In January of 1740 an arctic cold fell upon Ireland. For seven weeks the seas around the Island froze, preventing fishing and the shipment of coal to the island. Sheep and cattle died in the frost and potato stores were destroyed. This was followed by a severe drought which killed grazing land, and prevented the water-powered mills from grinding corn. The Irish battled on through a desperate and depleted year, but in November and December nature struck again. This time, floods washed through the country destroying crops and killing animals. When the new year came, it was fated to be one of the worst in Irish History.
The Year of the Slaughter, 1741
The destructive weather of 1740 led directly to one of the worst famines in the history of Ireland, worse even than the Great Famine, at least in terms of death. In 1741 between 300,000 and 480,000 people died in a country that only had a population of around 2,400,000.
The Charitable Musical Society
In response to the famine a number of individuals and organizations did their best to help. One of these was the Charitable Musical Society who, with the permission of the Viceroy of England, the Duke of Devonshire, proposed a plan to raise funds by inviting George Frideric Handel to Dublin for a charity concert.
George Frideric Handel
By 1741, Handel was already a well known composer and had been performing for some time in England. However, his latest oratorio had not been well received. Handel accepted the offer of the Charitable Musical Society, travelled to Dublin, and set up in the city’s new music hall. He made his first performance in November, but everyone was waiting for the grand charity concert which would see the unveiling of his new piece, the Messiah.
The First Performance of Handel’s Messiah
On one day, 8 April 1742, Dublin was the center of the musical world. Tickets were sold for a half guinea each, and women were requested not to wear the normal hoops in their skirts so that more people could be packed into the musical hall. 700 people composed the sell-out crowd. The concert and the Messiah were a smash hit. All of the money raised, some £400, was given to charity, as Handel and all the performers had given their time for free. A second concert was given on 3rd June. Handel became the toast of the town, and the Messiah his most famous and popular piece.
Source:
A History of Ireland in 250 Episodes by Jonathan Bardon, Gill & Macmillian, 2009
