ABSTRACT
Nineteenth century Ireland falls neatly into two distinct periods: the period preceding and the period following the great famine of 1845–1849. This chapter examines the emigration of women during and after the famine. To distinguish between the roles of married and unmarried women, it analyzes the changes in marriage and the spread of dowries. Prior to the great famine which bisects the century, there was already considerable emigration from Ireland. Between 1825 and 1830 some 100,000 emigrants had left the country, the majority destined for North America. Famine emigration began following the appearance of widespread blight on the potato crop in 1845. The strong presence of women among post-famine emigrants is accompanied by a change in the age structure of emigrants. Changes in the marriage system of post-famine Ireland were interlocked with changes in the system of land tenure. As a consequence of land scarcity, arranged marriages spread more and more replacing the earlier more spontaneous customs.
