3.4.11 The Irish famine and Home Rule

Ireland had been under English and then British control for centuries. In 1801, the Act of Union created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In the 1840s, Ireland suffered a devastating famine when the potato crop failed due to disease. About one million people died and another million emigrated, mainly to the United States. The population of Ireland fell dramatically.

The famine increased Irish resentment of British rule. Many Irish people campaigned for Home Rule — the right to govern their own affairs. The Home Rule movement was led by Charles Stewart Parnell. Although Home Rule bills were introduced in Parliament, they were repeatedly blocked. The issue of Irish self-governance would remain a major political question into the 20th century.