RAINBOW FARMS AUSTRALIA                                            

                                                                                                                                                                          1845 AD 

                                                                                                                                                       "THE GREAT FAMINE / An Gorta Mor begins"

1845 AD The population of Ireland had reached  8,500,000, when the "Great Famine," which was now to last until 1849 AD began in earnest, with 1 out of 9 people in the population in Ireland eventually "dying" due to its effects, and from now on it was to only "increase" substantially, due to the "horrible terror" that lay ahead for them all with the "loss" of so many Irish lives caused initially by the British Imperial Government's long time "economic oppression" of Ireland, their lack of any real "sensitivity," empathy and "humanity." They had previously created the devestating "Immoral Union" in the first place for their "own commercial benefit," although as usual those in authority there were not willing to treat the population in Ireland as an integral part of the British Isles. The failure of the "potato crops," together with the ensuing "malnutrition and starvation," had by this period in time created a "poverty stricken" and "disease ridden" society of desperate "starving" human beings, who were to be allowed by the British Conservative Governments to either "succumb" to the market forces (Laisse Faire) over which the general population themselves had "no control" at all and were to simply "die out of the road," or eventually, if "physically and economically" capable, to "migrate" out of Ireland and maybe live to fight another day in anticipation of somehow bringing about Irish Freedom from the clutches of those greedy insensitive Conservative individuals who were backed up by their British Imperial Military Forces.

      Sir Robert "Orange" Peel the British Conservative Imperial Tory Prime Minister, now offered to establish "denominational colleges" in the cities of Belfast in Co. Antrim in the Ulster Province, Cork in Co. Cork in Southern Munster and Galway in Co. Galway in the Connacht Province, but the Catholic Bishops in Ireland were "against" the proposition due to the lack of any chance of "religious" instruction also being involved in their education.

August 20th: Now came the terrible Potato Blight (Murrain) An Dubhchan (Phytophthora Infestans), which was actually a "fungus growth" and not really a "disease" of the potato itself, which had first appeared in "America," and then in "Belgium" in 1843 AD, and then in the potato crops in "England," and had by now spread also across the "Irish Sea" to Ireland where it attacked both "harvested and unharvested" crops alike, and "within a few days" it would destroy them altogether, and also any chance of "sustenance" for all of those who were involved in growing potatoes to survive, which was to also mean that even if they could retain any of the actual "seed potatoes" for the following year they too would also have to be consumed, if they were still available to utilize, just to try and see out the immediate onslaught. Therefore in the future this would also certainly mean "less plantings," and only a "quarter" of the potato crops would be now harvested in 1846,1847 and 1848 as the devestating Blight was to continue on its path of total destruction.

September: Within days the "Great Famine" / An Gorta Mor in Ireland was to begin its rampant march, with up to 40 % of the potato crop this year alone being "lost," which from now on would only get even "worse," and it would continue on right up to 1849 AD, when this previous great "maintainer of life" in Ireland was to "fail completely" due to the never - ending "Fungus Blight," despite the fact that the potato was genetically "related" to the poisonous narcotics, like "Deadly Nightshade" and "Tobacco," and therefore had a similar structure, it,s genetic structure could not stop this "particular fungus" from "spreading" and inflicting itself now on to the potato crops "all over" Ireland. During the next 4 years the terrible "Great Famine" that was to continue to lie ahead, driven on by this particular fungus would be the cause of greatly "diminishing" the "population" of Ireland, firstly by creating insidious "starvation," followed on by the resulting "diseases" due to this "malnutrition" to be then inflicted on the starving population in Ireland, which was then to be "added to" by the perpetual "pompous intolerable attitude" of the British Conservative Imperial Governments in England. They had created the "Immoral Union" in the first place to give them "total economic control" over the lives of the "population" in Ireland, but they had never had the intention of fulfilling their actual "moral obligations" under it. During the second week of the "Blight," it showed up near the City of Cork in Co. Cork in Southern Munster, as the harvesting began in the "first" week in October, but by then 1/ 5th of the crop had been "destroyed" by the fungus already, and as a consequence of its previous introduction into Ireland, all up by 1855 AD the number of people from out of the "population" in Ireland who would be "forced" to "physically" leave its shores while endeavouring to "survive" was to be 1,500,000 who were mainly to attempt to "migrate" to the "United States of America," while 340,000 would attempt to go to British North America, while 300,000 would go to Britain and 70,000 all the way to Australia, and the remaining 2,100,000 who had "no real choice" would try and continue to "survive" in Ireland, from the original overall population of 8,500,000 people. By 1870 AD there would be nearly 3,000,000 people "gone" from the population in Ireland, in one way or another.

