Why Ireland Has Fewer People Than 200 Years Ago

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[jackhanafin]

Being Irish and knowing the full story, I have one big issue with this otherwise very well made video. It fails to fully explain why we were so dependent on potatoes, when we actually farmed a large variety of food types at the time. Oats, barley, meat and more were all being plentifully produced on the island during the famine - all were forced exports to Great Britain. Cheap spuds were the mainstay of the Irish due to general poverty under British rule and lack of time and resources for homestead farming. This dependency on potatoes was artificial, a result of the demands of colonial rule. Food was continually robbed from the island even as we starved - 'starving in the midst of plenty' is a quote taken from a sympathetic landowner of the time. While this video acknowledges to a degree the British role played in the starvation of the Irish during the 1840s, it actually understates it, and in so doing suggests that it was Irish short-sightedness or, even worse, laziness that led to an over-reliance on a single crop type. The Irish have been master farmers for centuries upon centuries, and although new to the potato as a crop, would have been well aware of the dangers of putting all their eggs in one basket, so to speak. They simply had no choice but to do so.

[devanman]

As an irish person I find it absolutely baffling how there were more Irish than Egyptians in the 19th century. Ireland are doing well now but it's been a combination of hard work and smart thinking. We were poor as crap up until the 90s. While we come across very jovial at times scratch below the surface and there is still a lot of pain.

[liamcullen]

As an Irishman my myself I can say that the great famine was one of the greatest tragedies that ever happened in Europe… some would even call it an attempted genocide

[vladpetric]

Irish GDP per capita tends to abstract away the "pass-through" economy problem. Essentially, the Republic of Ireland is perhaps the best entry point into the European Union economy, primarily (but not only) because of really low taxes. A lot of goods and services enter into Ireland only to be sold to the rest of the EU. GDP is going to be artificially high, but the benefits to the Irish economy and people are tiny.

[RealEngineering]

Fun fact: I helped paint the graffiti on the building at 0:18. Finbar McHugh is the artists name!

[niamhl]

You did a great job with this video! I'm a 22 year old Irish woman, I've lived in Mayo in the West of Ireland (which was one of the counties that suffered the most during the famine) for my entire life, and I can absolutely still see the great effects the famine has on the people. The tiny road I live on, which is barely a kilometre long, used to have 100 people living along it. Now there are less that 40. There have been studies to suggest that current generations are still effected by the feeling of starvation and scarcity mindset that means that our bodies actually hold onto more calories than average. It can be hard to find records of our ancestors, as so many moved abroad and brought their documentation with them. I know maybe 4 people who speak fluent Irish, but that's only because they grew up in Gaeltacht areas, where most people speak Irish on a day-to-day basis in their communities. Most of my peers would regard the famine as a genocide. Although the overreliance on potatoes was real, other crops still existed and would have kept us afloat if the English didn't insist on exporting them. It's true that the average Irish male ate approx. 20 potatoes A DAY, but we did have other food available. During the famine, people resorted to eating grass, hedgehogs, all sorts of stuff because they were so desperate. Some of the quotes from English leaders at the time about the famine are actually appalling and downright heartless. They had no problem stripping the lands of its resources, helping out their own English landlords, and leaving the Irish to starve. No wonder we still have bitterness towards the English.

[brendanl]

My grandparents left Ireland in 1961, they said there were no economic opportunities for them at home. They're amazed at how much the country has grown since

[jstone]

My great-grandmother x3 came to Australia 1849.
She was a famine orphan.
Came through the Earl Gray transport system.
She had a hard life, had 11 children and I thank her for giving me a life.
I've been to Ireland, and I hope to return one more time.
The Irish are truly welcoming people.

[Daigotsumax]

I've lived in Ireland for the past 13 years, and it's fascinating to think of how the country would have looked had it not suffered the famine and reached the 20+ millions you indicated. Instead of just Belfast and Dublin we might have had other large cities, perhaps in Cork, Waterford, Limerick, or Galway.

[Mei_]

The most amazing thing about Ireland is how they turned their history into a positive by helping other countries who struggle with hunger, I love the Irish!

[madjames]

During the Famine, Ottoman Sultan sent three ships loaded with wheat. The British blocked the ports for them, but one of the ships managed to drop the cargo at a beach close to Drogheda, it helped local starving fisherman.

[pancake_ghosty]

You missed out on an important figure, Thomas Malthus. He was a Welsh economist who theorized that Ireland was overpopulated in 1794, thus leading to the action of forcefully withdrawing food from the Irish by the British army, causing a famine. Malthus actually coined the term "overpopulation", that we now use today. He wrote an essay titled, "A Principle on The Theory of Population" in the late 1700's where the term was first used. In it, he theorized that populations can be controlled through war, famine or disease. I would recommend everyone read it. Malthus is often quoted by some political figureheads today which is a bit concerning to me, personally. Klaus Schwab wrote a a dissertation in 1964 regarding controversial Malthusian ideas, here's the title of that, "Thomas Malthus was right and I can prove it." Some governments still seem to be on board with the idea of controlled famine, so what happened to Ireland doesn't seem to be ancient history. It may even be regarded by some as a blueprint for successful depopulation.

[Patterrz]

As a Brit, what England did do Ireland is heart breaking, it's not something we learn about in schools very much which is a crime, we need to hear about the consequences of Empire more often

[microwavefish]

Nowadays it’s not a shortage of food, it’s a shortage of housing.
Right now we aren’t able to keep a roof over the heads of our homeless, refugees and sometimes even students. Definitely a problem we’ll have to work hard to tackle over the next decade or so

[Kalvinism]

As a young Irish lad from Dublin, I have to say that this is one of the best summaries of recent Irish history that I've seen, and way more consumable than hisory class. I want Ireland to do great, and I primarily want the Irish language to grow. This video has reminded me how important this country and this language are to me and other Irish people. Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam. Go raibh míle maith agat don físean seo! Tiocfaidh ár lá!

[jasonquigley]

One important thing to point out, Ireland's gdp is distorted by the presence of large American multinationals. The Irish government posts figures that exclude these distortions, and these numbers indicate that while Ireland is wealthy, its roughly in line with other parts of Western/Northern Europe.

[peterdcrowley]

As an Irishman this was a well put together summary of the whole issue. Well done.

[rossedwardmiller]

When I visited, I was shocked at how sparsely populated Ireland is and how small it’s cities are compared to the US. Crazy to think how culturally important and popular Ireland is vs how small the population is. The people there are incredible and were very friendly.

[OzzyM]

As an Irishman I would have loved if Irish was still the main language of the island. I've learned it throughout school but sadly hardly remember any as it isnt widely spoken, especially in the east where I live.

[dancommadirty]

My father's family came to the New World from Ireland during the Famine in the 1840s and worked as fur traders in Canada before making their way down to the states. My mother's family, however, stayed, only leaving for the states during the political unrest and economic turmoil leading up to the Troubles in the 1950s. I'm still astounded by the way they were able to find each other. While my father's family had slowly begun to let go of their heritage as they became Americanized, only preserving certain cultural artifacts and celebrations tangentially during holidays, my mother's family fought to hold onto their heritage and worked to instill a great sense of pride in us as we grew up.

I still have a lot of family members in Ireland who, as you mentioned, moved across the island from counties Mayo and Galway to Dublin in the decades after the Famine. It was through hard work and a great sense of national pride that they stayed on the island through the war for independence, the Troubles, and even today with Brexit raising major red flags with regards to the ROI/NI border. While I don't think this video was necessarily a perfect history of the Famine, it's good to see people continuing to speak about it both through the lenses of historical fact and as a major influence of the modern day. Erin go Bragh! ☘