The Famine statues on Custom House Quay were designed and crafted by renowned Dublin sculptor Rowan Gillespie in 1997. The figures of starving men, women and children are haunting and unforgettable. The location of these sculptures is of particular importance since one of the first voyages of the Famine period departed from this quay in 1846. The cause of the Famine is blamed on a potato disease commonly known as potato blight. Almost 1 million people died during this time, and a million more emigrated.