5. In the mid 1840’s a European potato blight swept across Ireland which caused crop failures across the country.
6. The first mention of a famine appeared in newspapers in September of 1845.
7. The 1845 Potato Blight was not the first famine, but the culmination of five years of crop failures.
8. The Long Night of Sorrow, landlords and gentry, now deeper in debt than ever, forcibly ejected remaining tenants, then pulled down their houses to save on taxes.
9. Population in Ireland due to starvation and immigration declinedfrom 8.1 million in 1841 to 4.7 million in 1891.
10. Immigrants were packed into “coffin” ships bound for ports in English speaking countries.
11. Thousands died in the long journey across the Atlantic due to disease and starvation. Their bodies were thrown overboard.
12. Between 1820 and 1860, the Irish composed over one-third of all arrivals in America.
13. Many immigrants found themselves unprepared for industrialized, urban centers. Most were destitute – forced to settle in ports of debarkation.
19. Their service during the Civil War also helped the Irish gain respect and acceptance.
20. About 190,000 Irishmen contributed to both sides of the cause. After the conflict was over, more than 130 Irish soldiers had been awarded the Medal of Honor.
21. The Molly Maguires and TheAncient Order of Hibernians used clandestine means to fight injustice.
22. Over time, many Irish climbed occupational and social ladders.
