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Paddy's Lament, Ireland 1846-1847: Prelude to Hatred

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"Paddy's Lament" tells the story of those who lived through and died in the Irish Potato Famine of 1846-1847. Throughout the book I kept wondering if my ancestors lived through the horrors described.

The economic setting of Ireland is laid out as that of an island of tenant farmers and large, often absentee, landlords. Agriculture produced wheat and beef for export to England. A small proportion of the land was planted in potatoes, the only food which could feed the population on such small acreage. With the advent of the textile industry in England, wool became a more profitable crop than the traditional ones, if only the native population could be done away with.

A fungus led to the destruction of the potato crop in 1846. Relief was available through the prohibition of the exportation of grain, a step which had previously been taken in other famine stricken countries. The control of Ireland's destiny was within the control of the British Lords who regarded the Irish as a subhuman species of which they would prefer to be rid. The aid extended by foreign nations, particularly the U.S., was a sharp indictment of British indifference. The Famine would not have occurred in a country in control of its own fate.

The famine cause tenants to fall behind in their rents. Massive evictions and destruction of homes followed. Many Irish were forced from their home villages to travel across the land. Is this why Mary McKeever's two brothers were born in the East, but she was born in the West?

Relief came in bits and spurts. The British Lords commissioned the chef of the Reform Club, their gathering place, to create an economical recipe for Irish soup kitchens. Emphasizing economy, he created a soup which was easy on the British exchequer, but provided little nutrition to the Irish. Did William Casey eat this greasy water?

The famine led to widespread starvation. The vivid description of the appearance of the victims is grotesque. Did Matthew Gallen's parents die this death?

Privation forced the Irish to abandon their homes in search of a new life beyond the hated British Empire. The practice of the American wake, in which the family mourned the loss of the son or daughter who was to leave forever was a heart rending affair for all involved. Many sought to avoid the wake by running away. Is this why Thomas English and his brother ran away from home?

The reader accompanies a group of immigrants on a voyage in the stinking, rocking, wretched steerage section of a British ship. The inferiority of the British ships as opposed to American is explained. The sailor's grim prediction that there would be more room the further out they got became hauntingly true. Again the details are presented in such detail as to turn the stomach of the readers even after all of these years. Is this the type of voyage on which Johanna Lynch chose a crewman for her husband?

A new life started for the survivors upon arrival in New York. The contrast between the lethargy of the Irish in Ireland and their industry in America spoke eloquently of the altered prospects for reward for their labors. Although many stayed in New York, others moved out to rural environments more reminiscent of Ireland. Is this how Patrick Nealon got to Bath, Maine?

The British realized that, as they ridded Ireland of its excess population, they were creating an America which was becoming Irish and anti-British. The failure of the potato crop was an act of God. The famine was an Act of Parliament. This perception turned the Irish dissatisfaction with the British into an intense hatred.

This book helps us understand our past and what made us they way we are.

This book gives a strong narrative of the reasons for the "hatred" between the Irish and the English. Rather than citing "intellectual argument" he uses the facts, histories, and information to give a first person account as if it is happening right now. He puts names to the suffering. If you, as the reader, have any heart at all it pulls you into the story so much so that you almost feel it is happening to you.

I have just finished reading, or rather sobbing through, Paddy's Lament. I can't even think about it without tears in my eyes. I had to put it down several times to compose myself enough to continue. As sad as the whole thing was though I am glad I read it and will give it to many other people to read. I really think this book should be a "must-read" because it has definitely inspired me to see what can be done to right the wrongs that were done. I know all those people are gone now, but there is a legacy of pain and hatred that was left behind that still needs healing. One bright thing to point out is that Americans finally have some history to be proud of (page 80). I am so grateful to those Americans who sent the equivalent of 30 million dollars worth of aid in one year alone. Who knows if maybe that is the reason many were able to survive. That touches me so deeply I can't properly express it. And it also tells me that individuals can make a difference if we have the courage and the will to do it. Go raibh maith agaibh, Thanks for listening to my reactions.

Of all the books I've read by or about the Irish, this is by far the best. In trying to trace my heritage I have read everything from The Tain and books on Irish myth and legend, to bios on the likes of DeValera and Collins, to contemporary fiction by the likes of Emer Martin, Colum McCann and Patrick McCabe. But this book, by Thomas Gallagher, has been the only book that so vividly reveals what exactly happened in Ireland, why, and what it was like. Much like one of the previous reviewers, I had to put the book down several times, as I was so overcome by what I can only describe as grief. I would recommend also (as a companion to Paddy's Lament) the book "Mother Ireland" by Edna O'Brien, which is essentially an essay (or series of essays) of what Ireland was like for her. Very powerful. But be warned: While both books are eminently readable, neither is "easy" reading ... both of these books are filled with sorrow, shame, and much suffering. However, you will never see The Irish in quite the same way, and develop a renewed sense of Ireland's ultimate resourcefulness and courage.

