Transcript THE GREAT FAMINE
THE GREAT FAMINE
The great Irish potato famine
• The Irish famine began in 1845 and continued until 1851. More than 1 million died in 3 years as a result of hunger and diseases and much the same number emigrated to Great Britain, the United States and Australia.
Black ’47
• Blight caused the famine. Blight was a disease that caused potatoes to rot in the fields. Many families fled their homes. Black ‘47 was the worst of all these years. Many people died of hunger and diseases and more people emigrated to America.
“Hurray we have landed!!!”
Emigration
• Emigration was when people fled from their homes because of the famine and hunger and diseases. Many of them died on the ships on their way to America while others drowned due to travelling on unsafe boats or ships. These ships became known as “coffin ships”.
Soup kitchens
• Soup kitchens were set up by the government to try to relieve the starving • Unfortunately the soup kitchens opened too late for most people • If they had started six months earlier thousands of peoples’ lives could have been saved • The usual system was to set up a kitchen at a crossroads or a meeting point. Meal and vegetables were boiled up in huge cauldrons • For many people the distance to the soup kitchen was too far
Yes.
Can I have some food?
Workhouses
• For some families their only hope of survival was to put their children in a workhouse. If a whole family went they were separated from each other. Disease was rife in these places so people were reluctant to go. In some cases children were put in workhouses while parents emigrated searching for a better life.