A Modest Proposal: New directions in researching and understanding Ireland's Great Famine

The Great Irish Famine of 1845–1852 was a defining event in the development of modern Ireland. As a result of large-scale and sustained emigration, it was also a transnational event, creating diasporas that regarded the Famine as their foundation story. Following decades of silence and limited scholarship, the 150th anniversary of the first appearance of potato blight in 1995 triggered a global interest that extended far beyond academia. This overview of the historiography and recent debates concerning the Great Famine suggests a vibrancy and an interest that shows no sign of abating. It has resulted in an ever-growing body of scholarship that is constantly providing fresh and nuanced ways of understanding this tragedy, through the use of new methodological and theoretical approaches and partnerships with professionals outside the academy.