The Great Irish Famine An Epic of Death and Emigration-BY AWAKE! WRITER IN IRELAND

IN THE shadow of Ireland's  "holy mountain, Croagh Patrick, stands a must unusual ship. It looks like a small 19th century sailing ship with its prow west toward the Atlantic Ocean.  But this ship will never set sail. It is firmly fixed in a bed of concrete. Interwoven among the masts are striking representations of human skeletons.

The ship is a large metal sculpture that was officially unveiled in 1997 to memorialize one of the greatest tragedies in the history of Ireland-the Great Famine.  The skeletons and the ship are  symbols of the death and mass emigration that marked the tragic years of 1845-50. 

Ireland is not unique, of course, in experiencing famine. Many countries have suffered in this way. In many ways, though, the Great Irish Famine was exceptionally tragic.  In 1845, Ireland's population was about eight million.  By 1850, perhaps one and a half million had died as a result of the famine!  A further million had emigrated in search of a better life, mainly to Britain or the United States. A great famine?  Most certainly.

What caused so great a famine?  What help was given to its victims? What can we learn from this calamity?  To appreciate the answers to these questions, let us first briefly examine what Irish life was like in the years before the famine.  

Next time: The Great Irish Famine An Epic of Death and Emigration- BY AWAKE! WRITER IN IRELAND 

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