The Famine Plot

England's Role in Ireland's Greatest Tragedy

By: Tim Pat Coogan

Narrated by: Roger Clark

During a Biblical seven years in the middle of the 19th century, Ireland experienced the worst disaster a nation could suffer. Fully a quarter of its citizens either perished from starvation or emigrated in what came to be known as Gorta Mor, the Great Hunger. Waves of hungry peasants fled across the Atlantic to the United States, with so many dying en route that it was said "you could walk dry shod to America on their bodies".

In this sweeping history, Ireland's best-known historian, Tim Pat Coogan, tackles the dark history of the Irish Famine and argues that it constituted one of the first acts of genocide. In what the Boston Globe calls "his greatest achievement", Coogan shows how the British government hid behind the smoke screen of laissez faire economics, the invocation of divine providence, and a carefully orchestrated publicity campaign, allowing more than a million people to die agonizing deaths and driving a further million into emigration.

Unflinching in depicting the evidence, Coogan presents a vivid and horrifying picture of a catastrophe that shook the 19th century and finally calls to account those responsible.

©2012 Tim Pat Coogan (P)2017 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Many intriguing points [are] made in this book...the minutes spark and sputter with a deep, lingering, well-cherished rage." (Peter Behrens, The Washington Post)

Lots of History

I've always been curious about The Potato Famine and this book definitely sated that curiosity. If anyone wants to understand History without being told some BS excuse. I suggest giving this a listen / read. It's not meant as an attack or anything like that. It's just multiple accounts throughout The Famine that no one knows about. Again it's a really long but well informed book. The narrative of the whole book kept me focused which is incredible due to the list of dates, important persons and locations mentioned.

A tragic story

This is a very blunt and in your face assessment of the great tragedy in Irish history known as the great famine. Great Britain was guilty of much misuse and abuse during its colonial Empire, but the very calculated starving of the Irish during the great famine may write as the lowest. It’s an excellent book. I think for anybody with an interest in British and Irish history, along with wanting more information about Irish and immigration to North America, this is a really excellent book.

Amazing book...

Well worth listening to, perhaps thrice. The plight and pity of Ireland's people is horrendous from the sounds of things. It's no womder that when they came to America and had to compete against the enslaves African, they showed signs of hatred and bias. Hurt people, hurt people. All in all, this book was amazing. So much history to take in. Phenomenal reading.

Good stuff

Very informative. Eye opening about England’s response to the Irish crisis. Nothing short of genocidal.

Old Wounds reopened

the offer meticulously and accurately describes the callous nature and abandonment of Ireland to Minds using capitalism as a Prelude an excuse for genocide in the English wig Parliament.