Demographics During the Famine
At the heart of the Irish economy in the mid 1800’s was the potato. This chief crop had an extensive role in society: it was the primary food source of the rural poor, it served as a wage good, it was fed to farm animals, and it was important for crop rotations. It is approximated that Ireland’s potato consumption before the Famine was 280 pounds per week for a household of six, or, roughly seven pounds of potatoes per person per day [3]. However, this average figure masks the fact that a working adult male could consume ten to fourteen pounds per day [3]. It is understood that no other western country has lived on a diet so largely dominated by the potato and for so long as in Ireland. Due to their dependency on one agricultural good, the Irish were very vulnerable. This vulnerability was realized when the onset of the Famine caused major disaster throughout all of Ireland.
The Great Famine began in 1845 when a new fungus, the potato blight, invaded Irish plantations and destroyed half of the potato fields in 1845 and 1846. The 1847 crop did not fail, but very few potatoes had been planted. Farmers were encouraged to attempt a full harvest for the next year, but to their dismay, failure struck again. The Famine finally terminated by 1949, and Ireland suffered greatly as it was deprived of the crop that had been its chief commodity for roughly four years prior to the onset of the blight.
The consequences of the Famine were dramatic. Although difficult to measure, it is estimated that roughly one million deaths occurred as a result of starvation and fatal disease during the years of the potato blight (Guinnane, 84, 1997). Fertility was also affected by the potato crisis. It is typical for this factor to decrease during famines because of broken marriages caused by death or physical separation and because few marriages occur during times of famine. It is approximated that the Irish Famine led to 315,000 fewer births during this four-year crisis (Guinnane, 86, 1997). Additionally, emigration rose dramatically during the potato blight, as individuals fled from the declining living standards and the threat of starvation, illness and death. Out-migration during the Famine-era contributed greatly to the depopulation specific to this four-year disaster, as it is estimated that some 623,000 individuals left Ireland to escape the tragic conditions (Guinnane, 84, 1997). Since emigration was initiated well before the onset of the potato crisis, Irish emigration was therefore accelerated by the Famine and remained a dominant feature of Irish demographic history for much of the following century.
