Today's Orthodox Nationalist comes on the heels of New Calendar St. Patrick's Day, yet, the topic is one of the worst in Irish history: the Great Hunger. Many variables made this famine far worse than it had to be, as a similar famine in 1740 was rapidly ended due to concerted state action. In 1845, things were different. The Great Hunger came about not just due to the blight of the potato, but also in the application of the “free market” ideology that, when coupled with the landlord's massive and unrepayable debt, became the perfect storm for the loss of 20 percent of the Irish population by 1852.
