Description |
During her 64 year reign Queen Victoria visited Ireland only four times and just once while the Great Hunger raged. That visit didn't occur until August, 1849 and only to the eastern part of the country where the famine was beginning to ease. Despite the trip she apparently did nothing to alleviate the suffering. In later years she would be dubbed the Famine Queen by Irish revolutionaries such as Maud Gonne and James Connolly. This piece is likely a reference to Queen Victoria's general lack of regard for the poor and starving Irish people exhibited both during the famine and throughout her reign. Historian Christine Kinealy, founder of Ireland's Great Hunger Institute at Quinnipiac University is quoted as saying ?There is no evidence that she had any real compassion for the Irish people in any way.? The coin itself and the stamp are heavily worn which suggests that it was applied when the coin was new or nearly so. It exhibits smooth undamaged light brown surfaces with no detracting marks. Purchased from Robert Phillips / Westcliff-On-Sea, Essex, UK. (Ju. 24, 2022) ($5). |