Very true - my own parents and grandparents would have grown much of their own food / kept chickens etc in suburban gardens. This would have been a commonplace. Only problem now is that most new houses have gardens the size of postage stamps. If you live in an apartment, forget it.

Another thing to note about Ireland is that its population - about 4 million - is half of what it was in the 1840s. So the land should be able to support the people...so long as we don't turn it over to ethanol production...

Well Dr. Chaos. The land will easily support the 6 million on the Island of Ireland. Food Production rates in the 1840's, prior to intensive fertiliser usage,were even then sufficient to feed the 8 million people at the time, but the food was exported to Britain,our then colonial master who substantially increasde her military presence in Ireland, to ensure this continued. This is the threat, that the world faces again. Neo colonial states, using other countries for resources.
Cheers
www.giftofireland.com