An original, detailed study of the Famine, its antecedents and its aftermath in West Cork.

The scale of the Great Irish Famine, and the horror of it, were unprecedented. It permeated everything, the traces of which remain to this day. But the visual dimensions of the loss of life and the erosions of language and culture remained unaddressed until Quinnipiac University opened Ireland's Great Hunger Museum in 2012, to considerable acclaim. As a largely invisible trauma whose consequences were intrinsic to the subsequent development of Ireland - no less than the United States - the museum collects and displays images and supporting documentation that address both the lacunae and interconnections in representations of the Great Hunger in Irish and diasporic history, culture, and memory.Now, mindful of the suffering of so many, a large number of whom nonetheless went on to contribute so much to America, Quinnipiac University brings its collection home, to share with the people of Ireland. Coming Home: Art and the Great Hunger is an important act of cultural reconnection with Ireland's past and living diaspora, and is a major cultural, educational, and tourist event of local, national, and international interest.

The first systematic study of famine in all parts of Europe from the Middle Ages to present. It compares the characteristics, consequences and causes of famine in regional case studies by leading experts to form a comprehensive picture of when and why food security across the continent became a critical issue.

The Irish potato famine of the 1840s, perhaps the most appalling event of the Victorian era, killed over a million people and drove as many more to emigrate to America. It may not have been the result of deliberate government policy, yet British ‘obtuseness, short-sightedness and ignorance’ – and stubborn commitment to laissez-faire ‘solutions’ – largely caused the disaster and prevented any serious efforts to relieve suffering. The continuing impact on Anglo-Irish relations was incalculable, the immediate human cost almost inconceivable. In this vivid and disturbing book Cecil Woodham-Smith provides the definitive account. ‘A moving and terrible book. It combines great literary power with great learning. It explains much in modern Ireland – and in modern America’ D.W. Brogan.

The remarkable story of the money sent by the Choctaw to the Irish in 1847 is one that is often told and remembered by people in both nations. This gift was sent to the Irish from the Choctaw at the height of the potato famine in Ireland, just sixteen years after the Choctaw began their march on the Trail of Tears toward the areas west of the Mississippi River. Famine Pots honors that extraordinary gift and provides further context about and consideration of this powerful symbol of cross-cultural synergy through a collection of essays and poems that speak volumes of the empathy and connectivity between the two communities. As well as signaling patterns of movement and exchange, this study of the gift exchange invites reflection on processes of cultural formation within Choctaw and Irish society alike, and sheds light on longtime concerns surrounding spiritual and social identities. This volume aims to facilitate a fuller understanding of the historical complexities that surrounded migration and movement in the colonial world, which in turn will help lead to a more constructive consideration of the ways in which Irish and Native American Studies might be drawn together today.

You can't eat scenery' is an old saying about making a living in beautiful but remote places. West Cork is such a place, remarkable for the many ways people make it work for them. Alannah Hopkin discovers a vibrant community of diverse people with compelling stories to tell. A multi-faceted portrait of west Cork.

The deaths in and around Dunmanway in 1922 have always been shrouded in rumour and supposition. This book seeks to get to the bottom of them. One thing is certain: Captain Herbert Woods shot Commandant Michael O'Neill of the IRA on the stairs of Ballygroman House at 2.30a.m. on the 26th April and killed him. Who was Herbert Woods and why did shoot an unarmed man? Who was Michael O'Neill and what was he doing inside the house at that hour of the morning? What connection had this event to the killing of ten Protestants in West Cork over the next three nights? Are they connected with the killing of four British soldiers in Macroom on the same day? What was the effect on the local Protestant minority? What happened after Herbert Woods and his Hornibrook relations were arrested by the Irish Republican Police and disappeared? This book attempts to answer all these questions. Using previously overlooked evidence it proves that the real story is a simple one of revenge. It directly challenges claims of sectarianism and British involvement presenting a true story of these appalling events.