Reviews

There is no single event in Irish history that produces more emotion, speculation and controversy than the Great Famine of 1845-1851. Analyses of the famine tend toward extremes: accusations of genocide on the part of the British were countered by revisionism of the worst kind in the mid-20th century. Originally a series of lectures broadcast on Irish National Radio, this book attempts to sort out the facts from the myths and accusations by commissioning new studies from 16 experts. Contributors include medical doctors, sociologists, historians, folklorists, economists, and other historical specialists. For a study of this kind, the collective results make for a surprisingly gripping read. Readers will uncover: why there was such a singular dependency on the potato; a breakdown of the diseases that ensued; and why the social, economic and religious doctrines that prevailed at the time led to vastly inappropriate and often downright cruel relief policies. The research is meticulous and but the writing is uniformly accessible. By using contemporary journals, letters, reports and parish records, the contributors also manage to create a vivid, often harrowing, picture of the mass starvation, disease, deliberate large-scale evictions and landlords' cynical encouragement of emigration. But they also render a heartbreaking account of a human tragedy whose passion bleeds through what might initially be dismissed as just another academic study. (Feb.)