The Great Irish Famine of 1845-52 was the defining event in the history of modern Irel&. In proportional terms one of the most lethal famines in global history the consequences were shocking: at least one million people died & double that number fled the country within a decade. The Curse of Reason is first & foremost a survey history of this great tragedy. In particular the testimonies of four key contemporaries are used throughout to convey the immediacy of the unfolding disaster. They are: * John Mac Hale-the Catholic Archbishop of Tuam * John Mitchel-the radical nationalist * Elizabeth Smith-the Scottish-born wife of a Wicklow landlord * Charles E. Trevelyan-the assistant secretary to the Treasury Each brings a unique perspective influenced by who they were what they witnessed & what they stood for. By counter-pointing the progress of the Famine with the experiences of these four individuals we get an intimate & compelling portrayal of these hungry years. The book shows how misguided policies inspired by slavish adherence to ideology-the curse of reason-contributed to & worsened the effects of a natural disaster of catastrophic proportions.