The Great Irish Famine: History, Diaspora, and Global Legacy
Uncover the socio-political origins of the Great Hunger and the
resilient spirit of the global Irish diaspora.
Course Overview
About This Course
Explore the Irish Famine in this free course by leading museum-based expert historians. Uncover the socio-political forces behind the 19th-century catastrophe that claimed over a million lives and triggered a global exodus. From analyzing British policy to accessing records for Irish ancestral research, probe how this tragedy forged the modern Irish diaspora. Journey into Ireland’s past to understand your heritage today!
Course Description
The Great Famine remains the most transformative event in Irish history, resulting in the death of one million people and the forced emigration of two million more. This comprehensive diploma course, authored by leading museum experts Loretto Leary (Education & Cultural Director, Ireland's Great Hunger Museum) and Dr Elizabeth Stack (Education Director, Celtic Junction Arts Centre), offers a definitive exploration of how a localised crop failure evolved into a national catastrophe. You will examine the devastating paradox of the era: that mass starvation occurred while significant quantities of livestock and grain continued to be produced in and exported from Ireland.
The curriculum deconstructs pre-famine socio-economic conditions, including the land-tenure system and the precarious reliance on the potato. You will assess the British government’s transition from early relief to the restrictive Labor Rate Act and analyse the workhouse system — institutions that often functioned as punitive "mortality engines" rather than places of support. Moving into the late 1840s, the course explores the fallout of the tragedy, from the impact of the Encumbered Estates Act and subsequent evictions to the 1848 Young Irelander Rebellion and the extraordinary international philanthropy of groups including the Society of Friends and the Choctaw Nation.
Explore the harrowing journeys of migrants as they fled to Britain, North America, and Australia, evolving into the powerful global Irish diaspora of today. By bridging the gap between historical archival skills and genealogical research, you will learn to use primary sources to link your own family history to the broader saga of the Great Hunger. Enroll today to earn your certificate and ensure this history is understood for generations to come.
*Loretto Leary is a native of Portumna, Co Galway, and is Education & Cultural Director, Ireland's Great Hunger Museum, Fairfield, Connecticut, (IGHMF.org) and Co-Chair, Connecticut-Ireland Trade Commission
Dr Elizabeth Stack is originally from Listowel, Co Kerry, and is Education Director at Celtic Junction Arts Center, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and a member of the Historical Advisory Committee of Irish America 250.