September: Thomas Davis who had been born in 1814 AD the son of an army surgeon, who had been educated at Trinity College in Dublin, who was the "leader" of the "Young Irelanders" and the "editor" of The Nation newspaper, who was also a member of the "Repeal of the Immoral Union Association," a person of great foresight, had previously put forward the proposition that," You must educate to be free," but unfortunately he was to die this month from fever, and leave a great gap in their leadership, as he was only just over 30 years of age, but his ongoing efforts and enthusiasm on behalf of the population in Ireland prior to this, were to be "greatly appreciated" by those who knew him and or had come to know of him. After his death, and without his "overall Statesmanlike balancing" presence, there was to be "no one" capable enough to keep the "peace" among the fully committed and thoroughly dedicated "Young Irelanders" and the frustrated Irish Republicans who were among their numbers, and they were to come into "greater personal conflict" with the peaceful "democratic" ideals put forward by Daniel O Connell - the Liberator and his continuing ongoing  association with the "Whig Party," in anticipation of "gaining" further democratic "reform" from them if they should "regain" the political control once again in the British Imperial Parliament in England. Hoping to continue on with his "democratic" way of doing things, previously Daniel O Connell who was an "Irish Patriot" first and not really a Nationalist, was to personally assail the "Young Irelanders" for their "strong revolutionary" stance while trying in desperation to bring about total Irish Freedom, who were always to be "frustrated" by the continuing "oppressive  policies" of the British Imperial Governments. William Smith - O Brien at that time convinced Daniel O Connell to remove his "personal remarks" that he had made during the debate, which had then assisted to ease the 'tension" between them and an "emotional" Thomas Davis also at that time then applauded Daniel O Connell for doing so, while breaking down and crying with "genuine emotion," at which moment Daniel O Connell had taken him by the hand and said, "Davis, I love you." The death of such a strong personality as Thomas Davis was to see the "end" of the "Repeal Association" who had been highly involved in attempting to remove the destructive "Immoral Union" (These two forward thinking men had shown what could be accomplished if you have the right kind of "Statesman" and the right kind of "Commitment" to a genuine just cause.) From now on the "tumultuous disaster" that was to see the results of the "Great Famine" would also see the "end" of any chance for the "movement" to bring about any sought of "reform" in Ireland as the vast majority of the remaining population in Ireland would personally only just continue to struggle to "survive."

     John O Mahoney, from Co. Limerick in the north - west of the Munster Province, was descended from a main branch of the Heberian Eoghanacht Sept, whose original male ancestor was 110.Cian, a son of 109.Molloy / Mael Muad the 40th King of Munster, and of 106.Sabdh the daughter of *105.Brian Boru the Heberian Dal gCais 175th High King of Ireland. The main Sept / Family branch of the O Mahonys who were Catholic Irish had previously become adherents to the Ascendancy Episcopalian Church of England to try and "survive" and "hold on" to their original territory in Co. Cork in Southern Munster, but as usual they had since lost it any way to the English Land Lords the Kingstons. Therefore John O Mahoney as a non - Catholic had been allowed to be "educated" also at "Trinity College" and was a fully committed "Young Irelander" and a member also of the "Repeal Association." John Mitchell, a son of an initial Presbyterian minister from the Ulster Province who had since become a Unitarian, had also written articles for The Nation, and founded the "United Irishman" newspaper, and he was to be "arrested and sentenced" by the British Imperial Government to "transportation" to Australia for his "political" outlook of "reform" in Ireland and William Smith - O Brien from the non -Catholic O Brien "survivors," who were now set up in the Dromoland Castle in Co. Clare in the north - west of Munster Province, had now "taken over" his role and was as "fully committed" to "Irish Reform and Freedom" as he was. Although James Stephens who was also a non - Catholic from Co. Kilkenny in the south - west of Southern Leinster was with John Mitchell at the time of his arrest, he was "not arrested," and was able to "escape" into "exile" into revolutionary France, where he was to "broaden his horizons" and receive a "different outlook" on how to "resolve" the problem of the continuing British Imperial Government's ongoing "oppression" in Ireland.

