What was the Potato Famine?

In 1845 the Irish people lived mainly on potato. Out of a population of about 8million most poor people lived in Ireland lived on small farms rented from landlords and there was no other significant source of food.

BLIGHT!
After Blight struc the potatoes rotted and the people had nothing to eat. !he Irish newspapers spread the word about the blight on "eptember #th 1$45. Blight had first struc in America the year before and had been imported into parts of Belgium% &rance% 'ermany% () and the *etherlands during the summer of 1845 and then into Ireland. !here was effectively no potato crop in 1845 and 184# and although there was little blight in 184+ there had been too few potatoes planted for the harvest to be of any use. ,rops failed again in 1848. !here was now nothing for the poor to eat. Although many had enough land to grow crops other than potatoes% they were caught in an impossible bind - they !12 B3I'1! 2&&2,!2. had to sell these crops to pay rent or face eviction. !12 4O!A!O2" !1A! .uring the &amine about 1 /illion people left Ireland to escape starvation. !he 0ourney to America lasted about a month and even longer in bad weather.
,A("2. !12 &A/I*2

4eople couldn5t afford to pay their rents anymore and were evicted by their landlords. !hey were forced to move to disease6infested wor houses or to emigrate to other countries. But even emigration was no solution for many of people 6 they were crowded into little ships% later also labelled 7coffin ships7% and many of them died on the way due to hunger% disease and other causes. (sually 0ust over half of the emigrants survived the long 0ourneys. Other people% who could not afford to buy other food% were forced to eat the rotten potatoes% contracted diseases such as typhoid% and passed these on in their entire villages. *ot much could be done in those times to help Ireland. Britain provided much relief for Ireland5s starving people% but was critici8ed later on for a late response to the situation.