The document discusses the events leading up to and during the Irish Potato Famine between 1845-1851. It notes that prior to the famine, 80% of Ireland was Catholic and many were poor tenant farmers with small plots of land. It describes the long history of English political and economic oppression of Ireland dating back to the 12th century. It then explains how the potato became a staple crop in Ireland and outlines how the potato blight devastated crops and caused widespread starvation, disease, and death, with millions emigrating or dying from causes such as typhus and cholera.