Imagine having to flee the only place you have ever known due to starvation, disease, and fear of death. This was what it was like for the people of Ireland during 1845-1852 and through the 19th and 20th centuries.

This period was called the Great Famine. Famine means extreme scarcity of food. The Great Famine was a time of economic hardship, political instability, and religious persecution, but mainly known for the hunger many people faced. This was a period of mass starvation in Ireland due to blight, a plant disease, that destroyed the potato crop. This caused mass malnourishment because the potato crop was a staple food for a large portion of the Irish population.

The Famine caused roughly one million deaths among people and forced around another million people to leave the country as refugees. Before this Ireland’s population was 8.5 million people, and it decreased drastically to 6.5 million people within seven years.

The Irish Diaspora caused the migration of ethnic Irish people and gave a new life to their descendants living outside the country. Many people do not realize this historical event occurred or is even deeply rooted within their cultural identity.