The Great Hunger, a Genealogist’s Retrospective

The year 2022, marks the 175th anniversary of one of the worst years (1847) of the Great Hunger in Ireland. “Black ‘47” culminated in the highest number of Irish migrants as they moved within Ireland to find relief. Those who received assistance or who could afford it emigrated abroad, as hunger and disease spread. In their flight from famine, many refugees arrived in Canadian towns, cities and the surrounding countryside, swelling the number of Irish to unprecedented numbers.

Part 1. The Great Hunger: A brief overview of the famine (what caused it, the circumstances that exacerbated the famine in Ireland, which parts of Ireland were the most affected)

Part 2. The Response: The domestic and international response to the famine (poor houses, parish, county and international relief, taxation, and the landowners’ dilemma)

Part 3. The Repercussions: The effect on the Irish population (mortality, emigration - assisted, voluntary and forced, migration…