R201845

In the 1800s, when the potato crop came into being, people became very dependent on it. The potato became the main meal of the day due to its low cost, affordability, and also its availability. When the potato crop became infected with the blight later on, the very deadly potato disease wiped out over twenty percent of the Irish population. Over a million citizens immigrated to other countries and another million of the inhabitants died. The Great Irish Famine began in 1845 and did not die down until 1852. The Famine affected many of Ireland’s survivors and also the island’s views on its state of being. McKay, John P. __History of Western society__. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003.