An Gorta Mor

[ysabetwordsmith]

It means "The Great Hunger," the Irish name for the potato famine. 

I don't actually speak Gaelic in this life.  But as soon as I saw that phrase, I knew exactly what it meant, word for work.  Farmemory, linguistic coprocessor, I'm not sure which kicked on.  I just tend to see through languages, some more than others.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Famines in traditional hunter-gatherer societies are due to lack of food.

Famines in developed societies, with strong centralized government and roads, are due to society not working / choosing not to work.

[erulisse]

The Great Hunger was due largely to genocidal British policies.

[(Anonymous)]

Yup. If the infrastructure is /intact/ famines and food deserts happen for convenience of those in power.

As contrasted with broken/nonfunctional infrastructure, as happened to Jamestown (the supply lines took too long) or happens if the enemy cuts your supply lines in wartime.

[cmcmck]

It was known as 'the hungry forties' throughout the Atlantic islands and it's easy to forget that.