Conclusions
Burrishoole had already experienced local outbreaks of famine. The land in the Barony was so poor that it would have been barely adequate to support the people who were actively farming. The land could not possibly produce enough to support the landlords and their expensive life styles, as well as their agents and middlemen. Overpopulation, a downturn in the economy and the collapse of the cottage linen industry had left the people in a vulnerable position. The landlords were all in debt. They had allowed the land to become fragmented as it brought in more rent and gave them more political influence. They were now considering land reform, which would mean evictions. The Barony was in a disastrous state before ever the blight struck.
Potato blight was an Act of God, but the Famine was caused by attitude. British attitude, which regarded the Irish poor as lazy, stupid sub humans. Protestant attitude, that saw the Famine as providential and a deserved punishment on poor Catholics. Landlord attitude, that saw their tenants as an encumbrance to modernisation. Catholic hierarchy attitude, that saw the poor as pawns in their war with Protestant evangelism. Famine Memorials |
The richest and most powerful country in the world could not afford to feed its surplus Catholic Irish poor on watery onion soup, but decreed that they should fund their own feeding through the rates. All the landlords in Burrishoole were in debt. Their tenants were starving so they had no rental income. Without any income, how could they pay workhouse rates and rates on their tenants' houses? Eviction was the only foreseeable result of the Gregory Clause and not one Irish MP voted against it.
The soupers did great harm to the dignity and pride of people but none to their religion. Eaten bread may not be forgotten but the bible tracts that came with it soon were. The evangelists claimed that they had made hundreds of converts but there was no increase in Protestantism at the end of the Famine. The Quakers were also Protestants but were never suspected of being soupers. They 'fed us during the Famine' is what is said of the Quakers. The truth is that the soupers fed us as well. The death rate in Achill was much lower than in the rest of Burrishoole, despite higher eviction rates and that was because of Nangle. The Penal Laws had caused division between the churches and souperism destroyed whatever trust was left. In areas like Burrishoole where souperism was strong, inter church relationships were destroyed and are only starting to recover. Before the Famine, the Catholic Church had very few priests and very little influence. The bible schools created a fear of nondenominational education and the Catholic Church gained total control of the education system. Catholic priests were politicised and Home Rule eventually did become Rome Rule. The land tenure system was unsustainable and would eventually have collapsed. The Famine hurried the demise of the landlord class and their Anglo Irish culture. Emigration became the norm and continues to bleed the best and fittest of our youth. Trevelyan learned a lesson in Ireland. During his subsequent career in India, he insisted that famine relief could not be funded locally. Click HERE for Further Reading Sources |