The Irish potato famine of the 1840s, perhaps the most appalling event of the
Victorian era, killed over a million people and drove many more to emigrate to
America. It may not have been the result of deliberate government policy, yet
British 'obtuseness, short-sightedness and ignorance' - and stubborn commitment
to
laissez-faire 'solutions' - largely caused the disaster and prevented
any serious efforts to relieve the suffering.
The continuing impact on Anglo-Irish relations was incalculable, the
immediate human cost almost inconceivable.
In this vivid and disturbing book Cecil Woodham-Smith provides the definitive
account. First published in 1962, this is a true classic, and is now back in
print.
Reviews:
'Her just and penetrating mind, her lucid and easy style and her assured command
of the sources have produced one of the great works not only of Irish
nineteenth-century history, but of nineteenth-century history in general' -
Conor Cruise O'Brien
'Mrs Woodham-Smith has made an individual contribution to Irish history. Her
thoroughness in research, compassionate fair-mindedness and gift of narrative
are all again in evidence' - The Times
