This book examines the impact of the Famine on Sir William Palmer's Mayo
estates, one of the largest in the county. It describes the estates'
social and economic structures, and its tenants' living conditions and
experiences before, during and after the Famine. It explores the
relationship Lord Palmer, an absentee landlord, had with his tenants and
the influence and control he had on the locality, its politics and the
lives of the community on his estates.