The Great Famine. Cataclysm for the Transformation of Ireland

Seminar paper from the year 2010 in the subject History of Europe - Modern Times, Absolutism, Industrialization, grade: 1,0, National University of Ireland, Maynooth (History Dept.), course: Irish History, language: English, abstract: Historical research moved away from dramatic Irish politics towards a rather social and cultural focus. Studies in the field of history to my opinion are studies about humanity and emotions and not just about elected data and research. It is evident that the Great Famine and its data are an important issue within Irish history. Although this experience was a touchstone for Irish people, as Murphy also stated: 'Irish economic history in the nineteenth century was about food and land. Clearly the most important event of the century as far as people's lives were concerned was the cataclysm of the Famine in the 1840s' [Murphy 2003; 9], it was just one and not the only reason for the changes of and within Ireland. This essay aims to outline and describe in what ways and to which extent the Famine initiated the Irish transformation.