When the Irish potato crop failed in 1845 and 1846, many thousands of people starved because the country’s abundant grain harvest was being exported to England. Daniel O’Connell MP urged the Commons to stop the exports, ban distillation and also do throughout Ireland as he had done on his own estates, and stockpile rice.

With grain still leaving Ireland in record quantities, O’Connell and other leading Irish statesmen met the Lord Lieutenant to discuss urgent action. The Government’s response was to waste precious time on commissioning a report. O’Connell then took his plea to Parliament, but despite expressing their sympathy they did not take up his proposals.

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