Toronto, Irish legacy, ON
The Great Famine which affected Ireland from 1845 to 1852 claimed one million victims and caused two million people to immigrate, out of an initial population of eight million. Not only did potato disease immediately deprived them of their main food source, but also farmers who were unable to pay their rents were evicted. Many large English landowners also chose to convert their estates to extensive sheep farming at this time. Without resources, the only remaining solution was immigration.
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