The partial crop failure of 1845 in Ireland is followed by more devastating failure in 1846.

The British government's efforts to relieve the famine are inadequate.

Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel had done what he could to provide relief in 1845 and early 1846, but under the Liberal cabinet of Lord John Russell, which assumes power in June 1846, the emphasis shifts to reliance on Irish resources and the free market, which makes disaster inevitable.

After Daniel O'Connell advises against the use of force, O'Brien leads the Young Irelanders in withdrawing from the National Repeal Association on July 27, 1846.