Sky here with another episode of the History Unplug podcast.

The Irish potato famine that was caused by a disease that wiped out the crop,

killed about one million people, and forced another million to emigrate.

But this novel pathogen wasn't isolated just to Ireland.

It attacked potato field all across Europe, from Spain to Scandinavia,

but it was only in the island nation that the effects were apocalyptic. Why were the effects

so catastrophic there? Is it only because Ireland had an over-reliance on potatoes feed its population,

because it had backwards farming practices, and didn't understand how dangerous a monocrop culture

was? Or is it much more complicated than that? Today's guest,

Patrick Scanlan, argues the latter that all sorts of different products were grown in Ireland,

but only pigs, peat and potatoes remain to feed the local population. Everything else was exported

to feed the British Industrial Revolution. Even before the potato famine, Ireland was a hungry

nation. In many places, men would travel to England to serve as

farm laborers during the grain and hops harvest, and women and children would leave their home

counties to beg for money in potatoes. And the late blight that struck Ireland was a pandemic

of potato disease caused by the introduction of a fungus-like water mold to Europe from Mexico,

and Ireland's potatoes were clones in a dense monoculture, meaning they had little

genetic diversity protect against novel pathogens. Patrick is the author of the new book,

Rot, in a imperial history of the Irish famine, we look at the many complex reasons why it happens

and how it relates to politically triggered food shortages today. Hope you enjoy this discussion.

And one more thing before we get started with this episode, a quick break for word from our

sponsors.

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