Arctic Ireland 1740-1741
Climate fluctuations have a great impact on human history and society. The Medieval Warm period lasted c1750AD to 1300AD to be followed by a period known as the Little Ice Age c1300-1850. The former is always preferable to the latter as illustrated by a little known event of Irish History known as the Great Frost of 1740-1741. The Great Frost The Great Frost began on the last day of 1739. Rivers and lakes, including Lough Neagh, froze over, mills ground to a halt and travel was restricted. Devastating Impact: The cold led to the total crop failure of crops resulting in famine and starvation, paticularly amongst the poorer classes resulting in massive spike in deaths. The famine lasted 21 months. The impact of this extreme weather event has been well documented in David Dickson's book Arctic Ireland (unfortunately now out of print).