Answer:
A terrible famine in Ireland.
Explanation:
The British were very unfriendly to any kind of Irish nationalism and they cracked down hard. Ireland was primarily reliant on potatoes, and there was a horrible famine. Millions starved, and the British did little to help.
Irish immigrants had a very low standing in America, and were persecuted.
There wasn't free land in the West for the Irish.
The Irish people were not necessarily skilled artisans or craftsmen. Many of them were farmers, peasant folk, or factory workers who bargained their way to America.
