One of the main reasons the Irish left Ireland was the Potato Famine, also known as the Great Hunger. Daniels states that "about 4.5 million Irish people immigrated to the United States." (p.127) Much like the Italians, the Irish not only immigrated to America, but also immigrated to other English-speaking countries, such as Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain, and Australia. The Irish were mostly poor farmers. When land became smaller and rents increased, they began to sell their farmland and live mainly on potatoes. Potatoes were easy to produce and required little labor to grow and harvest. Potatoes became the main source of food for many poor Irish families, but they carried a disease called blight. In the 18th century, disease broke out, destroying the entire harvest, leaving poor Irish families to starve. This triggered the famine and began to cause problems for the already poor and hungry Irish people. In the short film The Irish in America: Long Journey Home: The Great Hunger it is stated: “They were desperate. They harvested edible seaweed, boiled it and stripped the rocks and seashore of all living matter until there was nothing left and in the end they were reduced to eating grass. the situation. Daniels explains: "Both British prime ministers honestly believed that the Irish should be more