The Impact of Modernization on Irish People

Irish Catholics were not allowed to do things like get a job or own property. Most of these laws had been repealed in 1829, but anti-Catholic bigotry was still deeply entrenched by then. In rural areas, large families were living in tiny mud cabins that didn't have windows or chimneys. Potatoes really thrived in the Irish soil and climate. It was a reliable and pretty nutritious food staple.