As the harvest of 1845 approached, rumours circulated through Ireland that a mysterious disease was attacking the potato crop. While well informed botanists in London grew increasingly anxious about what lay ahead, many Irish peasants dependent on potatoes had little idea what was happening.
When the harvest did fail, the Great Famine had begun. Terror gripped the population and I look at what the British authorities did to respond.
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My Name is Fin Dwyer, I am 36 year old historian, author and podcaster. I studied archaeology and Greek and Roman Civilisation in University College Dublin and completed a masters in archaeology in 2004. Find out why I started Irish History Podcasts.
