After the Famine: Irish Agriculture, 1850-1914

by Michael Turner

Overview

After the Famine examines Irish agriculture in the wake of the disastrous famine of the 1840s. Michael Turner's detailed study is in three parts: he analyzes changing agricultural structures in terms of land use and peasant occupancy; he estimates the annual value of Irish output; he assesses Irish agricultural performance in terms of several measures of productivity. These analyses question prevailing orthodoxies about income distribution, and make an important contribution to a controversial area of Irish and economic history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521890946
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	04/11/2002
Edition description:	Revised ed.
Pages:	332
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.09(h) x 0.83(d)

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: Ireland and Irish agricultural history in context; 2. Agricultural change; 3. The occupation of the land; 4. The product of the land: output; 5. The performance of agriculture; 6. Labour and the working of the land; 7. Conclusion - structure, output and performance, and the distribution of the spoils; Appendixes; Bibliography.

Editorial Reviews

"A challenging study that requires a good understanding of quantitative history. Recommended for upper division undergraduates and above." C.W. Wood Jr., Choice

"The issues discussed in this book are central to our understanding of post-Famine Ireland. Turner's findings will be discussed and examined. Ireland's historians owe Turner a debt for this coherent, accessible account, one that forms a starting point for future research and that will, because of its methodological care and reproduction of key statistics, assist those who want to pursue these issues further." Timothy W. Guinnane, The Journal of Economic History

"...the book serves as a great resource and a careful, conscientious guide through many basic data, and scholars will be turning to it often, with gratitude." Barbara L. Solow, Journal of Interdisciplinary History

"Turner's meticulous methodological approach is one of consistency and precision....this study will be of enduring value." Thomas P. Maloney, Albion

"Social and economic historians of the British Isles will find this volume immensely useful." Thomas P. Maloney, Albion

"Michael Turner has written a highly detailed analysis of the Irish agricultural economy's response to various changes in internal and external circumstances after the famine, differing from many of his predecessors in the field but always consciously engaged with their evidence and conclusions." John Kendle, Agricultural History

"Turner has succeeded in producing a volume that will compel a careful reassessment of the relationship between economic and political change in post-Famine Ireland." Donald Jordan, American Historical Review

"...this solid monograph is a very important contribution to the continuing debate on the post-famine agricultural economy and its role in shaping modern Irish politics and society." David W. Miller, Journal of Social History

From the Publisher