Irish Famine Museum

The Irish Famine Museum in Strokestown, Co. Roscommon depicts one of the most far-reaching and wrenching events of Irish history, the Great Potato Famine of the 1840's. This award-winning museum illustrates "how" and "why" the famine started and was allowed to spread, reducing the Irish population by almost three million people through death and emigration. The exhibits range from photographs, letters, documents, and satirical cartoons of the time to farm implements and a huge caldron that was used for soup to feed the starving people in a famine-relief program.