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The Irish Potato Famine with Jennifer Carbery
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The famine in Ireland, triggered by a blight in potato crops, ravaged Ireland from 1845 to 1849. It was a humanitarian catastrophe ignored by the British government even as Quakers, Native American Choctaws, the Ottoman empire, and others sent assistance. This conversation will unravel the events that led to such a human disaster, explain the horrors of what happened, and discuss the devastating effects.
"I saw the dying, the living, and the dead, lying indiscriminately upon the same floor.” Declared James Mahoney an illustrator in 1847 with ‘The Illustrated London News’ as he traveled through his home county reporting what he witnessed. Why were the poor so dependent on a single crop rotation, the potato? How did the poor laws and a pyramid rent system amplify the struggles for the worst off in society?
In this seminar, we will listen to testimonies, dissect the official British administration’s response, and learn how the Quakers highlighted the plight of the poor. We’ll meet the antagonists, like Lord Trevelyn, who chose to export American corn rather than distribute so as not to interfere with international pricing. We’ll encounter some of the victims, such as Patrick Tighe and Thomas Quinn who landed at the quarantine island of Grosse Isle in Canada having lost their parents and three siblings on the forty-five-day crossing. We’ll engage with the writings of Asenath Nicolson, an American lady who traveled throughout the island from 1846-1849 and learn about her legacy.
Led by an expert on Irish history, Jennifer Carbery, this interactive seminar will engage participants in understanding the complexities surrounding the Famine in Ireland which took the lives of 1.2 million people and saw the emigration of 2 million more. Designed to inform curiosity as well as future travels, participants will come away with an increased understanding of issues of land rights, poor houses, emigration, the Irish diaspora, records, commemoration, memory, and history.
Jennifer works with historical research around Ireland's complex history. She studied Anthropology and History as a mature student and upon completion she worked in Archaeology; digging the land for treasure. She has her own business providing research and content for historic sites, events, and radio. She teaches, assesses, and trains students, guides, and learners in history. She has written several apps for tours within Ireland.
Not suitable for children under age 13 (sensitive content).
90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.
This was an interesting conversation about a subject I knew very little about. It seems growing up in the United States, there’s not much emphasis on this grave historic event. I appreciated Ms. Carbery’s Presentation, insight and singing.
Again, Jennifer Carbery’s research, wisdom, and presentation manner upheld. A wealth of facts and inference was presented chronologically, in an organized, clear manner. I find my family past fascinating, as it ties to here and now, and likely into my cultural future. I’ve now s better understand of past generations, and how forces on them have been pasted on to me through unpredicted generational lines of expectation.
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Jennifer Carberry provides a fascinating overview on the Famine, its causes and effects. She demonstrates through song, pictures and video, as well as historical facts, the survival story of the ordinary people of the time and examples of specific individuals and their experiences. As my mother's relatives came to Canada in the early 1850's shorty after the famine, her presentation gave me a heartfelt insight into why they came to Canada and what they endured before leaving Ireland.
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