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The Blight Begins
A fungal disease called phytophthora infestans was brought over in ships traveling from North America to England. This famine put millions of people into hunger, and sent the Irish natives scrambling. -
Period: to
Irish Potato Blight
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Peel
With the threat of starvation looming, Prime Minister Peel made a courageous political decision to remove England's Corn Laws. -
Help
Quakers set up soup kitchens to lessen starvation rates, and they donated clothes and goods to the needy. -
Disease
Typhus and relapsing fever were two of the most common diseases in the population. Becuase there were no official documents, we will never be able no the exact count how many died due to starvation and diseases. -
Immigration Rates
People were now in a rush to get out of Ireland, but immigration was limited to only the summer months. This lead to over 6,000 immigrants going to Liverpool and later Ireland opening direct sails out to North America and other parts of the world. -
Lack of Money
During the famine, many farmers were not able to sell crops, and therefore weren't able to pay for their rent. During the blight, 90,000 people were kicked out of homes and left on the streets.