The Great Famine

1. By Leah, Caitlin and Charlie The Great Famine

2. Emigration • Many people felt there was no future and very little hope in Ireland. • Those with a small amount of savings went to Britain. • About 1.5 million went to the United States of America. • About 340,000 went to Canada. • The ships they emigrated on were known as coffin ships.

3. The Great Famine • The Great Famine began in 1847. • It was first noted in Waterford and Wexford. • 1847, or “Black ‘47” was a time known for many deaths. • Before the Famine people ate up to sixty potatoes. • The county most affected by the famine was Cork.

4. The Soup Kitchens • Soup kitchens were established in 1847. • It was the Quakers who opened Dublins first soup kitchens. • Over 3 million people a day were fed in the kitchens.

5. Emigration On Coffin Ships • Emigration became a big thing during the famine. • People emigrated on ships called coffin ships.

6. The potato Blight • The blight was airborne to the potato. • Blight was phytophthorainfestans fungus.

7. Facts.... • In 1846 blight almost destroyed everything. • By December, 1846 a third of a million people were employed in public work. • This work included building roads in the middle of random fields. • In 1847 an exceptionally hard winter made conditions even worse.

8. Results... • When the potatoes were edible again people did not eat them because they never planted any the previous year. • Many people emigrated from Ireland on coffin ships • Many people died during the Great Famine