Researchers Have Finally Solved The Mystery Of The Irish Potato Famine

http://www.livescience.com ^ | 5-24-2013 | Denise Chow

[blam]

There are over 2,000 variety of potatoes....All have their origins in Peru. When the Spanish visited Peru and took potatoes to Europe, the frequent famines there were diminished and the population 'exploded.'

Ireland is the only modern country that has a lower population today than in 1840. This is due to the the deaths and emigration caused by the Irish Potato Famine.

Sweet potatoes from Peru were already being grown in the Pacific Islands when Europeans first arrived there.

[blam]

GGG Ping.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Let me guess. Globull warming?

[wny]

we all know it was George Bush’s fault.

[righttackle44]

"The Irish were terrible Indian fighters."

Col. Potter

[haywoodwebb]

"we all know it was George Bush’s fault."

This site really needs a "like" button...

[Gamecock]

Parents came over here when I was eighteen. Cereal famine. Couldn’t get a bowl anywhere. Bad. ‘Tis a beautiful country though; lush rolling hills, and the peat, ah the peat.

[DJ MacWoW]

Look! It's Spam!!!

Click The Spam And Donate

Donate Anyway

[RedMDer]

Meanwhile, the British were exporting most of Ireland’s other crops and beef leaving what many considered the surplus Irish population to starve at the time.
Sad history.

[Gay State Conservative]

Col. Potter

Nope,it wasn't "Colonel Potter"...it was "General Steele",a character he played in one episode in Season 3 ("Henry's" last season).

[Gay State Conservative]

Most of my ancestors came from Ireland with the rest coming from Scotland.They all left the Isles in the mid-late 1800s.My great grandfather died of “consumption” (TB) a few months before my grandmother,with her mother and siblings,got on the boat.Soon I will go to Galway to lay flowers on his grave.

[DuncanWaring]

A different account, posted a few days ago:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3022187/posts

[blam]

" A different account, posted a few days ago: "

I suppose if I'd done a search I'd have discovered it.(ahem)

[GOP Poet]

bookmark

[GOPJ]

Cool story - get an extra flower and put it down for all of us freepers with an Irish ancestor... Then bring back a picture or two...

[jmacusa]

Pretty much all of the American military at that time(1850-1900) was made up of men from the British Isles.

[DuncanWaring]

Where’s the fun in that?

[norwaypinesavage]

I’m trying to think of a PC way to discuss preventing illegal Mexican immigration in light of this discovery.

[SunkenCiv]

GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach	join list or digest view topics view or post blog bookmark post a topic subscribe
Thanks blam, I'm glad you had an eye out for this one. The researchers studied 11 historic samples from potato leaves that were collected about 150 years ago in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Europe and North America. The scientists found these ancient samples, which were preserved at the Botanical State Collection Munich and the Kew Gardens in London, still had many intact pieces of DNA. In fact, the DNA quality was so good the researchers were able to sequence the entire genome of Phytophthora infestans and its host, the potato, within just a few weeks. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.

[P.O.E.]

Wasn’t Herb I the Irish king who offered to do everyone’s taxes at a reasonable rate?