Agnew R A
J Med Biogr. 1996 Aug;43(3):178-83. doi: 10.1177/096777209600400311.
Last year was the 150th anniversary of the failure of the potato crop in Ireland, which initiated the famine years of 1845-9. The consequences for agricultural communities dependent on this source of food for survival were disastrous in terms of mortality and emigration, although it was not the sole cause for the emergency of an Irish "diaspora". Within two years the Irish people suffered a further blow with the death of their parliamentary champion, O'Connell. Daniel O'Connell (1775-1847) was popularly known in Ireland as the "Liberator", as he promoted the cause of Catholic emancipation together with repeal of the Act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland of 1801. He was skilled as a barrister and politician, and remarkable in that he advocated non-violent means to achieve his aims. His family were fairly well-to-do landowners in County Kerry, in the south-west. In contrast, John Forbes came from a humbler background of tenant farmers in the north-east of Scotland. It may be of interest to outline the circumstances leading to his meeting with O'Connell in 1841.
去年是爱尔兰马铃薯作物歉收150周年，那次歉收引发了1845年至1849年的饥荒岁月。对于依赖这种食物来源为生的农业社区而言，在死亡率和移民方面，后果是灾难性的，尽管这并非爱尔兰“侨民群体”出现的唯一原因。在两年内，爱尔兰人民遭受了进一步打击——他们的议会拥护者奥康奈尔去世。丹尼尔·奥康奈尔（1775 - 1847）在爱尔兰被普遍称为“解放者”，因为他推动了天主教解放事业，同时促成了1801年大不列颠与爱尔兰联合法案的废除。他是一名技艺娴熟的大律师和政治家，而且值得注意的是，他主张通过非暴力手段来实现自己的目标。他的家族是西南部克里郡家境颇为殷实的地主。相比之下，约翰·福布斯出身更为卑微，来自苏格兰东北部的佃农家庭。概述一下1841年他与奥康奈尔会面的相关情况或许会很有意思。
