The Irish Confederation demanded the same measure.

"Close the Irish ports," it called to the British Government, "and no man can die of hunger in Ireland." The British Government, instead, flung the ports wide open.

The great principle of Free Trade required that the Irish should export their food freely.

Relief ships from foreign countries laden with the food subscribed by charitable people to succour the starving Irish met occasionally ships sailing out of the Irish ports laden with food reaped by the starving Irish.

On the quays of Galway the unhappy people wailed as they saw their harvests borne away from them, and were admonished by the butt-ends of British muskets, the British Government meantime passing Relief measures which provided employment for hordes of English officials and Irish understrappers, and pauper-relief for those who surrendered their manhood and their property--the cost of this relief, like the cost of the passage of the Act of Union, being debited to Ireland--a generous loan in fact.
No doubt a union of the whole Irish people would have rendered all this impossible.