Ireland in the 19th century

Ireland in the early 1800s was made up of many small farms. Most of the lands were rented to tenants by landlords. The landlords owned a large amount of land but often they did not live on their property. Some families, who had no land themselves, made their living by doing some small amounts of work as labourers. In the early nineteenth century, many Irish families depended almost totally on the potato to feed themselves and their families. Potatoes would grow even on very poor soil and they were very nutritious. However, sometimes the potato crop failed.