Famine Memorial

Alright, so after all the beer, gigs, beautiful walks in the hills and general hedonism, this came as a bit of a shock to the system.

Most people "know" about the potato famine but it caused the population of the country to drop by a quarter either by death or emigration, for the lucky ones.

I spent an hour or so in the EPIC (Every Person Is Connected) exhibition on the north quay this afternoon which charts the story of Irish emigration over the years and the reasons for it, whether escape or attraction. There are more people of Irish descent living outside Ireland than in it. And the exodus continues, even today.

Outside the Customs House, which was the point of departure for many of those fleeing the famine is this moving and harrowing sculpture. It's power is devastating and it had me quite stunned just to be looking at it. The realism is obviously deliberate and it sure gives you a kick in the stomach.

It cost £3 in 1846 for a passage to New York. If you hadn't got a potato to eat, then you sure as hell didn't have a spare three quid to escape the carnage.

And I know the Irish don't call it the Potato Famine, they use different phrasing. And I also know the causes of the failure of the crop (and indeed the reliance on it) go back much further and the British have a lot to answer for in that respect with land grabs and the like coupled with an appalling indifference in Britain to the unfolding situation.

Toxteth riots, Grenfell, Windrush. Not a lot changes, save perhaps the scale and even that's up for debate.