Irish Potato Famine Throughout the ordeal of the Irish Potato Famine, c. 1845 - 1850, people throughout the world formed many different views on the situation. Those views formed mainly through information fed to world news agencies by the British government, the ruling power in Ireland at the time. While the Irish starved for lack of food and medical aid, the English government looked on with callous disinterest. English families feasted on Irish-grown grains and wheat, as well as sheep, calves and swine exported from Ireland. Meanwhile, the rest of the world ignorantly believed there was nothing they could do, because that is how the English wanted it. Americans toda