The Royal Irish Academy is delighted to welcome visiting Fullbright Scholar, Professor Jean Ristaino, who will deliver a public lecture on Tuesday 20 August.

Professor Ristaino’s lecture will explore the migrations and spread of the pathogen Phytophthora infestans which entered the shores of Ireland in 1845 and devastated the potato crop. Two years prior the same plant pathogen had caused potato blight in the north-east region of the United States. No one knew where it came from or how the plant disease could be controlled. In Ireland, the pathogen left devastation in its wake: a country of eight million lost one quarter of its population to death and emigration. The population of Ireland would never rebound.

Professor Ristaino will describe the famine years like a crime scene, investigating the victims and the culprits, and shining a light on the many detectives or ‘Sherlocks of Spuds’ who worked to identify the suspected pathogen, suggest remedies and crack the case.

The Irish potato famine pathogen, Phytophthora infestans is not a thing of the past: it still causes plant disease globally and growers in Ireland have to spray fungicides to manage the disease. Modern DNA technology has helped us track the identity of the original outbreak strain and its global migration.

Join us for a dynamic public lecture that spans the disciplines of history and science. The lecture will be followed by a reception, which is supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Have you got any access requirements that we can assist you with, so that you can fully engage with our event? Please let us know by contacting our access officer in advance of the event, by email: accessofficer@ria.ie. For all other queries, please contact publications@ria.ie.

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