Publisher's Synopsis
This striking and pioneering collection offers fresh and diverse perspectives on the impact of the Great Famine in Ireland, with particular reference to the experience in the province of Ulster - much neglected in histories, but which prompted the political geography and sectarian divisions that persisted into the twentieth century. This important new volume, edited by Patrick Fitzgerald and Anthony Russell, addresses many issues previously under-explored and delves into the immeasurable impact of starvation, illness, and emigration on Irish society and the diaspora. The use of relatively neglected sources shines a vital new light on the experience of Famine migrants entering British North America; John Mitchel, the international radical and renowned thinker, is similarly examined in both Old and New World environments, providing original insights. Through history, geography, literary studies, demography, folklore, biography, and local and family studies, the authors address new questions and prompt fresh debates. The Legacy of the Great Irish Famine redefines all notions of this epochal moment in Irish history - a legacy previously unwritten. [Subject: Irish Studies, History, Famine Studies]
