There records of ships manifests that sailed out of Irish Ports to England carrying many metric tons of wheat, corn, barley, mutton and beef. The native born tenant farmers were allowed to grow potatos for their own consumtion.

The starvation goes into a greater concern than just the lack of food or a potato blight. It was caused as much by British Inheritance laws as they applied to Ireland as anything else.

When a father died he had to leave his property equally to all his sons. Rather than his first born which was the custom
A famer with four sons would see his 10 acres become 2.5 per child with in one generation. If each son had 2 sons, his property became 1.2 acres in one generation. 10n profitable acres becam four subsistance farms in one generation. In two generations with out the ability to raise a crop and pay taxes on 1.25 acres the property was taken over by the crown or sold to the local lord and the farmers displaced or turned into tenant farmers.

Nothing is ever as simple as "There once was a famine in Ireland...."

Don