Authors' Note: The Irish potato famine of 1845-1852, had important repercussions in British North America. Initially, we had our own version of the disaster, although it didn't last as long. The food-production aspect was confined to the Atlantic island of Newfoundland ("the Rock"), where potato monoculture had provided backup food for a populace (ironically, one-half of Irish descent) who otherwise fed themselves on marine protein (seals and cod). But in 1846, these usual marine sources failed, the potato-disease gained a foothold, and the network for regional food distribution was disrupted by a large fire, then a storm, that lashed the key port of St John's. In the second year, the blight spread to involve the entire island, and the marine resource situation was no better. The number of deaths due to starvation, likely many thousands, remains unknown.
The British governor of the colony, reasoning that the indolence of the island's underclass had offended the Almighty, invoked a period of fasting to appease heavenly powers. Fortunately, the next year, the marine resources returned, resolving the crisis.
Back in Ireland, landlords took advantage, and bought tickets to encourage resourceless tenants to emigrate; their arrival in Canada was anticipated charitably by the public and by local governments. In fact, many refugees were sick ("ship's fever" often equated to dysentery or typhus) on arrival or shortly afterward. In the summer of 1847, an estimated 20,000 died in typhus epidemics that ravaged Montreal, Quebec, and even Toronto.
Back in Ireland, landlords took advantage, and bought tickets to encourage resourceless tenants to emigrate; their arrival in Canada was anticipated charitably by the public and by local governments. In fact, many refugees were sick ("ship's fever" often equated to dysentery or typhus) on arrival or shortly afterward. In the summer of 1847, an estimated 20,000 died in typhus epidemics that ravaged Montreal, Quebec, and even Toronto.
In contrast, the U.S. populace may have felt less charitable towards British disaster-victims, and a punitive tax was levied on shipping companies for each passenger. Although large numbers of Irish refugees did eventually reach the U.S., Canada bore far more than its share, especially in the acute phase of the disaster.
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| historic plaque, dedicated to a Toronto community leader who perished in the potato-famine related typhus epidemic |
Online References:
Great Famine (Ireland) - Wikipedia
Newfoundland Potato Famine - Wikipedia
History of Irish immigration to Canada - Irish PostThe Canadian typhus epidemic of 1847 - French-Canadian genealogist
You can review poems, pictures and diverse nonsense related to Canada on the post "Canadiana" on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense".
For the purpose of this blog, a 'brief saga' is defined as a poem, usually narrative, but occasionally expository, that tell its story in at least 15 lines. Most commonly, the format involves three stanzas in limerick form, constituting a single submission to the online humor site 'Omnificent English Dictionary in Limerick Form'. On the OEDILF site, rigorous standards for content and format are involved in a collaborative editing process that may take several weeks to over a year (the OEDILF number for each accepted multiverse poem is shown here on the slide with its first verse).
We have been blog-publishing these poetic adventures monthly since January 2020, and there are now over 40 of these lengthier bits of doggerel. And the good news is that almost all limerick-derived verses can be set to music! If you feel motivated to accompany these lyrics in singable format on your ukulele or guitar, click HERE for suggestions.
To access the next 'brief saga' on this blog (March 2023), proceed to... 'Possessives' (adjectives and pronouns).
To access the most recent previous 'brief saga' (January 2023), back up to 'Squid in the Time of Covid'.
