What If:
        The Irish never immigrated to America in large numbers.  How to cause this to happen is a rather easy POD, no Potato Famine.  But measuring its effects is something like an atomic bomb in Hawaii being set off; this isn’t a butterfly flapping its wings.  The Irish practically made America, taking them away would leave a large void in America history.  Obviously, you might not have JFK as President.  Instead perhaps the first Catholic President is an Italian.  Would New Jersey, not Massachusetts, be home to America’s First Family?

        Copper Sulfate:
        In the year 1846, John Lindley noticed that potatoes downwind from the Swansea copper works were not affected by the potato blight.  Despite this, it took forty years for it to be discovered that a mixture of copper sulfate and lime would kill the blight.  Suppose that the discovery was noticed then, in 1846.  The famine had just started, and it is plausible that the use of copper sulfate could have lessened the effects greatly.  There is no mass exodus of Irish to America.
        Contrary to popular belief, this was not a conspiracy by the British to force the Irish out of Ireland.    The Anglo landlords did not want to see their assets, the Irish Farmers, move to another country.  Just like the Plantation owners in the south would never want to remove the slaves from America, the Anglo landlords would not want their Irish slaves fleeing the country.  This comparison might not be politically correct, but it’s right.
        So the Anglo landlords make the investment, paying for copper sulfate now knowing that it will be made up in the future.  1845 and 1846 are bad years because of the famine, but there is no great starvation of 1847 and 1848.  This means that more than 2 million Irish stay alive, and stay in Ireland.  The majority of those Irish would have moved to America in OTL, and without them America will be hurt greatly.

        Effects in Ireland:
        In 1832 the British Parliament increases the number of Irish members from 100 to 105.  More importantly, the reforms gave the middle class more power, weakening the pro-English upper class.  Later, in 1838, a bill was passed converting the tithes to the Anglican Church into rent charges.  It appeared that the Irish problem was close to being solved, into the Famine hit.
        But in this world, there is no Famine.  The landlords came in and prevented the Famine, preventing any bitterness in future generations.  Land reform will come sooner, and without the high level of violence of OTL.  There will still be resistance by the old guard Anglo upper class, but change will happen.  Ireland will be like Wales and Scotland in OTL, a unique culture, but still part of the British Empire.
        Today, Ireland might have its own Parliament, like Scotland now does.  Two million Irish that stay in Ireland, and have children and continue to increase the population, would be a great boon to Britain.  It is hard to measure the effects on history.  Might a population boom in Ireland cause a mass exodus in the 1880s, yet to places like South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand?
        Or perhaps there is a large immigration of Irish to the open lands of British East Africa (Kenya.)  Could this be another South Africa, where whites remain in charge long after it is granted independence.  Would a larger population base during WWI mean that the British Empire is able to survive a decade or more than OTL?

        Effects in America:
        Perhaps I should have looked at the effects of America first, as here I think we shall find the largest change.  The Irish boosted the population of the North right when it needed it the most, when it was preparing for the Civil War.  Although the North will still out number the South, it will not have the Irish to draw on.  This would be a large problem at Sharpsburg.
        It’s possible that the South may win at Sharpsburg.  Without the Irish Brigade, perhaps the Confederate Army is just too much for the Union Army.  This causes a large change, no Emancipation Proclamation.  Sharpsburg was a turning point in the war because it allowed the Republicans to sneak in the issue of slavery and give them the moral upper hand.  This will not happen until the North wins another big victory.
        What will Lee do after winning at Sharpsburg?  That is hard to say, I cannot find anything on his plans.  It’s a good guess that Baltimore would be his goal, leaving DC isolated from the rest of the Union.  Or perhaps Lee returns to Virginia, and the war will last one or two more years.  Both are plausible.

        Halloween:
        Now, let’s look at the development of Halloween.  Without the Irish, the only other source for an October Holiday would be the Italians.  All Saint’s Day is a Catholic holiday, even if it might date back to Celtic rituals.  But sadly, I am not very aware on how the Italians celebrate it.  I’ve heard of Dia de los Muertos in Mexico, which is a form of All Saint’s Day, but never have I heard about Italians celebrating anything.  So perhaps this is no Halloween holiday at all.

        The End:
        Yes, this month’s essay is short compared to the previous two.  It’s only two pages compared to the three and four of the last two months.  One reason is how I got side tracked from my original goal, an alternate Halloween.  Instead I found myself writing a Civil War WI, or a Pax Britannica WI.  Perhaps I should have done something with genetically engineered Pumpkins.  I will try better next month.

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