Irish Famine (1879)
| Irish Famine (1879) an Gorta Beag | |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
| Location | Ireland, mainly Connacht |
| Period | 1879 |
| Causes | The Long Depression, inclement climate, potato blight, cholera among chickens |
| Relief | Home Rule League, Land League and clergy successfully campaigned for British Crown relief. Aid raised in the United States, including over 3000 barrels of food sent aboard USS Constellation. |
| Consequences | Increased emigration and urbanisation (often temporary). Religious revival, including Marian apparition in Knock. Helped incite the Land War of the late 1870s and early 1880s. |
| Preceded by | Great Famine (1845–1852) (an Gorta Mór) |
The Irish famine of 1879 was the last main Irish famine. Unlike the earlier Great Famines of 1740–1741 and 1845–1852, the 1879 famine (sometimes called the "mini-famine" or an Gorta Beag) caused hunger rather than mass deaths and was largely focused in the west of Ireland.