The Irish Potato Famine

The Andean Mountains of South America is the origin of the 'Irish' Potato

They were first cultivated here by the Incas and formed the basis of their diet. The Spanish Conquistador Pedro Cieza de Leon, first wrote about the Potato in 1553.

The Incas in the Andes Mountains

The first planting records in Europe are in 1573 in a Spanish hospital, this coincides with Sir Francis Drake bringing potatoes back from the West Indies, these were then given to Sir Walter Raleigh who cultivated them on his Irish Estate.

Potato cultivation became popular in Europe in the 1600's but was still slow to take off, this was the same in America, and only became popular in the 1700's when the Irish immigrants brought the potato to Londonderry, New Hampshire.

During the reign of Queen Elizabeth (1558-1603) the Potato was introduced to the English & Irish people.

During 1589 Sir Walter Raleigh planted the first potato in the garden of his Irish estate near Cork.

Sir Walter went on many voyages of discovery to foreign parts, most notably The Americas. His pioneering work meant that settlements were set up in The Americas and that tobacco and potatoes were introduced for the first time.