The Great Irish Famine (1845–1852) acted as the single most powerful catalyst for mass Irish emigration, transforming what had previously been seasonal or limited movement into a sustained global diaspora.
Irish farm labourer c1850s from Irish Famine Exhibition Stephens Green
How they are connected
1. The Famine triggered unprecedented emigration
Before the famine, some Irish people emigrated for work or opportunity. During and after the famine, emigration became a matter of survival.
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Over 1 million people died
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Over 1 million emigrated during the famine years
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Emigration continued at high levels for decades afterward
James Donovan in 1916 - Irish Sweeper in Fall River Iron Works. Said he was 17 years. Location: Fall River, Massachusetts
Our temporary famine and emigration museum dublin displays a wide selection of 19th century photographs.
2. Emigration became a direct response to hunger and eviction
People fled:
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Starvation and disease
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Mass evictions under the landlord system
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Workhouses and the collapse of rural life
Many emigrants left with little choice, often selling everything they owned or relying on landlord-assisted passages.
Bearded Irish clam diggers and a matronly companion on a wharf in Boston, 1882
3. The “coffin ships” symbolize the link
Famine-era ships to Britain, North America, and beyond were overcrowded and unsafe. High mortality rates at sea meant that emigration itself became another chapter of suffering, reinforcing how tightly famine and migration are linked in Irish memory.
Dunbrody replica famine ship, County Wexford
4. Emigration reshaped Ireland permanently
The famine-emigration cycle caused:
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A dramatic population collapse (from c8.5 million in 1845 to c6.5 million by 1851)
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Long-term depopulation of rural Ireland
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A culture where emigration became expected, even generations later
Ireland is one of the few European countries whose population never returned to its pre-famine level.
Florence Burke from Cork who fought and died in the American Civil War
5. Emigration spread famine memory globally
Irish emigrants carried:
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Personal trauma and oral histories
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Political consciousness about British governance
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Irish culture, language, and identity
This diaspora influenced politics, labor movements, and nationalist causes in the US, Canada, Britain, and Australia.
Liverpool slums, late 19th century. The famine Irish who populated the poorest parts of the city were demonised for decades.
In short
The Great Irish Famine didn’t just cause emigration — it institutionalized it. The story of Irish emigration cannot be told without the famine, and the famine’s legacy cannot be understood without tracing the paths of those who left.