Blighted Nation

A series of radio programs from RTE1 on The Great Famine which struck Ireland in the middle of the 19th century, the biggest social catastrophe in Irish history.

Episode 1 deals with the arrival of the blight, the breakdown of society, starvation and disease, mass evictions, soup kitchen, workhouses, burying the dead, public works, bitter winter conditions, how the famine affected different areas and private charitable donations – the first example in history of a major international relief effort.
Episode 2 examines Britain’s response to the famine.
Episode 3 examine people’s desperation to get out of Ireland during the famine, there's a story of Irish immigrants from Strokestown who went through Grosse Île.
Episode 4 deals with the aftermath and the legacy of the famine. The starvation officially lasted for seven years but are the effects continue.
There are also podcasts.

Start at http://www.rte.ie/radio1/blightednation/

Thanks to Catherine Cavanaugh for the tip.