I am not an expert on Irish history or even particularly well-read about it, but this book caught my attention. Actually, my interest had been sparked by a song by Sinead O'Connor titled "Famine" and its claim that there "never really was one." Her point was that there was enough food for the Irish but that it was sent to England while the Irish starved. It was a good song but left me wondering if that wasn't an oversimplified account and a gross overstatement of British culpability. This book not only supports O'Connor's assertions, it details them using diaries, letters, and other documents to support its claims. I found myself wondering, why didn't anyone tell me about this before? I never heard or read anything about it when I was a student, and Social Studies was one of the two classes I was most interested in. Now, as a teacher, I look at the five world history textbooks and I see why. In the five books combined there are 19 pages about the Holocaust, 24 pages about slavery in America- and 3 paragraphs about the Irish Potato Famine. I'm not saying the books shouldn't spend significant time on the Holocaust and slavery (I'd like to see them address these two issues in greater detail), and I'm not suggesting there should be an entire chapter on the famine-but I do think schools should teach about the way the Irish Catholics were forced to send food to England, were forced to tithe the Anglican church, the British were slow to respond to the crisis and provided a flavored soup nearly devoid of nutrition, and the way the Irish were exploited to take "coffin ships" to America. Unless/until the textbooks cover this topic in more detail, let's hope more people stumble upon this book and others like it.

Thomas Gallagher was an old family friend, so in some respects my review of his works may be slightly biased. In fact, in the years before he died, he was a mentor to me in my own writing. Unfortunately, he passed on before he could see that I dedicated my first novel to him.

In terms of his books, PADDY'S LAMENT and ASSAULT IN NORWAY are among his best. Mr. Gallagher always had a talent for taking an obscure event in history and showing its importance in such a way that the final product reads like a novel. I first read both of the above works in 1990, while still in college, and I remember marvelling at how crisp every one of his sentences was. He achieved elegance through hard work, and both of these works are testament to it.

Beyond any doubt, this is the finest, most thoroughly researched yet readable book I've encountered about the Irish famine. Clear and concise, I found it to be comprehensive while not being exhaustive or "preachy."

A story that could be typical of any Irish man or woman that lived during the famine. It traces the beginning of the famine, through the British mishandling of it, and finally the decision of a million Irish that a chance at survival in America was better than certain death in their homeland. It graphically details the deplorable conditions that were prevelant in Ireland during the famine. It is only after the realization of the conditions aboard the ships that traveled to America combined with sense of utter loss of one's family that one gets a sense of what a difficult choice so many people made to come to America. An excellent book for anyone with Irish heritage or just someone who seeks to begin to understand the hardships of the immigrants of the great Irish Migration.

Thomas Gallagher sets out to recount the events of the worst two years of the Great Potato Famine in Ireland and in doing so find the roots of Irish hatred of the British in this approachable book.

Gallagher's book is set out in three distinct sections. In the first he recounts the history of English domination in Ireland focusing especially on the basis for the economic disparities between the landed gentry in Ireland and the majority of the native Irish -- disparities that were in existance for centuries and only began to fade away during the latter half of the 20th century.

From here he does a fairly good job of recounting the events and history of the potato blight itself and the horrors that were created by the failure of the potato crop and the inaction and lack of response of the British authorities to do anything about it.

In these first two parts of the book, Gallagher sets forth an approachable and fairly good recounting of the events of this period. Although relying heavily on other secondary sources, this is a reliable summary of this period, especially for someone unfamiliar with Irish history, especially the history of this dark period in Ireland.

However, in the third part of the book Gallagher strays greatly from "history" and delves into something more along the lines of historical fiction, and bad historical fiction at that. In this final part of the book, Gallagher reconstructs events that occurred on many of the immigrant ships taking Irish fleeing from starvation to new opportunities in America. In doing this, he uses the device of following three immigrants who met on the boat and detailing their story from Ireland to the ship itself and then following them as they settle in New York. He essentially makes up the events, conversations and situations that these three encounter.

The devices used by the author in the final part of this book detract greatly from the book as a whole. The worst part about this final chapter is how greatly it strays from the format of the rest of the book. It is as if the author ran out of research material and just relied on his imagination to fill out the rest of the book.

That being said, the book on whole is not bad. I would recommend it for readers who have a passing interest in this period in Irish history and want an overview of the awful events of this time. For those looking for a more complete and encompassing history, check out Cecil Woodham-Smith's "The Great Hunger".

This is a thorough portrayal of what took place during the Great Famine because it uses first-hand accounts passed down from those whose families experience the famine. Well researched and written in an interesting way, with sympathy toward the victims who suffered and those who were not fortunate enough to survive this terrible time in history.

Without exaggeration I can say this is one of the best books I have ever read. This well written investigation and revelation of the near termination of the Irish people during the potato famine at the hands of the British is one that should be read by all interested in history.The cruel history of Ireland under rule of England is throughly laid out here. Even the African American slave was treated better by his slave masters in America in that he was fed the waste and guts of hogs, the Irish were left to starve slowly to death. Can England ever be forgiven of her crimes against this humanity, the Irish ? Pity those that stood in judgement before a just God. This book should be required reading in all high school history classes. Pity my poor ancestors...God rest their souls.