The potato was introduced to Ireland in the 15 and 1600s from the exploration of South America. The crop was well suited for the climate. It is a crop that can grow in a relatively small space, with little maintenance. The potato was an integral ingredient in every Irish dish. It was so important, that every person ate on average 12 pounds of potatoes a day!!! This is about 60 potatoes for every man, 40 potatoes for every woman, and 25 potatoes for every child!
The British controlled all of Ireland. They forced the Irish to produce various crops to export to Britain. This forced Ireland to be agriculturally based, and not industrial at all. The British only allowed the Irish to have potatoes, and not any of the other crops that they were exporting.
In 1845, the potato famine occurred throughout Ireland. The potato “blight” was a little fungus that got to the potato. Within two weeks, the entire crop was ruined. This meant that the Irish people literally had nothing to eat, because they British would not allow them to have anything else. In this time, one million people died of starvation, and one million people left. Many of the Irish moved to the United States in hopes that they would survive the famine. This decreased the total eight million population by 25% the first year. The crop was able to be produced again after 1852, which was seven years later. Today, the Irish population has still not reached the 8 million it once was before.
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