These
attitudes were to create a disaster. Not a natural
disaster. A planned disaster.
In
the meantime, potato blight arrived in Ireland.
This fungus produced black spots and a white mould
rotting the potato into a pulp. How would the
British react to this? Would they stop all export
of food from Ireland? Would they open the ports
to free trade? Would the duties be lifted on flour
and oatmeal?
No.
Instead massive amounts of food were exported
to England. There was no need to prohibit export
of food as reports from Ireland were "exaggerated".
The
monthly average of food exported was worth 100,000
pounds sterling. Dr. Kinealy also pointed out
that "over 3 million livestock were exported
from Ireland between 1846-1850. Peas, beans, onions,
rabbits, salmon, oysters, herring, lard, honey,
tongues, animal skins, rags, shoes, soap, glue
and seeds were all exported. This food could have
been used to feed the people who were starving
to death.
During
this period, there were 12,000 British horses
in Ireland which didn't starve to death. Due to
the failure of the potato crop, Irish people could
no longer afford the rent. They were evicted by
absent landlords. Grazing animals replaced them.
This alone rules out the suggestion of famine.
Former
president of Ireland Mary Robinson said "it
was Ireland's greatest natural disaster".
There was nothing natural about it, Mary. No Jewish
person should refer to the holocaust as an "Oxygen
Famine" or a natural disaster similarly;
no Irish person should ever refer to a famine
in their country.
Back
to the idea of a national commemoration, there
must be one. However, why commemorate something
that never happened? We must get history right.
We must remember and have a national and international
day of remembrance for the victims of genocide,
for the victims of Britain's holocaust in Ireland.