     James Fintan Lalor, who was of Irish Gaelic Milesian Irian descent, had called on Sir Robert "Orange" Peel, the British Imperial Conservative Ascendancy Tory Prime Minister, to "nationalise" all of the land in Ireland to stop any further land "agitation," caused by the "harsh" treatment that was "continually" metered out  particularly by the greedy Land Lords on their confiscated Estates against their "tenant farmers" and their families, but as usual "nothing was done" to try and correct the cause of these ongoing "conflicts," and James Fintan Lalor then felt personally compelled himself to found the "Irish Tenant League" in Co. Tipperary in the north - east of the Munster Province to try and support the "besieged tenants" there.

     The English Earl of Devon finally made his report to Sir Robert "Orange" Peel and the British Imperial Conservative Tory Government on the relations between the Land Lords and their "tenants" in Ireland, and he then finally attempted to bring in a Bill to give the "tenants" some "compensation" for any "improvements" they had previously carried out on the Land Lords' Estates, but it came under "attack" by the powerful Conservative Land Lord lobby and he "withdrew" it.  

    Because of the "increasing and never - ending  physical, economic and mental oppression" on the population in Ireland the "majority" were by now forced to grow more "reliant" on the "educated" Catholic priests for guidance, and a devotional "religious revolution" was now about to occur in Ireland up to 1849 AD. (Once again if you want to make anything stronger then continue to persecute it!)

     The British Royal Commission reported that, "The sufferings of the Irish, born with exemplary patience, were greater than the people of any other Country in Europe had to sustain." But once again still "nothing was done" to change the situation, except that more "Absentee Land Lords" who had their "confiscated" Estates in Ireland continued to go off "to live" in London and their "rent monies" went with them, which only created further "economic" drain on the resources of Ireland and further increased the "distress," as this new group of "Absentee Land Lords" joined those who were already there doing the same thing "draining the economy" of Ireland further making matters even worse then before. Sir Robert "Orange" Peel and the British Imperial Conservative Tory Government's only answer to all of this ongoing "misery and death" in Ireland at this particular moment in time, was to proclaim that, "If any tenant farmer in Ireland was to defend his farm, it is hereby denominated as "Rebellion," 

    The "rural agricultural tenant families" in Ireland, increasingly, from now on were to be flung onto the "bogs" and the "mountain sides," where they had to try and "survive" somehow on their own ingenuity, along with a lack of "shelter" and any possible chance of sustenance, where their "diet" would come to consist of wild turnips, nettles, chickweed, sorrel and seaweed, (if they were lucky.) All of this ongoing "misery" was also followed by increased "exposure" to the bitter "Cold and Wet" conditions, "starvation," and a lack of any real vitamins, resulting in further "physical weakness" and subsequent "fevers," due to the "loss" of their small but "warm" cabins, and their eventual proximity to other "distressed and infected human beings," who were suffering the same fate, which was also later on added to by a failure to be able to "bury" the numerous "deteriorating human bodies" of those along the way who were to also succumb, rapidly, to the horrible terrible devastating never - ending conditions. "Typhus" outbreaks began that were transmitted by "Lice," and they were also already beginning to occur also in Co. Cork in Southern Munster, and Co. Kilkenny in the south - west of Southern Leinster, and all of this untold suffering was to be also accompanied by dreadful "diarrhoea" and "fatal dysentery". Despite all of this "wretchedness" that was now occurring on the general population in Ireland, the total outrage within the overall Irish population who were by now being severely affected by such miserable treatment would soon begin to "subside," as the "Great Famine" continued to take a further "grip" on them, with "Yellow Fever" and "Jaundice" also beginning to occur. (The "human anger and political protest" within them would now only return "much later on" when those who were capable of "surviving" would finally be able to regain some of their "physical strength" back.) Famine "dropsy" caused by the lack of any chance of proper "food" also followed, although it in itself was not infectious, the "limbs" would "swell" and then the "whole" of the "body," until it finally "burst," while "eye infections" in the future would "spread rapidly" in the terrible conditions that would come to "prevail" in the sickening British Government Work Houses, or on the fleeing "Coffin Ships" of those attempting to "escape" the overall misery of it all, resulting in the fact that many of the population in Ireland also would "lose" their "sight" altogether at this period in time.

