XPost: soc.culture.irish   
   From: Féach@d.óir   
      
   Scríobh "Chess One" :   
   >   
   >   
   >The potato famine was not something foisted on the Irish - its was a   
   >European pandemic afflicting most of the crop in northern Europe. The   
   >problem in Ireland is that the potato was massively resilient to climate,   
   >would grow in poor soils, salty soils, and hardly any soils at all, and   
   >Ireland became almost a monocrop country since other 'neeps' [parsneep,   
   >turneep - any root crop was so-called] required more tilth and attention.   
   >   
   >That was the eco-error of the planters. When that crop failed there was   
   >little enough else to eat, except in the better cottages where the children   
   >could eat the wallpaper for the glue paste on the back.   
      
   Ireland was not monocultural in 1845. The peasants' diet was, because   
   the best lands were devoted to crops they never consumed but gave to   
   pay the rents. Whenever I read that Mr Darcy has £10,000 a year, I   
   can't help but think of where it came from - the rents of my   
   great-great-fathers and at least 19,992 others who farmed each year   
   for his benefit.   
      
   --   
   'Donegal:  Up Here It's Different'   
   © Féachadóir   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)