A "Famine Tribunal" will be held at Fordham Law School, in New York this coming October 20, it has been announced.
The tribunal will assess the Great Irish Famine "within a legal framework."
Said a statement from the organizers: "Even to this day, the Irish Famine (also known as the Great Hunger) remains one of the most lethal famines in modern history in terms of deaths and dislocation of population.
"The object of the tribunal is to assess the impact of the Irish Famine on the Irish population, and to examine its political, economic, cultural and physiological legacies, all within a legal framework.
"The tribunal will also investigate the various steps taken to counteract its severity by the responsible institutions of government, not least the parliament at Westminster in London, which at that time governed both Britain and Ireland.
"Account will be taken of the number of deaths occurring in Ireland between 1845 and 1852 arising from starvation, malnutrition, famine-related diseases and exposure.
"To this end, the tribunal will bring together - from Ireland, Britain and the United States - expert witnesses and lawyers. It will also offer students and teachers in related academic fields the opportunity to explore this tragedy from a unique and ground-breaking perspective.
"A second day of activities will be devoted to educational issues, including a study of famine in today's world.
More information is available at www.theirishfaminetribunal.com or on Twitter: @faminetribunal
