Right for a start sciencegeek - millions of people did not starve to death in Ireland - so can we leave the inaccurate, hysterical, emotive, histrionics at the door.

Main causes for the drop in the population of Ireland between 1841 and 1851
1: Emigration largest number
2: Disease and illness
3: Malnutrition

Total number taking all three into account was 1.3 million according to census information. The ratios being something like 4:1:1

The vast majority of those who left took the short journey across the Irish Sea to England and Scotland and that is where they stayed. The myth that they all clung onto the hulls of "coffin" ships and drifted across to the USA and Canada is total bullshit - just like the millions in aid that was supposed to have been sent by the Americans to help out. The greatest charitable contribution sent from the USA came from American Plains Indians NOT the American Irish.

Ah yes of course we should have imported rutabaga (swedes) for the starving Irish to feed on, now apart from the fact that they did not become common in mainland Britain until the 1900s I think might explain why this crop was not seized upon as a solution (It would have been 50 years too late) also you keep saying they could have used this or they could have used that but you keep dodging the point of how you actually get these items to where they were needed - hopefully at some juncture in this discussion you will get round to addressing this rather significant stumbling block.

Ah so we are not all on the point of starvation then - thought not.