Gone with the Spud: The Political, Economic, and Cultural Effects of the Irish Potato Famine

Abstract

The Irish Potato Famine of the late 1840s caused the deaths of a third of Ireland’s population. But it also created a resilience in the Irish, and a sense of national pride that has shaped them into the nation that they are today. The Famine has become well known for dispersing a third of Ireland’s population into other countries, like America; for the third that remained, they united together in their common hatred of Great Britain, whom they blamed for causing the deaths of their countrymen. This traumatic event reinforced the identity of the Irish by creating a cultural memory, and a sense of pride in their culture that made them different from their enemy, Great Britain. This paper will explore how the political, economic, and social events during the Irish Potato Famine influenced and contributed to the national and cultural identity of Ireland. Drawing on a range of sources from songs and art to government documents, this paper explores popular culture before, during, and after the famine to analyze how the Famine has continued to influence Irish culture today.