Ireland in the 19th century: famine and Home Rule

Study note

Conditions in Ireland were poor in the 19th century. When the potato crop failed in the middle of the century, a famine led to about a million deaths and another million and a half people leaving Ireland. The Irish Nationalist movement grew. Some, such as the Fenians, wanted complete independence, while others, such as Charles Stuart Parnell, supported Home Rule, in which Ireland would stay in the UK but have its own parliament.

Memory tip: Irish famine = potato crop fails; Fenians want full independence; Parnell supports Home Rule.