The
Blight Bites
The Irish Potato Famine
(http://adminstaff.vassar.edu/sttaylor/famine)
“‘In Ireland long ago, there were good times, not your time nor my time but somebody’s time’... Traditional beginning to an Irish Folktale” (Bartoletti, 1). The Great Irish Potato Famine was a devastating calamity that caused great conflict for the Irish People. Ireland’s conflict was on two fronts: personal and political.
The blight which destroyed Ireland’s staple food hit people on a personal level. They had to fight to stay alive and struggle to find food, fight diseases, and endure the pain of losing loved ones. They had to make a monumental decision of whether to take their chances of survival in their homeland or leave Ireland. Both options were risky, possibly deadly.
The political conflict stemmed from British control of Ireland. Landlords threw starving families from their homes while sending money and crops to England.
The famine was an uncompromising situation for the Irish people. The relentless blight destroyed potato crops and caused personal strife, and Ireland had no control over its own destiny due to its political situation.
Theo Edmison
Tanner McMullen
Kyle Schmitt
Junior Division