Premieres Mondays, March 14 and 21, 2022 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV
Narrated by Liam Neeson, THE HUNGER: THE STORY OF THE IRISH FAMINE recounts Ireland's catastrophic famine in the 1840s that led to the exodus of millions from the island. The worst humanitarian disaster of the 19th Century had surprising international origins.
Episode 1 "1845 to 1847" Premieres Monday, March 14 at 10 p.m. - Examine the social, political and economic conditions that allowed the famine to occur, setting a crisis into motion in Ireland and Europe. The British government has initial success in staving off the worst impact of the famine, but a government change under John Russell in 1846 leaves many dealing with the fall out of an economic crash in contrast to lower impact elsewhere in Europe. The death rate rises exponentially as resources run out for the Irish poor.
Episode 2 "1847 to 1852" Premieres Monday, March 21 at 10 p.m. - The British government decides that all further famine relief for the Irish must be paid for from rates raised on Irish landlords. When landlords either cannot or will not pay, many evict their struggling tenants, forcing millions to either move into already crowded cities or to emigrate. At the famine's conclusion, one million Irish have perished and the remaining working classes attempt to build new lives in America. For those that remain inIreland, a new generation is committed to achieve self-determination and to revive a dying culture.
Distributed by American Public Television
