31 July 1838
Poor Law extended to Ireland

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The Poor Law was introduced in 1834 to force the poor to be 'self-reliant'. On the recommendations of social reformer Edwin Chadwick, it abolished 'outdoor relief' (cash payments to supplement low wages) and forced people seeking help to enter workhouses. The law states that, to act as a deterrent, conditions in workhouses have to be worse than they are for the poorest workers outside. If people refuse to enter a workhouse, they get no other help.

The law has been operating for four years in England, Scotland and Wales, with grim results. Workhouses are dreaded places, where families are split up and inmates are forced to do repetitive, sometimes dangerous work. Unsanitary conditions and appalling food mean disease is rife. Many people starve rather than enter. As a result, the cost of caring for the poor drops, which makes it a success in the eyes of the government.

In 1838, the Poor Law is extended to Ireland. For the Irish peasantry, it will mean mass homelessness or starvation. Daniel O'Connell, leader of the Irish MPs, passionately opposes the move, arguing that Ireland is 'too poor for a Poor Law'.

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