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.