to mass starvation, death and emigration from 1845 to 1852, but the historical, social and political circumstances that made what is misleadingly called the great "famine" almost inevitable.

"Understanding how the Great Hunger happened can help us see - and perhaps prevent - similar situations that are developing and taking place in the world today," Abbott said.

The documentary views the history of the Great Hunger partly through the eyes of descendants of survivors, those who fled Ireland through a Canadian quarantine station, and those whose maternal ancestors emigrated to Australia under the Earl Grey scheme from 1849 to 1852.

"The mission of the Great Hunger Institute is to promote a scholarly understanding of the Great Hunger," Christine Kinealy, founding director of Ireland's Great Hunger Institute, said. "The production of thisdocumentary reinforces the fact that Quinnipiac University is a world leader in the study of the Great Hunger."

In addition to Kinealy, the documentary features several leading scholars of Irish history, including: Declan Kiberd, University College Dublin and Notre Dame University; Ciaran O'Murchadha, author of "The Great Famine: Ireland's Agony 1845-1852"; Mike Murphy, University College Cork; and Richard Reid, historian, National Museum of Australia.

Quinnipiac is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian institution located 90 minutes north of New York City and two hours from Boston. The university enrolls 6,784 full-time undergraduate and 2,884 graduate and part-time students in 58 undergraduate and more than 20 graduate programs of study in its School of Business and Engineering, School of Communications, School of Education, School of Health Sciences, School of Law, Frank H. Netter