ireland in the 1840s - the famine
DESCRIPTION
Slides for Junior Cert History on the Irish FamineTRANSCRIPT
Ireland in the 1840s
Most people were poor tenant farmers who rented land off rich landlords
Before Industrial Revolution in Britain there was a lot of domestic industry in Ireland – homemade items
Cheaper factory made imports from Britain put an end to most of this
Only place that developed industrially – area around Belfast Farms were divided up amongst farmers children – a process
known as subdivision
A rural Island
Landlords◦ Rich, Protestant, often had no interest in land, just wanted rent
Tenant Farmers◦ Poor, mostly Catholic, often had to pay high rents to landlords
Labourers (Cottiers)◦ Poorest of the poor – mostly Catholic, worked for Tenant Farmers
Three main groups in Rural Ireland
Basic Diet
Blight
Plenty food in Ireland during the Famine – Ireland exported 10,000 cattle (not to mention wheat, barley etc) during 1947 – the worst year of the famine
But poor people could only afford potatoes.....if you had no money... You starved.
No Food?
Very Slow to provide help Set up Workhouses for poor people Created Work Schemes – people put to work to earn
food Imported Indian Maize as a food stuff, many people did
not know how to cook it
The British Government Role
A Famine Work Scheme in Kildare
No dole in 1840s – people in financial difficulty had to go to a Workhouse
Created by the 1838 Poor Law Very strict, very harsh working conditions◦ Families separated◦ Two meals a day◦ Very long working hours – very hard work◦ Humiliating to have to go into a workhouse
The Workhouses
Ruins of a Workhouse
Emigration – the Coffin Ships
Results of the Famine
Across 5. dividing up farms amongst sons Down 1. Poorest of the Poor 2. Like a prison for poor people 3. Richest people in Ireland 4. Staple foodstuff for most people
2004 Higher Level Paper