The Great Irish Famine By michealll 1845 August: First report of potato blight in Ireland. 1845 October: 1/3 of total crop is lost. 1845 November: Peel orders purchase of 100,000's worth of Indian corn from the United States and establishes Relief Commission 1845 December: Food prices double, and 86,900 deaths are reported by Census. 1846 July: Potato crop appears healthy, parliament closes down relief committees. 1846 August: Blight reappears. 3/4 of the crop lost. Emigration escalates. 1846 November: Abnormally severe winter sets in. Fever and dysentery are epidemic. The society of friends (quakers) establish a relief committee. 1846 December: Census reports 122,899 deaths. 1847 April: Fever act passed to cope with epidemic. 1847 June: Soup kitchens open 1847 July: Soup distributed to 3,000,000 people daily. 1847 December: Census reports 249,335 deaths. 1848 July: 2/3 potato crop destroyed. 1848 September: Parliament host extraordinary government relief measures. 1848 November: Cholera epidemic begins 1848 December: Census reports 208,252 deaths and 180,000 emigrations this year 1849 June: Society of friends gives up relief work. 1849 December: Census reports for the year, 240,797 deaths, 220,000 emigrations, workhouses full, and 16,686 families evicted from their homes. 1850 1850: The right to vote is extended to farmers who hold twelve acres or more. Census reports 164,093 deaths. 210,000 emigrate. 1851 1851: Census reports 96,798 deaths. 1852 1852: Census reports 80,112 deaths. Outdoor relief phased out. An estimated 250,000 emigrate. 1871 1871: Census reports the population of Ireland as 4,412,000 - half of pre-famine years.