Also known as the Great Hunger, the Irish Potato Famine, or the Famine, this period of starvation and disease in Ireland lasted from 1845 to 1852. The famine was caused by a potato blight that destroyed the potato crop, which was a staple food for a large portion of the Irish population. The famine led to the deaths of many people, and it was impossible to record all the deaths or make enough coffins for burials.