The heroics and humanitarian contributions of those who came to the aid of their fellow men and women during the Great Hunger of 1845 and 1852 has been largely ignored and forgotten until recently. Many of the neglected heroes were prepared to put their lives on the line and, in a number of instances, suffered permanent health damage in coming to the aid of the starving and diseased. They include landlords, poets, clergymen and philanthropists.

This volume follows on from the collection of essays on Famine Heroes and shows that there were many who were on the front line in coming to the assistance of their fellow man during this period of large-scale emigration, starvation and death. At a time when the world continues to deal with the horrors and legacies of the COVID pandemic with many front line workers putting their lives at risk, the heroics of those who gave their time, energy and resources—and lives—during the calamity of the Great Hunger is recorded and acknowledged in this collection.

This edited collection is a follow up to Heroes of Ireland’s Great Hunger (2021). Published by Quinnipiac University Press and distributed by Cork University Press

Christine Kinealy is Director of Ireland’s Great Hunger Institute at Quinnipiac University. Jason King is Academic Coordinator of the Irish Heritage Trust and Gerard Moran is an Emeritus Researcher at the University of Galway.