1: " Ireland's rural economy was developed from the beginning of the 19th century to serve the British Empire."

Complete and utter balderdash, the problem with Ireland that jumped up and bit it on the arse in the 19th Century was that it had not developed at all: no agricultural revolution, no agrarian reformers and apart from a few exceptions in the North no industrial revolution or development. But just to tag along with this idiotic premise pray tell who it was that orchestrated the development of this rural economy and what changes were introduced. Precisely how did it "serve" the British Empire?

2: The change over from Peel's Tory Government to Russell's Whig one took place on the 30th June 1846. You say that as part and parcel of this changeover Peel's relief scheme was dismantled. Taking into account the date of the changeover, could you then explain the following anomaly?

The figures for grain exports from and imports into Ireland between 1844 and 1848 (Expressed in thousands of tons) – Cormac Ó Gráda:

1844 Peel's Government - Exported 424 - Imported 30 - Non-famine year Corn Laws in place
1845 Peel's Government - Exported 513 - Imported 28 - Famine struck late in year, Corn Laws in place
1846 50% Peel/ 50% Russell - Exported 284 - Imported 197 - First full year of the famine Corn Laws repealed
1847 Russell's Government - Exported 146 - Imported 889 - Black '47 Out of a population of some 7 million people Russell's Government is feeding 3 million.
1848 Russell's Government - Exported 314 - Imported 439

3: Any substantive proof that Trevelyan was a religious maniac – or is that just something that you have made up?

4: Question in the application of commonsense for you Christmas:
You are starving, your wife is starving and your children are starving – Somebody comes up to you and says, "Change your religion and we'll give you a bowl of soup". Assuming that your own life and the lives of your wife and children are important to you what is to stop you from changing your religion, keeping the family alive then when circumstances change renounce your new religion and revert to the old one?

5: " Throughout all this, enough food is being shipped out of Ireland to feed the population several times over."
MYTH of course you could try proving it, but Cormac Ó Gráda's figures contradict your statement. But again to go along with what you claim how do you get that food to those who need it before it rots? How is it paid for? Where does next seasons crop come from?

6: " The evictions continued for another half century, passing the arable Irish lands into the hands of absentee landlords"
So who actually owned the land at the time Christmas, the Cottiers or the Landlords? Rhetorical question the land belonged to the Landlord so there was no question of transferring ("passing") land into anybody's hands. By the way Christmas between 1845 and 1851 as people left the land allowing it to be farmed more efficiently did the numbers dying because of the famine increase or decrease? Did Ireland subsequently ever suffer another Famine? (I know there were periods of food shortages but was there ever another Famine?).

7: Ireland has been an independent country now for about 90 years, throughout that time Ireland and Ireland alone has been responsible for its own economic, commercial, industrial and agrarian development. If successive Irish Governments could not and cannot provide sufficient employment opportunities for its citizens how on earth can that be the fault of the British Government – you PRAT.