Rural Ireland in the 1840s (The Great Famine)

Question 1

What was the population of Ireland in 1841?

Answer 1

8.2 million

Question 2

The Protestant landlords rented out their land to _____________

Answer 2

The Protestant landlords rented out their land to tenant farmers

Question 3

Tenant farmers rented out a __________ of their land to _______

Answer 3

Tenant farmers rented out a conacre of their land to labourers

Question 4

Where did labouirers/cottiers live?

Answer 4

In very small cottages/ huts on a tiny piece of land

Question 5

What did landless labourers do?

Answer 5

Traveled from farm to farm looking for work

Question 6

What were the causes of the Great Famine?

Answer 6

○Rise in population
○Sub-division of land
○Over-dependence of the potato
○Potato Blight

Question 7

What was the result of the Blight hitting Ireland in 1845?

Answer 7

1/3 of the potato crop was destroyed

Question 8

What was the result of the Blight hitting Ireland in 1846?

Answer 8

Affected 100% of the potato crop leadig to the worst year of the Famine ‘‘Black ‘47’’

Question 9

What areas of Ireland were worst affected by the Famine

Answer 9

Connaught and Munster

Question 10

For how long did the Blight continue to hit Ireland?

Answer 10

Until 1850

Question 11

What did Sir Robert Peel do in response to the Famine

Answer 11

He ordered the importation of Indian Maize/Corn into Ireland. However people didn’t know how to cook it. They called it ‘Peel’s Brimstone’

Question 12

What were the results of the Famine?

Answer 12

1. Death and Emigration
2. Led to anti-British feelings and the growth of nationallism
3. Wiped out a whole class of people - the landless labourers and cottiers
4. Irish language was decimated