The Irish Famine saw hapless Irish citizens starve to death and die of disease, while the population of a neighbouring country, England, lived in relative bounty and apparent disinterest. After the Famine investigates the subsequent emigration of many surviving Irish to Eastern Ontario and tells the story of how, despite hardships, the Irish in Canada managed to survive and prosper after fleeing tragedy. The author explains how the Irish adapted to their new land, and how we might account for their triumph as farmers under somewhat less than favourable environmental conditions.

Examining their successful farming life in rural Ontario through their agricultural performance, changing family structures, and farming adaptations, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in the fate of the Irish after their greatest calamity.

Edward J. Hedican is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Guelph. He has been teaching and researching anthropology for over 30 years and is the author of several books, including Ipperwash: The Tragic Failure of Canada's Aboriginal Policy (2013) and Applied Anthropology in Canada: Understanding Aboriginal Issues (2008).

Edward J. Hedican's profile page

• Short-listed, 2021 Speaker’s Book Award awarded by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario