Insurrection and Starvation – A Tale of Two Towns (1846) The Great Famine Part IX

As the crisis worsened in Ireland in late 1846, the two Cork towns of Youghal and Skibbereen experienced the unfolding horrors in very different ways. The people of Youghal, due to local dynamics, were in a position to rise up against some of the causes of famine. Through the Autumn of 1846 they launched an insurrection in a desperate bid to stop food being exported.

However at Skibbereen in west Cork the people found themselves in a far worse situation. Ravaged by severe starvation from as early as October, the town became notorious for the horrific conditions its inhabitants faced.