This is John Bachelor.

What follows is an excerpt from an interview with Professor Tyler Anbinder.

He is the author of a new book, Plentiful Country, The Great Potato Famine in the Making

of Irish New York. The potato famine

struck Ireland 1845 to 1850. Millions were starving. A potato was their only

source of substance and the potato crop failed because of a fungus

that came probably from the Andes.

In any event, what was to be done?

The English crown and the British Empire didn't want to pay for the starving people.

Wanted to oblige the landowners who dominated Ireland, 750 of them, to pay for them with their

taxes.

And that led the landowners to make hard decisions about taxes or feeding,

taxes or offering passage to America. Many took up the offer from the

landowners, 2,000 from the Lansdownstown estate in Southwest Ireland and travel to New York. The book is

about these people arriving in New York and their lives of great industry and success in most instances climbing

the latter of success in America.

Here the feeding them here or do I get give them passage and get rid of them.

Much more of this in the coming weeks when I have the whole interview for us to listen to.

This is Tyler Anbinder, Professor Emeritus, George

Washington University, on the decision made by the bloody-minded landowners of

Ireland at the potato famine.

It was basically a financial decision.

...