Definition
The Irish Famine, also known as the Great Hunger, was a period of mass starvation and disease in Ireland from 1845 to 1849. It was caused by potato blight, which destroyed the main food source for the Irish population. The famine resulted in the death of approximately one million people and the emigration of another million. It was a devastating event with lasting social and political consequences. It wasn't just a bad harvest; it was a societal collapse.