Did The Famine Drive Irish People Insane? | The Great Famine XXIII
Irish History Podcast
Fin Dwyer
4.7 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 28 May 2018
⏱️ 28 minutes
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Summary
Did the experiences of the Famine drive Irish people insane?
In this episode I look at the story of the famine survivor John Thompson who ended up in the Rainhill asylum in Lancashire in the 1860s. In this Victorian institution (which treated mental illnesses) he would find himself surrounded by other Irish people.
This podcast looks at why Irish peope found themsleves in British asylums in disproportionate numbers in the 1850s and 1860s. The answers reveal some harrowing details about the difficult lives the Famine Irish in Britain faced.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is a passenger announcement. You can now book your train on Uber and get 10% back in credits to spend on Uber eats. |
| 0:11.0 | So you can order your own fries instead of eating everyone else's. |
| 0:15.0 | Trains, now on Uber. T's and C's apply. Check the Uber app. |
| 0:20.0 | It's your life. Your show, you write the rules. |
| 0:25.0 | Trust your instincts, take control, make good things happen. |
| 0:30.0 | Release your inner light. |
| 0:32.0 | It's about being who you want to be. |
| 0:35.8 | With a new higher intensity and longer lasting fragrance, |
| 0:39.3 | Boss Bottled Alexia delivers a burst of bold masculinity. |
| 0:43.0 | Be your own boss. |
| 0:45.0 | New Boss Bottled Alexia, now available at Boots. Hello and this is the Famine Irish History Podcast. |
| 0:58.0 | Hello and welcome to the Irish History Podcast. |
| 1:00.0 | My name is Finn Duwire and this is The Famine Irish in Britain. |
| 1:05.0 | This is the last of several episodes that follows the story of Irish famine |
| 1:10.4 | emigrants and today we look at those who ended up in Britain in the 1850s and 60s. |
| 1:16.5 | Their story is very different from the experience of those in the USA. |
| 1:20.9 | Economic recession and of a very different political system |
| 1:23.4 | stripped them of the opportunities that America offered. |
| 1:26.7 | It is impossible to encapsulate the varied experiences of an entire generation in |
| 1:31.5 | one show, so instead I decided to focus on one man, |
| 1:35.4 | the Antrim native John Thompson, who, like hundreds of thousands, settled in Britain after |
| 1:40.8 | the great famine. |
... |
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