The Great Calamity (Noun)
Meaning
A famine in Ireland resulting from a potato blight; between 1846 and 1851 a million people starved to death and 1.6 million emigrated (most to America).
Classification
Nouns denoting natural events.
Examples
- The Irish Potato Famine, also known as the Great Calamity, was a devastating period in Irish history that lasted from 1845 to 1852.
- Historians estimate that over a million people died during the Great Calamity, with many more forced to flee their homes in search of food.
- The Great Calamity had a profound impact on Irish society, leading to widespread poverty, disease, and emigration.
- The Irish people referred to the famine as the Great Calamity, or An Gorta Mór in Gaelic, which translates to "the great hunger".
- The Great Calamity was a traumatic event that left deep scars on the Irish psyche, shaping the country's history and identity for generations to come.