November: Sir Robert "Orange" Peel the British Conservative Tory Imperial Government's Prime Minister, finally realising he had to do "something" showed some personal recourse when he decided to purchase 100,000 Pounds worth of "American Indian" corn on his "own" volition, against the wishes of the Conservative members of his Tory Party, and it was to be eventually sent over to Co. Cork in Southern Munster, with a Relief Committee to be set up to reorganize the local committees there to distribute it at "reasonable prices," but he still insisted that the "export" of Irish Beef, Irish Pork, Irish Lambs and Irish Grain, including Irish Corn, were continued to be "transported" out of Ireland to England. The British Conservative Imperial Government's control by the "merchants" either in or out of the Westminster Parliament with their continuing policy of Laissez - Faire (Let the Market Rule) was to be the main ongoing "cause" that allowed the terrible situation to continue on in Ireland. They were to "refuse" to place an embargo on the "export" of produce from Ireland, even during the "worst times" of the "Great Famine," which finally brought not only many in Ireland, but also in Britain to the realisation that the "Immoral Union" meant nothing at all to the greedy "merchants" and their supporters in the British Conservative Imperial Government, as this dreadful human tragedy would have never have been allowed if the "Great Famine" had occurred in England itself. Despite this pernicious attitude by those in control there, Sir Robert "Orange" Peel knew personally that he had to take some individual resposibility to remove the repressive "Corn Laws" with their high price structures that had "been set" to placate the insatiable appetites of the "merchants" in England, due to the terrible circumstances now facing the general population in Ireland, but his Conservative Tory Party was made up of "Protectionists" who "discouraged" any sort of "relief schemes," and advised one and all that the reports of the "Great Famine" that was occurring in Ireland that were now being received in England were "exaggerated." Sir Robert "Orange"" Peel unfortunately now made a momentous and devastating decision when he put Charles Trevelyan, who was the Assistant - Secretary to the British Treasury, in charge of the "Corn" distribution and the"Board of Works," who was also to begin new road construction although he was a strong follower of the Laissez - Faire (Let the Market Rule) approach, and the result of his appointment was that the population of Ireland were now to continue to "suffer and die" in "greater numbers" because of his "personal attitude" towards any chance of "empathy or humanity."

     Sir Robert "Orange" Peel the British Conservative Imperial Prime Minister in England was also still "really desperate" to win over the "upper and middle classes" in Ireland, and turn away any chance of Irish "revolutionary independent " aims that might have been picked up by the Catholic Irish priests who had previously had to be "educated" in France and Spain, and to this end he turned his attention to St. Patrick's Catholic College at Maynooth, founded in 1795 AD in Co. Kildare in Central Southern Leinster, were he increased their grant to 26,000 pounds up from the 9,000 pounds previously given, and placed it in the Consolidated Fund so that it would be a "permanent" fixture to ensure continuity, and also gave them a further 30,000 pounds towards their building fund. This decision "upset" William Gladstone who was a fair - minded Scotsman, who "resigned" from Peel's Conservative Cabinet, but not because of any "religious" grounds to the grants themselves. Even at this early stage in his political career William Gladstone saw Ireland, due to the "Immoral Union" as a part of Britain that was being "cruelly treated," and where "entrenched injustices" were being carried out by the continuing British Conservative Imperial Government authorities. He was also for the "Disestablishment of the Ascendancy Church of England / Ireland" altogether in Ireland and their continual draining "Enforced Tithes" and wanted an overall "reform" of the "land system" there also on the confiscated "Land Lords' Estates" in Ireland. Sir James Graham, who was Sir Robert "Orange" Peel's Home Secretary, was responsible for "Irish Affairs" at this time, and together with Sir Robert "Orange"Peel he was to carry out fairly successful procedures into the next year to try and "stabilise" the challenging effect of the "Great Famine" in Ireland and a "Relief Commission" was introduced modelled on Irish Famine Relief 1836 AD - 1839 AD, but its Road Works and Poor Houses, were "too slow" in being introduced, and in the meantime 1,000,000 people were to either die from "Starvation and Typhus" in Ireland and 1,000,000 were to "emigrate" up to 1846 AD.

