The Great Potato FamineThe Great Potato Famine is considered one of the major disasters in Irish history. It began in the summer of 1845 with the appearance of an unusual disease developing on potato crops in various parts of Europe. With the spread of this disease, it quickly targeted Ireland, which consumed the main potato crop. The famine began with this mysterious disease that struck many parts of Europe in 1845. This disease known as the plague was caused by a fungus called “phytophthora infestans”. Before the blight, two major diseases known as "curl" and "dry rot" attacked Ireland but were not as destructive (Kinealy 33). It was known that the scourge came from South America on cargo ships carrying goods to Europe. The fungus spread through the potato leaves and soon spread to the potato itself, leaving the potato black and rotting with a rancid smell emanating from it (Kinealy 30). The fungus usually fed on healthy potatoes and quickly decomposed them. With the blight and many other causes, Ireland as a country was under threat. It was the first time Ireland had been hit so hard by "Western Europe's worst modern peacetime disaster", with people dying of disease and hunger, and others trying to find refuge in Great Britain. Brittany and the United States (Newsinger, 1). the potato was linked to population at the time of the plague. With a large population, potatoes were the main crop. With the country's population growing rapidly, it had reached approximately five million citizens by the time of the Union, well over the eight million mark by 1841 (O'Brien 103). With the growing population, Irela's conditions...... middle of paper ...... situation position in the situation. Even before the Great Potato Famine, a cycle was beginning within the economy and the government itself that ultimately caused the famine. Due to Ireland's large population, dependency, economy and government, such a tragedy occurred and led to famine, depopulation and immigration from Ireland. Works Cited Kinealy, Chrisitne. This great calamity. Roberts Rhinehart Publishers; Colorado, 1995. Kinealy, Christine. “How Politics Fueled the Famine.” Natural History January 1996: 105.Newsinger, John. “The Great Irish Famine: A Crime of the Market Economy.” » Monthly Review: An Independent Socialist Magazine April 1996: 47. O'Brien, Conor and Cruise. A Concise History of Ireland. Thames and Hudson; New York, 1985. Ranelagh, John O'Beirne. A Brief History of Ireland. Cambridge University Press; Cambridge, London, 1983.