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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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