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Irish Famine Tribunal postponed because of huge demand to attend

New York event will now take place in April 2013 say organizers

JAMES O'SHEA,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Sunday, November 18, 2012, 8:53 AM

Updated Sunday, November 18, 2012, 8:55 AM

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Demand to attend a tribunal in New York on the Irish Famine was so great that the event has had to be postponed until April 2013.

Demand to attend a tribunal in New York on the Irish Famine was so great that the event has had to be postponed until April 2013. It was originally scheduled for October.

The Irish Famine tribunal was set up by Irish and American scholars to examine British responsibility for the catastrophic events,

However demand was so great for places that it has now had to be postponed.

The new details will be posted on irishfaminetribunal.com before the event takes place over a weekend in April.

Organizers insist it will not just be a Brit bashing episode but a serious look at the causes of the Famine

"Nobody is going to walk into an Irish-American Brit- bashing exercise," Niall MacGiollabhuí, a Dublin-born, New York attorney and a member of the organising committee told the Irish Sunday Times. "The arguments are finely balanced and it will be difficult to come to a conclusion on it.

"The population of Ireland fell from 8m to 4m through death and emigration caused by the Famine. The event also changed the face of the east coast of America with the huge migration trends it triggered, including the Presbyterian emigrants to the Appalachian mountains."

The purpose of the tribunal is to "examine the responsibility of the British government, under international law, for the tragic consequences of this period". In particular, the tribunal will consider whether the Famine amounted to genocide or a crime against humanity.

The organizers are also planning to make a television documentary.

Nster.com

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curtisjohnson | Nov 21, 2012, 10:55 PM EST

The Normans assimilated with the indigenous population to become "more Irish than the Irish." Funds and contributions in and out of Ireland were controlled tightly by the british terror state (see their limitation on the amounts sent by the Sultan of Turkey). Moreover, the Catholic Church consistently took positions against the interests of Irish nationalism. Perhaps the anglican "Church" of Ireland should have paid back all those forced tithes the indigenous population had to pay.

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bill struth | Nov 21, 2012, 02:46 PM EST

actually it was the normans who took over ireland 1100 years ago. scotland invited them in and were treated as equals but the irish were considered subhuman/savages. so if you want to point fingers at anyone it should be them, not the british, that started it. as for the famine, the protestant churches raised almost 15,0000,000 in todays terms in scotland to combat the famine and only around 150 scots died as a result. so why didnt the catholic church do the same in ireland? they had been collecting wealth for well over a thousand years so its not as if they couldnt afford it.

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curtisjohnson | Nov 20, 2012, 10:31 PM EST

You have to love the laissez faire nonsense - britain was comprised of a series of closed mercantile oligopolies controlled by a tight oligarchy. Moreover, they robbed the indigenous population of the means of a sustainable existence but stealing their land, outlawing property ownership, education, and basically any measure of civil rights.

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curtisjohnson | Nov 20, 2012, 10:18 PM EST

" I'm sure one thing they won't look into is how many Catholic clerics were as fat after the famine than they were before." The Catholic Church was admanantly oppossed to any national movements among the indigenous Irish so what you describe is not necessarily surprising.

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johnshiel | Nov 19, 2012, 07:03 PM EST

I've never thought about what the brits are taught about the famine... seems like a worhty avenue of inquiry, eh?...

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casper1377 | Nov 19, 2012, 04:45 PM EST

(Well said Will Hamilton)I'm looking forward to the scholarship done and hopefully what can all be done going forward in education on this and how it's perceived. Not merely as some natural event, but one with a deep political back story.

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IrelandNorth | Nov 19, 2012, 06:30 AM EST

I thought ex-British Taoiseach, Tony Blair, already apologised for this, much to BBC journalist, Jeremy Paxman's unease. Did this not wipe the slate clean of England's laissez-faire imperial macroeconomics and one million deaths-by-starvation, and three million socio-economically enforced expulsions from the realm to the four corners of the earth. Latter day Britons will only consider us as churlish as Germans do Israelis for constantaly moaning about the inconvenient truths of yestercentury.

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Thomas84 | Nov 18, 2012, 05:43 PM EST

The British took food by force and murder from starving people so they could sell it, what is the pressing need for a tribunaral. We know what they did and they are to indoctrinated to ever know.

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Will Hamilton | Nov 18, 2012, 01:08 PM EST

This is a bit like the Israelis setting up a Tribunal to find out if the Palestinians are terrorists. I'm sure one thing they won't look into is how many Catholic clerics were as fat after the famine than they were before.

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porkheaven | Nov 18, 2012, 11:03 AM EST

I hope the press can report the findings accurately and honestly for a big change.

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RedBranch | Nov 18, 2012, 10:21 AM EST

Strangely enough I'm sure they'll find what they're looking for...

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Portia777 | Nov 18, 2012, 09:44 AM EST

Niall MacGiollabhuí, a Dublin-born, New York ATTORNEY???? Let us not forget- he swore allegiance to the BAR London, so we know where his bread is buttered.

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Portia777 | Nov 18, 2012, 09:40 AM EST

it was GENOCIDE- not a famine. When will the history books be corrected?

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