      Trinity College / Dublin University the previous Ascendancy bastion was the only University in Ireland where "degrees" were now open to all, but its "scholarships and fellowships" were still only available to members of the Ascendancy Church of England / Ireland, and the costs to attend it were far "too high" for the general struggling population in Ireland, while in Scotland there were 5 Universities catering to only a "quarter" of the population that existed in Ireland. Summer: Sir Robert "Orange" Peel the British Imperial Tory Prime Minister, put through a Bill to create the 3 "secular" Queen's Universities that he had previously proposed in Belfast / Ulster Province, Cork / Munster Province and Galway / Connacht Province, which would in theory be "non - denominational." The "University" in Belfast in Co. Antrim in the north - east of Ulster Province would become a bastion for Presbyterian graduates, but much later on in the 1960's it was to foster Irish Catholic Civil Rights, when Irish Catholics and non - Catholics there were to" combine" in a common cause for all in the 6 Counties from the 9 Counties in the Ulster Province that would be "artificially separated" to continue on to create further division with the Ascendancy there. (As Thomas Davis the recently deceased poet and leader of the "Young Irelanders" had stated, "You must educate to be free.")

       Daniel O Connell the Liberator tried to get his "Repeal of the Immoral Union" group to come out in "opposition" to these "secular" Colleges who had no "religious" education, but he came up against the "Young Irelanders" who were all for educating "all " religious denominations "together," as they wanted all "sectarian differences" removed from Irish politics, but despite this they too were also not happy with the actual "Constitutions of the Colleges" but still went along quietly in deference to Daniel O Connell as "Repeal of the Immoral Union" was still their "main objective." Sir Robert "Orange" Peel the British Imperial Tory Conservative Prime Minister, was now also politically "in trouble" in England, and he looked like being "removed" from government there, so Daniel O Connell the Liberator was once again forced to ally with the "Whigs" to try and gain some "influence" with them should Sir Robert "Orange" Peel be "removed" from power and the "Whigs" get back in to the British Imperial Government.

     Father Theobold Matthew who was having "great success" with his campaign of getting everyone in Ireland to sign the "Pledge" to improve their lives, held a Temperance meeting in Co. Galway in the Connacht Province.

    John Henry Newman, who was previously the Ascendancy Church of England Vicar at Oxford University in England, at this time, became a Catholic and would eventually become a Catholic priest, and then a Cardinal, and was to have a great wide spread "educational" influence in Ireland, when he would later take over the running of the Irish Catholic University in Ireland.

    Despite the insidious continuation of the "beginnings" of the "Great Famine" and the massive "human devastation" that was already occurring in Ireland, 516,000 tons of Grain was once again "exported" out of Ireland this year to England, while the population in Ireland continued to "succumb" to the terrible conditions prevailing, but "division" of land in Ireland into "smaller portions" by the Land Lords and their "agents" was to be finally brought to an "end."

1845 AD - 1926 AD, Over this period, 4,100,000 people were to physically leave Ireland altogether, with 3,000,000 of these settling in the "U.S.A.," 300,000 in "Australia" and "New Zealand," 200,000 in "Canada," and 60,000 in "Argentina," "South Africa" and other various places of "political refuge."    

1845 AD - 1850 AD During this period Lord Kenmare, the English Land Lord, who had his confiscated Estates in Co. Kerry in the south - west of the Munster Province, was to still collect 146,400 Pounds in "rent" from his "starving  tenant farmers" in Ireland.

                 Home Page                                                                                                Return to Celtic Heritage                                                               On to 1846 AD