At the foot of Croagh Patrick, facing out towards Clew Bay stands the National Famine Memorial. The sculptor of the 'Coffin Ship' by John Behan was unveiled by Mary Robinson, then President of Ireland in 1997 to mark the 150 year anniversary of The Great Famine. During that great national disaster it was estimated that 1 million people perished and another million were forced to emigrate when the potato crops failed. Mayo was one of the places worst affect since 90% of the population were totally dependent on the potato as a staple diet.













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