Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I fully support this Bill. I congratulate those who have campaigned tirelessly for a particular date to be set aside for a commemoration of the millions of people who died through starvation or had to flee this country 170 years ago. I was surprised to hear the suggestion that the Famine of the 1840s was the last famine in Ireland. When I was reading The Big Issuebefore Christmas, I came across an article by Samantha Bailie entitled "Ireland's Forgotten Famine - The Mass Government Coverup". I would like to read some of the article into the record of the Dáil in order that the events of 1925 might be considered by Deputy Brophy and others who are involved in this campaign:

In 1925, the newly independent Ireland went through a tragic famine - but if the starvation of 750,000 people was not bad enough, the government's coverup in order to save face internationally should make us ask why our ancestors were not protected by their elected officials.

Ireland was a bleak place in 1925 - after all, the two wars had taken their toll on the land and the economy was at an all-time low, with mass unemployment. The government decided to implement trickle down economics and so cut the wealthy farmers' tax bills and reduced government spending - caring little about the impact on the impoverished. The old age pension was cut, the working week was put back up to 7 days and wages were cut by almost a fifth.

The poor felt the pinch instantly, and when the harvests yielded little due to extended seasons of wet weather - the crops collapsed. Even in those days the humble spud was the staple diet of the poor - especially those living in rural areas, to see them rotting in the soil was demoralising. Families were starving, and those with animals watched helplessly as they died due to a lack of nutrition. If things were not bad enough - families struggled to find any way to stay warm as there was no way to dry out turf - the chief fuel source. Citizens of Connemara and the islands in that area were worse affected, with three quarters of the people having had no potatoes (their main food source) for two months and attempted to find nourishment on scraps of seaweed and bits of shellfish they found on the beach.

The government gave £500,000 in aid money, but this barely touched the surface. On 31st December 1924 the local doctor was called to tend to an elderly man on Omey Island - when he arrived he found a man, Michael Kane lying on a cold stone floor beside a small turf fire - his face showing the dire hunger that would soon cause his death. Two little ones were lying beside him - a three and two year old who were so weak from hunger they just lay motionless. Kane passed away 48 hours later from typhoid - his body too weak to fight it off.

All Deputies should read this article if they can get their hands on it. It continues:

At the end of 1925, when international newspaper reports slowed down, [it had been reported in America that this was happening] the government finally gave a little, by admitting "acute distress" - but only in some areas.

Why did the government cover up this famine?

It would seem that this was due to a telegram received from the Boston Globe in the United States. The cabinet was sent the telegram with a cover note from James Douglas, who was a member of the Seanad. The message from the Boston Globe was asking for clarification on whether there was famine here. On Douglas' note he had written, "...the present propaganda in the United States, alleging that there is a famine, will do great harm to our credit in every way unless it is countered."

So Cumann na nGaedhael were concerned how it would look if the newly independent Ireland’s citizens were starving to death. Ireland's image was on the line. Minister for Agriculture, P.J. Hogan said that a typical farmer in the area was "a 200 acre man." Of course this was far from true. His colleague then unbelievably started taxing blankets - at the height of the chronic fuel shortage when kids were dying due to lack of nourishment and the freezing cold.

The Dáil still refused to admit the scale of the problem - arguing the situation was hugely exaggerated.

The country eventually got back on its feet [with the crop at the end of 1925].

Sadly the government never admitted there had been a famine in 1925 and so, it has largely been forgotten about entirely. It seems that when faced with the prospect of losing face on an international scale or fixing the problem - the government decided to orchestrate a huge coverup.

As we recognise the huge tragedy of the Famine of 170 years ago, we should acknowledge that our own Government stood over a famine in this country in 1925.

See this speech in context