1. The Famine Date: Objectives Warm-up – question – 2-3 sentence answer.
Examine the background, cause and results of The Famine.
Use notes from the board to analyse this case study.
Warm-up – question – 2-3 sentence answer.
Do you know anything about the famine before we begin. Or
What do you understand of the words famine and starvation.
Inspection of copies

2. Going to write the key points on the board
Write down the notes.
When finished, read the question at the bottom, think about it and we’ll talk about it. Feel free to write points or an answer if you are waiting.

3. Background 70% of Irish people were farmers in 1840.
Land belongs to wealthy landlords called the ‘Protestant Ascendancy’.
They rented the land to ‘tenant farmers’.
Poor people called ‘cottiers’ worked on the land then and rented parts called ‘conacres’.
When you are done the notes above, answer the following:
There was a huge population boom / growth in the 1800’s.Read over your notes and tell me why? Try and guess then why more people might be bad for what is to come.

4. Causes
Subsistence farming – growing only what you need to pay rent and feed family.
Dependent on potatoes as main crop.
Rise in population – farms split among children called ‘subdivision’.
The Blight – a fungus attacked the potato, rotted it and made it inedible. Led to starvation and disease.
The blight hit France and Scotland too. Why did it not effect them as bad as us do you think?

5. Results British Government responsible for Irish affairs at time.
Workhouses were set up – hard labour in exchange for food. Problems – not paid soon enough – died.
Indian maize (corn) was imported in. Problems - no one knew how to cook it. Called ‘Peel’s Brimstone’.
Quakers set up soup kitchens to help.
1 million people starved to death. 3 million emigrated on ‘coffin ships’. The Irish language was also severely affected.
Start reading through the sheet - shall appear on test.

6. Study for test. Homework
There will be a test next week. ‘How to study’ class will be end of this week.

7. Cooldown I think.... Write one I know.... sentence with
I wonder.... these at the start