How the famine affected the people
Many people who lived in Ireland depended on the potato as their main source of food. When the fungus infected the potatoes they became inedeble and many people starved to death ,the population decreased "by 25%" . The people who had more land and other crops had a more likely chance of surviving. The people tried to save the potatoes but they went bad within a few days. "The prime Minister repealed Englands long-standing corn laws" he thought this might help the people of Ireland somehow.The president of Ireland wrote "the simple emblem of light in the window, for me, and hope for them. Signifies the nature of our love and remembrance on this land, and those who leave it behind. When I went to Quebec, I arrived on a heavy rainy day and I saw mounds held together with white crosses, they mark the mass graves of irish people who died there, I was struck by the sheer power of rememberance."
What Did the People Have to Do?
The potato farmers "were evicted from their homes because they couldn't pay for rent". The people began to starve and many people died because there were no potatoes to eat since they were all rotten. These people had to emigrate to "Canada, England, Scotland, Australia, United States etc." but that wasn't very easy for them because emigrating required money, money that they didn't have. People began selling everything they had. But not everyone could go, some people left their family behind while others stayed with their families. Some of the ships the people traveled on were considered "coffin ships" because a disease was spread around by fleas and lice. During the famine, 1.5 million people left Ireland.