Great Famine (Ireland)

The Great Famine, also known as the Great Hunger, the Famine or the Irish Potato Famine, was a period of mass starvation and disease in Ireland from 1845 to 1852. It was a major historical and social crisis with a lasting impact on Irish society and history. The areas most severely affected were in western and southern Ireland, where the Irish language was dominant and where the period was known at the time as an Drochshaol, meaning the bad life or the hard times. Debate continues over what to call the event, including whether it should be the Famine, the Potato Famine, or the Great Hunger.