Before the Famine
1171- King Henry II took control of Ireland.
1534- England split with the Roman Catholic Church and created the Church of England.
This led to many conflicts with the Irish, who remained Roman Catholic.
1590- The South American plant, the potato, is introduced to Ireland.
1692- The Penal Laws are beginning to be passed. These laws excluded Catholics from holding office, voting, joining the army, going to college and buying land.
1800- The Act of Union is passed and proclaims a complete union of Ireland with Britain and disbands the Irish Parliament
1838- Poor Laws are passed. These laws set up a network of 130 workhouses throughout Ireland.
1841- Census: Irish Population was very high at 8,175,124.
1534- England split with the Roman Catholic Church and created the Church of England.
This led to many conflicts with the Irish, who remained Roman Catholic.
1590- The South American plant, the potato, is introduced to Ireland.
1692- The Penal Laws are beginning to be passed. These laws excluded Catholics from holding office, voting, joining the army, going to college and buying land.
1800- The Act of Union is passed and proclaims a complete union of Ireland with Britain and disbands the Irish Parliament
1838- Poor Laws are passed. These laws set up a network of 130 workhouses throughout Ireland.
1841- Census: Irish Population was very high at 8,175,124.
During the Famine
1845-
September- The 1st signs of the blight begin to show up.
November- Trevelyan takes control of the Famine Relief Committee.
1/2 of Ireland's potato crops fail
1846-
July- New prime minister (peel is not re-elected)
October- The first deaths from starvation occur.
November- The 1st soup kitchens are opened.
Extremely poor harvest, almost 9/10 of the potato crop fails, leading to increases in food prices.
Mass emigration begins.
'Famine Fever' begins to spread
1847-
January- The British Association, a charity, raises money for famine victims and relief.
The Soup Kitchen Act is passed. This Act created state-run kitchens.
May- The first ships begin to arrive at Grosse Isle in Canada, and quickly overwhelm the quarantine station with cases of typhus.
June- The Poor Law Extension Act is created. This Act forced the Irish taxpayers to pay for workhouses and any other forms of famine relief.
September- The British Government declared that the famine was over and closed down soup kitchens and workhouses.
The potato crop is healthy, but not enough was planted in the spring to support the population.
1848- The Blight had returned and the potato crop for that year was completely destroyed.
1849- The potato's are affected by the blight again.
England passes a rate-in-aid law and refuses to help Ireland anymore.
1852- although there is no definitive end to The Potato Famine, historians use the year 1852 because deaths decreased and the blight didn't return.
September- The 1st signs of the blight begin to show up.
November- Trevelyan takes control of the Famine Relief Committee.
1/2 of Ireland's potato crops fail
1846-
July- New prime minister (peel is not re-elected)
October- The first deaths from starvation occur.
November- The 1st soup kitchens are opened.
Extremely poor harvest, almost 9/10 of the potato crop fails, leading to increases in food prices.
Mass emigration begins.
'Famine Fever' begins to spread
1847-
January- The British Association, a charity, raises money for famine victims and relief.
The Soup Kitchen Act is passed. This Act created state-run kitchens.
May- The first ships begin to arrive at Grosse Isle in Canada, and quickly overwhelm the quarantine station with cases of typhus.
June- The Poor Law Extension Act is created. This Act forced the Irish taxpayers to pay for workhouses and any other forms of famine relief.
September- The British Government declared that the famine was over and closed down soup kitchens and workhouses.
The potato crop is healthy, but not enough was planted in the spring to support the population.
1848- The Blight had returned and the potato crop for that year was completely destroyed.
1849- The potato's are affected by the blight again.
England passes a rate-in-aid law and refuses to help Ireland anymore.
1852- although there is no definitive end to The Potato Famine, historians use the year 1852 because deaths decreased and the blight didn't return.
After the Famine
1851- Census: The Irish Population had decreased drastically over the past ten years and now rested at 6,552,385
1885- Cure is discovered for the Potato Blight
1922- The Irish Free States were created (the majority of Ireland gained its freedom, however, parts of the North Eastern Ireland remained part of Great Britain land.
1951- The potato famine had a continuous effect on Ireland's population which after 100 years was 1/2 of what it was in 1841.
Census: Ireland Population was 4,250,000.
1972- Ireland joined the European Economic Community (EEC)
1996- Immigration became higher than Emigration (1st time since the beginning of the Blight)
1997- The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, give a public apology to Ireland for the way that Britain responded to the Irish and the Potato Famine. (145 years after the end of the famine)
1885- Cure is discovered for the Potato Blight
1922- The Irish Free States were created (the majority of Ireland gained its freedom, however, parts of the North Eastern Ireland remained part of Great Britain land.
1951- The potato famine had a continuous effect on Ireland's population which after 100 years was 1/2 of what it was in 1841.
Census: Ireland Population was 4,250,000.
1972- Ireland joined the European Economic Community (EEC)
1996- Immigration became higher than Emigration (1st time since the beginning of the Blight)
1997- The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, give a public apology to Ireland for the way that Britain responded to the Irish and the Potato Famine. (145 years after the end of the famine)