It comes down to a simple intersection of physics (well, chemistry but bear with me) and politics. Imagine if you were a parent of a family of say seven kids. Seven kids, two parents, 9 mouths to feed. read more
The catalyst for the famine was the potato blight, but really the famine represents the nadir of British colonial oppression in Ireland. There was potato blight in Poland at the same time, without the corresponding famine. Here's the thing - during the famine, Ireland was a net exporter of food to England. read more