Demo Dozen

 

THE IRISH POTATO FAMINE:

Is There a "Better Story" To Be Told of Cause(s) and Effect(s)?

The Irish potato famine has been called the "last great European natural disaster."  The blight that wiped out Ireland’s potato crop during 1846 led to several hundred thousand deaths from starvation and epidemics during the harsh winter of 1846-47 and further contributed to an estimated 1 million emigrants by 1853.

 

But was that the end of the event or might there have been longer-term causes and effects that historians have overlooked?

 

To address this question, we’ve constructed a simple computer model to allow you to examine whether or not those two major developments associated with the famine produce Ireland’s actual population pattern. If so, we can conclude that historians are correct in concluding the effects of the famine were over by 1853. If not, the model will provide you with an opportunity to simulate the impact of other patterns of emigration that might better explain what happened.

 

Below is output from the simulation that compares Ireland’s actual population (line #1) with two model runs based on differing dynamics of emigration.