"...conditions came together to form a perfect storm. No one in the country would remain untouched and when the fury subsided, Ireland would never be the same again.” (Casey, p. 29)
The Irish of the 19th century had endured England’s religious persecution and human rights violations for centuries. Millions of Irish lived and died as victims of these egregious acts. Near three million Irish lived in abject poverty and survived almost exclusively on the potato. They suffered through the Famine that began with the failure of a potato crop and escalated into a large scale humanitarian disaster. England, their sister country, refused to take the necessary measures to mitigate the tragedy. One million Irish starved or died of disease while another million fled to North America, enduring a harrowing voyage fraught with danger and mortal disease. The Famine devastated Ireland and her people, while intensifying their hatred of England. This book will identify those responsible and determine their culpability.
