"An awful visitation of providence": the Irish Famine of 1845-49.

This essay examines the condition of Ireland before, during and after the famine which began in 1845 when the potato crop began to fail. A series of topics is presented: the quality of life, families, government aid, philanthropy, population changes, literacy, emigration, and public policy. The essay draws on the author's research quantifying the quality of life in Ireland, and on research analysing the heights of a sample of Irish army recruits in the famine era.