#Irish potato famine

[thegroundhogdidit]

me: *reading book about the irish potato famine for class*

book: the type of starvation suffered by the irish in 1845 would be UNTHINKABLE today

me, looking over at palestine: yeah........ unthinkable

#to be clear BOTH ireland and palestine were subject to genocide #and yes. england and israel should be fucking ashamed of themselves #free palestine #free gaza #palestine #irish potato famine

[agentem]

It's that time of year when you are going to see some "Irish" t-shirts in stores and can get your Shamrock Shake at Mickey D's. There will be St. Patrick's Day parades this weekend and next.

And I just want to be a nerdy know-it-all for a second. St Patrick's Day was originally a religious holiday (as most holidays were, holy + day = holiday); it still is in some places, like some actual Irish people from Ireland who believe in God--though the American parade/festival mentality seems to be gaining steam in some parts of Ireland, I am told.

St Patrick's Day as we know it is deeply rooted in the United States. Though it's been celebrated here since 1600 in the territory that became Florida, the tenor of the holiday greatly changed after the Great Famine of Ireland.

You may have been told in school that the famine occurred because a blight wiped out potato crops in Ireland. This is true but doesn't address the crux of the matter.

The blight started in North America and travelled to Ireland and into much of Europe. But we only think of it as an Irish problem because the Irish were too poor to eat other foods.

Some scholars have said it was a "man made crisis" and I agree that is true. Other crops in Ireland were not affected by the blight, in fact, this time was considered one of "plenty", but all that food was used to feed the English. Not the Irish.

Nor were the English quick on providing aid, "There is such a tendency to exaggeration and inaccuracy in Irish reports that delay in acting on them is always desirable," said Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel after initial reports of the catastrophe.

Workhouses designed to assist the poor and starving were closed prematurely. "The only way to prevent the people from becoming habitually dependent on Government is to bring the food depots to a close," said Charles Trevelyan, the man who was literally in charge of famine relief. He also said some gems like, Sure the famine is bad but "the moral evil of the selfish, perverse and turbulent character of the people" was the real problem. Great guy; he became a Baronet.

The soup kitchens, which replaced the workhouses were also closed prematurely, were widely believed to serve portions too small even for children and lacking any nutritional value due to them being watered down to feed more people than anticipated by the brilliant British government.

A million people died in Ireland from famine and disease and nearly 2 million left Ireland for other parts of the world. Including my father's family. (If they survived the "Coffin Ships" leaving their home.)

So when I said above that the tenor of the holiday changed, it was because of increasing Irish Nationalism and anger at Britain. Now, Ireland is a Republic (though it's not unified, yet) and we are proud of those who stayed and fought to make that happen.

We are also proud just to still be alive anywhere. The population of Ireland is 6.9 million now--slowly nearing the 8.5 million it was home to before the famine--but people with Irish ancestry across the world has been measured to be about 80 million people. Take that, Sir Robert Peel.

The English actively tried to kill us. Nevertheless, we persisted. A lot.

I hope you have a Happy St. Paddy's Day (it's Paddy not Patty). Drink some Guinness. Dance some jigs. Definitely eat some potatoes (Boil 'em! Mash 'em! Stick 'em in a stew!) But please remember that when people are starving, you should feed them. Don't be like the English government.

In fact, as I write this there is a crisis in Turkey and Syria. It just so happens that the Sultan of Turkey wanted to donate money to Ireland (10,000 pounds) but since Queen Victoria donated just 2,000, he was told it would be against protocol.

#st patricks day #saint patrick #ireland #irish american #the great famine #irish potato famine #st paddys day #turkey #turkey earthquake #syria earthquake #immigration #sir robert peel #england #queen victoria #Charles Trevelyan #republic of ireland #nothern ireland

[victusinveritas]

7 or 8.

#the great hunger #an gorta mór #irish potato famine

[dailyhistoryposts]

On This Day In History

September 9th, 1845: The Great Famine of Ireland begins.

#history #irish history #english history #potato #great famine #irish potato famine

[neatokeanosocks]

Other americans of irish descent: Lol let's become afflicted with alcohlism xD

Me: *shaking and crying* We Are Fucking Running Out Of Potatoes

#out of all anxieties i thought i'd have at college.. Potato Anxiety was unexpected #shitpost #tw irish american #(ik thats hella cringe to real irish people. thats the joke) #irish potato famine

[mr-collins-2005]

MR COLLINS WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE IRISH POTATO FAMINE

The most devastating event to happen in the whole world in all of history

#boiled potatoes #what a superbly featured room #and what excellent boiled potatoes #what excellent boiled potatoes #many a years since ive had such an exemplary vegetable #pride and prejudice #pride and predujice #potatoes #irish potato famine #potato famine

[andnowanowl]

"The Hungry Grass" - Colcannon. Released 1991.

Been thinking of this song a lot lately in regards to Palestine. It's about the an Gorta Mór, the Irish Potato Famine, which wasn't a famine at all but a genocide of the Irish by England.

(Edit. Sorry if the lyrics aren't correct, I had to listen and put them in myself because I couldn't find them anywhere ‐ Colcannon is a bit of an obscure band. And I have a bit of a hearing disability.)

#palestine #ireland #an gorta mór #irish potato famine #genocide #colcannon #this was always my favorite song from this album when i was like six #i didn't realize what it meant then though #just that it was sad #celtic music #music

[teachanarchy]

What really caused the Irish Potato Famine - Stephanie Honchell Smith

#irish potato famine #world history #british empire #Ireland #britain #capitalism #economics #geography #Youtube

[badliteraturememes]

Jonathan “the menace” Swift

#book #book memes #books #literary memes #literature #literature memes #meme #memes #bookblr #lit #Jonathan swift #a modest proposal #Irish potato famine #essay #essays #historical essays

[nerdylibertarian928]

Question for the Indians, Irish, and the Ukranians

From what I've read the Irish view the Bengali Famine as a genocide and the Indians view the Irish Potato Famine as genocide so do they both view the Holodomor as a genocide and do the Ukrainians view the Bengali and Irish Potatoe Famines as genocides

#to me all 3 were genocides #bengali famine #holodomor #irish potato famine #india #ireland #ukraine

[thoughtportal]

Sinead O'Connor - Famine

#video #Sinead O'Connor #irish history #irish #irish potato famine #famine #colonization #colonialism #british imperialism #imperialism #genocide

[astrabear]

W O W

Watching an early season of Bake-Off that I'd never seen before. There's a little historical segment on Irish Potato Bread. Naturally, the subject of the potato blight comes up, and apparently the British government didn't understand how serious it was. I don't know what else they said because I was too distracted trying not to have a rage aneurysm and my roommate was yelling profanities at the tv. What the actual fuck. How did Sue say that without vomiting? How did someone write that without bursting into flames?

#great british bake off #great british baking show #irish potato famine #a famine is different from a food shortage #famine is a political event

[victusinveritas]

#irish potato famine #the great hunger #an gorta mór #genocide #irish studies

[randomyounglady]

Don't let abuse drive you to suicide. Let it drive you to live long enough to dance on their grave like a jolly Irishman dancing on the graves of the Brits after the famine.

#abuse #philosophy #irish #irish potato famine

[perrysoup]

Genuine question, should what is know as the Irish Famine be called instead the Irish Starvation since the British could have provided aid but didn’t and also actively prevented aid from getting to them?

#Irish famine #Irish starvation #potato famine #irish potato famine #British genocide #genuine question #question #Ireland

[orbdevourer]

I realize the irish potato famine was a horrible tragedy but of all the major historical tragedies that one has to be the funniest

#history #irish potato famine #idk