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One of Irelands most famous folk songs is the song 'The Fields of Athenry ' written by Pete St John.
It was about the irish famine in 1845 and the starving population whose potato crop was wiped out by the blight fungus that made potato's inedible.
At that time Ireland was governed by England and the English landlords gave little or no help and the result was that over a million people died from starvation.
Corn that was grown in Ireland was sent to England to be sold on for profit that could have been used to prevent starvation in Ireland.
Petty theft from crown grain stores was rife and people only stole to survive and for anyone
caught the consequences were quite severe with those convicted sent to the penal colony at Botany Bay never to return.
Profit before people, how little has changed.