The great Irish famine was a horrific period in Irish history of incredible calamity, suffering, and death. The proximal cause of this disaster was the Irish dependence on the potato crop and, of course, the subsequent blight. However, the ensuing disaster caused by the loss of the potato crop was exacerbated by political, economic, and social factors which remain part of the debate today. In this talk, Professor Matthews will explore the famine in the context of British responsibility and the famine’s subsequent connection to Irish nationalism.

WILLIAM J. MATTHEWS received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Connecticut and has been a professor with the University of Massachusetts at Amherst for the last 28 years. Dr. Matthews holds dual American/Irish citizenship and has studied many areas of Irish history, including the Irish Uprising and Civil War. Dr. Matthews gave a beautifully illustrated lecture entitled “The Life and Times of Michael Collins an Irish Patriot” for the Museum’s 2007-08 lecture series. We welcome Dr. Matthews back for this, his third speaking engagement with the Museum.