On November 3, 1845, a delegation of twenty-two prominent Irish figures visited Lord Heytesbury, the British Viceroy in Dublin, to address the escalating crisis of the Great Famine. They implored him to halt the export of food from Ireland, fearing widespread starvation. However, Lord Heytesbury dismissed their concerns, asserting that there was no intention to stop food removal and downplaying the severity of the hunger, focusing solely on the potato blight. This encounter is now commemorated by some as the "Irish Holocaust Commemoration Day," marking the official start of the famine and the perceived cover-up of food removal, despite abundant grain in the country.
