An Gorta Mora from 1845-1852 is of course the most devastating famine Ireland experienced, although the 1739-41 famine was also quite significant . The information in my post referred to information I have learned over the years as well as information from Liam Swords excellent book as well as other Irish historians. I mentioned Gavin's article as a link because it mentioned the 1879 potato failure or famine, whichever terminology is preferred. He does list sources. I was addressing the question about if there were other famines (potato failures/blights) besides An Gorta Mor. The Gavin article would certainly not compare to your expertise on the subject which is presented in your thesis.I was not using Gavin as an authority, only as a source referring to the 1879 potato failure/famine. No part of Irish history can be "capsulated in an online link", as you accurately stated. The Irish suffered greatly during the potato failure/famine of 1879-1880 as you must have mentioned in your thesis. The U.S. sent shipments of food and supplies and money to aid the Irish during this time. All the major newspapers in the U.S. covered the potato failure/famine of 1879-1880, as well as news media in other parts of the word. Ireland continued to lose many to immigration during this period. Coupled with the food shortage and harsh conditions of the country, Michael Davitt started his National Land League in 1879 to put an end to the inequaties of land ownership and the injustice to the Irish tenant. As a result of An Gorta Mor and the follow up crop failure years, Ireland continued to lose her young to immigration. My grandparents were part of this mass exodus. Grandfather Michael Smith from County Mayo; Grandmother Catherine Doherty Smith from Ballyhillion, Malin Head, County Donegal in 1889; Grandfather Michael Dowdall from Ballygruby, Moneymore, County Derry in 1906 and Grandmother Katherine Flanagan Dowdall from County Down in 1907. By the 1940s the immigration trend shifted from America to England. It has been wonderful to see as a result of the Celtic Tiger the Irish returning home and no longer need to immigrate to find employment. In Brackloon, Swinford where my paternal Grandfather was born in 1858 (immigrated in 1890 at the age of 32 with his two younger brothers) more and more people are returning and building homes. Townlands in the area which had lost a large part of their population are now being repopulated. Due to the world ecomonic situation and the European Union much has changed in Ireland during the last few years.. it is far different than the Ireland I first saw in 1972. Your thesis would be a wealth of information for the readers on the list. Is there a website where your thesis can be viewed? Beannachtai, Margaret (Máiread) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Oceanstrands" <oceanstrands@yahoo.com> To: <irl-mayo@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2008 5:28 PM Subject: Re: [IRL-MAYO] Assisted 19th Century Emigration, Mayo specific,information Research by Irish researchers contradicts what Gavin says. Gavin is US based so I don't know what original sources he's used here in Ireland for his research or what original, primary source records he's had access to. While there were crop failures at various times in the nineteenth century in Ireland, they aren't considered by most respected Irish historians as "Famines" because they weren't widespread like the Famine (1845-50) was. There are literally thousands of books published by Irish historians on all facets of emigration (assisted and othewise), evictions, crop failures, the land league, etc. I did my Masters Thesis on those topics and had over ten pages of bibliography. It's not something that can be capsulated in an online link. Oceanstrands