To understand the reasons why millions of Irish people to immigrate to America, we must know the "push and pull" factors, starting from the situation of Ireland before the Great Famine. Unfortunately these factors appear as a chain of causes and consequences that could have been stopped at any point but neither Britain, the landlords, nor the poor classes did anything to prevent this. Irish emigration wasn't restricted to the famine years of 1845 to 50, but it did take a dramatically sharp rise during this period. People had been leaving since the 1700's in search of a better life. But the focus will concentrate on the period of the Great Starvation because the greatest Irish emigration was recorded in that period.

To understand the Great Famine, one must focus on the expanding Irish population of the early 1800’s and the growing dependency on a single crop -- the potato. To realize why the famine lasted for five years, one must understand the politics, cultures and economics of the time, since full crop failures did not occur every year between 1850 and 1900. In fact, while the blight provided the catalysts for the famine, the calamity was essentially man-made, a poison of blind po

Why did the greater part of Irish emigrants choose America and Canada as their destination? The belief that emigration was the best solution to Irish starvation was the general consensus in different countries, not only in England. Newspapers in England and in America were interested in the Irish disaster, and often judged it as a result of Catholic Irish incapacity to "grow" and become the subject of compassion. Canada and America saw an opportunity for poor people in Irish emigration, but also for themselves since both countries needed laborers and settlers. They were allowed to advertise low-cost land and all the benefits to be found in the underdeveloped areas of North America. American contractors recruited Irish labor through newspapers in Dublin, Cork, and Belfast, for the vast construction of railways, canals, and roads. For the combined advantages of both countries, the British government favored the emigration to the America and Canada, through advertisements and lowering of the passage costs. Advertisements peppered about the quayside proclaimed the 'cheapest rates available anywhere!' and usually boasted of the amenities available on board. In reality, while all the ships were advertised as the 'fastest', the 'most comfortable' or the 'most luxurious', most of them were little better than tubs. Old ships like the 'Elizabeth & Sarah' built in 1763 were still being used in 1846, 83 years later, to carry Irish emigrants; the convict ship proved to have far better conditions for their 'passengers' than emigrant ships, governed by a series of regulations. Many ships were not designed to carry passengers. They would carry cargo such a wood on the journey into Ireland and prior to the famine would have been empty on the return journey. Now wooden bunks would be hastily erected before setting sail.

litics, scientific ignorance, rural suppression and enforced poverty. Not only religious matters and prejudices against the poor Irish Catholics were key elements that led to the catastrophe.

In 1800 some four and one-half million people lived in Ireland. By autumn 1845, when the Great Famine struck Ireland, there were more than eight million. This was the largest increase of the population in Irish history. In addition, Ireland’s poverty stricken population was very high, and the numbers of landlords were very low. Most Irish landlords were Protestants, simply because the law forbade Catholics from owning land. The Irish peasants themselves, who were both Protestant and Catholic, ate potatoes almost exclusively, since land was scarce and potatoes were an intensive crop. By 1800, the white potato, imported in Europe by Spain in 1532, had taken root in Ireland and ninety percent of Irish society was dependent on the potato as their primary means of caloric intake and as an export. But in September of 1845 a fungus called ‘Phytophthora infestant’ infected and devastated Ireland’s potato crops. A large portion of the population died from disease or starvation, while a great number of the people fled the country, usually for the New World.

The Church played an integral part in their lives. It was a militant church, which fought not only for their souls but also for their human rights. After the religious riots in Philadelphia, during which many Catholic churches were burned, the mayor of New York asked Archbishop Hughes, "Do you fear that some of your churches will be burned."

Some topics in this essay:
America Canada, Irish Catholics, Coffin Ships, Boards Guardians, Irish Immigrants, Starvation Irish, Poor Law, World Irish, Protestant Anglo-Saxon, Europe Spain, irish immigrants, irish people, irish emigration, british government, irish catholics, living conditions, poor irish, irish people realized, irish landlords, boards guardians, irish workers,