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Marine resource procurement as everyday resistance in Ireland during the Great Hunger (1845–1852)

Emily A. Schwalbe,Rory Connolly,Sophia Chapple,Poul Holm

Published 2025 in International Journal of Maritime History

ABSTRACT

This article seeks to challenge dominant narratives surrounding the Great Hunger in Ireland (An Gorta Mór, 1845–1852) by focusing on the often-overlooked aspect of marine resource exploitation. Traditional historiography of the famine typically centres on the failure of the potato crop, British colonial policies and the resulting socio-economic devastations. However, this narrative largely omits the daily survival strategies and forms of resistance employed by the Irish populace, particularly in their interaction with the marine environment. This study explores how coastal communities turned towards the sea as a resource for sustenance, autonomy and resistance against oppressive conditions imposed by the crop failures and British colonial rule. By critically engaging with the role of colonial control, external aid efforts and local resistance in primary accounts, the authors argue that marine resources played an important role in the everyday survival of Irish communities in the face of systemic failures.

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