Smith and Rees: Critical Analysis on the Great Irish Famine
Cynthia E. Smith: The Land-Tenure System in Ireland: A Fatal Regime
● Between 1.5 million and 3 million people died during the Great Famine
in Ireland
● Over 1 million people emigrated from Ireland to North America, and
even more emigrated to Great Britain
● The land structure in Ireland contributed greatly to the fatality rate by
exacerbating the famine.
● Landlords were often absentees living in England, allowing them to
charge extortionate prices that forced farming tenants off of the land
that they relied upon.
○ These landlords also divided their estates to maximise profits,
meaning there were few farms large enough to withstand the
pressures of a famine. This harmed production levels.
○ High rents meant that tenants had less opportunity to diversify, as
they chose to focus on a reliable crop that had already proven
itself capable of paying rent: the potato. This led to an
overreliance on the potato which would be disastrous once the
famine hit.
How The Social Structure of Pre-Famine Ireland Contributed to the Crisis
● Ireland was heavily dependent on agricultural production.
○ "Ireland has always been and seems destined to remain a land of
agriculture."- Pomfret
○ A lack of industry meant that Ireland would suffer greatly
economically when its agricultural sector was virtually
demolished.
, ○ In 1841, only 28.3% of the Irish workforce was employed in
industry.
○ Reliance on agriculture meant that the "possession of a piece of
land was literally the difference between life and death."-
Woodham-Smith
● Ireland was also experiencing rapid population growth at this time,
which would place extreme pressure on resources during the Famine
years.
○ The Irish population almost doubled between 1791 and 1841,
reaching over 8 million people prior to the Famine
○ All of these people needed land to survive, and they needed this
land to succeed agriculturally because of their lack of industry.
● During the 17th Century, vast amounts of Irish land were seized by the
English, who seized over 3 million acres of land in Ireland.
○ This allowed the English to control Irish land through the landlord
system in the 19th century, letting it out to English “middlemen”
who would subdivide the land for rent by Irish tenant farmers.
○ This allowed absentee English landowners to prosper, whilst the
Irish were left with insufficient land at astronomical prices.
● Tenants were easily exploited as they often had no lease, allowing
landlords to evict them at will
○ They lacked legal protection, heightening animosity between
tenants and landlords
● The population boom increased demand for land, driving up prices. As a
result, landlords were evicting tenants with little to no notice to find
others willing to pay higher rents. This made land unaffordable by the
time of the famine, so farmers couldn’t risk diversifying their crop
portfolio using the little land that they had. This was especially true as
this land had to be saved for their children’s inheritance. Since the birth
rate was high, this inheritance led to further subdivision of land.
Cynthia E. Smith: The Land-Tenure System in Ireland: A Fatal Regime
● Between 1.5 million and 3 million people died during the Great Famine
in Ireland
● Over 1 million people emigrated from Ireland to North America, and
even more emigrated to Great Britain
● The land structure in Ireland contributed greatly to the fatality rate by
exacerbating the famine.
● Landlords were often absentees living in England, allowing them to
charge extortionate prices that forced farming tenants off of the land
that they relied upon.
○ These landlords also divided their estates to maximise profits,
meaning there were few farms large enough to withstand the
pressures of a famine. This harmed production levels.
○ High rents meant that tenants had less opportunity to diversify, as
they chose to focus on a reliable crop that had already proven
itself capable of paying rent: the potato. This led to an
overreliance on the potato which would be disastrous once the
famine hit.
How The Social Structure of Pre-Famine Ireland Contributed to the Crisis
● Ireland was heavily dependent on agricultural production.
○ "Ireland has always been and seems destined to remain a land of
agriculture."- Pomfret
○ A lack of industry meant that Ireland would suffer greatly
economically when its agricultural sector was virtually
demolished.
, ○ In 1841, only 28.3% of the Irish workforce was employed in
industry.
○ Reliance on agriculture meant that the "possession of a piece of
land was literally the difference between life and death."-
Woodham-Smith
● Ireland was also experiencing rapid population growth at this time,
which would place extreme pressure on resources during the Famine
years.
○ The Irish population almost doubled between 1791 and 1841,
reaching over 8 million people prior to the Famine
○ All of these people needed land to survive, and they needed this
land to succeed agriculturally because of their lack of industry.
● During the 17th Century, vast amounts of Irish land were seized by the
English, who seized over 3 million acres of land in Ireland.
○ This allowed the English to control Irish land through the landlord
system in the 19th century, letting it out to English “middlemen”
who would subdivide the land for rent by Irish tenant farmers.
○ This allowed absentee English landowners to prosper, whilst the
Irish were left with insufficient land at astronomical prices.
● Tenants were easily exploited as they often had no lease, allowing
landlords to evict them at will
○ They lacked legal protection, heightening animosity between
tenants and landlords
● The population boom increased demand for land, driving up prices. As a
result, landlords were evicting tenants with little to no notice to find
others willing to pay higher rents. This made land unaffordable by the
time of the famine, so farmers couldn’t risk diversifying their crop
portfolio using the little land that they had. This was especially true as
this land had to be saved for their children’s inheritance. Since the birth
rate was high, this inheritance led to further subdivision of land.
