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Why do some people call the Irish famine \u2018the Great Hunger\u2019? Historian Christine Kinealy addressed the question on a recent episode of the HistoryExtra<\/em> podcast<\/a>. Her answer is transcribed below\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s a complicated question and a very complicated answer. Not everyone accepts the term \u2018Irish famine\u2019 even in Ireland, where I was educated, although it generally is called the Irish famine. I now live in America, and most Irish-Americans prefer to call it \u2018the Great Hunger\u2019.<\/p>\n In America, people have explained to me that they don\u2019t like to use the word \u2018famine\u2019 because it implies an absolute shortage of food. We know that there was a shortfall in food supply, this is for certain. We also know that despite this \u2013 and this occurs in many famines, not just in Ireland \u2013 massive amounts of food continue to be exported from Ireland from 1845 onwards. Some people say that people would not have starved if that food had been kept in Ireland. Therefore, to say it\u2019s a \u2018famine\u2019 is inappropriate.<\/p>\n