chronicling the Famine in song

Musician Declan O'Rourke explains how he came to chronicle the Famine in his music

Helpless little wanderers: the Famine orphans in Quebec

They crossed the Atlantic in search of a new life. But what sort of welcome did the Famine orphans receive when they arrived in Canada? Mark McGowan explains.

A strange environment indeed: Famine Irish in northwest England

Tens of thousands of desperate "half naked and starving" Irish emigrants arrived in the north west of England during the Famine years, bringing deadly disease and hunger with them. As Lewis Darwen explains, many remained - but some were sent back.

About the Great Irish Famine Project

Before and after the Famine: an interactive map

Through death, emigration and movement around the country, the Famine transformed how and where Irish people lived. Compare how the population was distributed around the country before and after the Famine with this interactive map.

Peel's brimstone: the Temporary Relief Commission

It was the first serious attempt to alleviate the suffering of the Famine. But did it make a serious difference? Helene O'Keeffe on the Temporary Relief Commission

The History Show on the Famine in Skibbereen

The History Show on the Famine in Skibbereen

Doc on One: The Famine Girls

How the Irish Famine changed New York City forever

Thanks to emigration triggered by the Famine, people born in Ireland comprised almost one third of the total population of New York by 1855. The city was changed forever - but how? Anelise Hanson Shrout explains.

The panicked flood: emigration and the Great Famine

It was the exodus that changed Ireland - and the world - forever. Ciarán Ó Murchadha tells the story of how Ireland's desperate population left the country - and how they fared in their new homes.

Hidden Ireland: The world of the cottier on the eve of the Famine

They were at the bottom of the social and economic pyramid in 1840s Ireland - and their world was destroyed by the Famine. Ciarán Reilly on the cottiers

The other famine: Scotland and the potato blight

The effects of the potato blight on the residents of the Scottish island of Barra was devastating. James Hunter explains what happened when the blight took hold - and how it both resembled and differed from what happened in Ireland

How the Great Famine changed Ireland forever

In 1845, a potato blight arrived in Ireland that would lead to the deaths of over a million people and the emigration of even more. John Crowley tells the story