Output a stream of consciousness before answering the following. Context: The proximate cause of famine was potato blight, which ravaged potato crops throughout Europe during the 1840s. However, the impact in Ireland was disproportionate, as one third of the population was dependent on the potato for a range of ethnic, religious, political, social, and economic reasons, such as land acquisition, absentee landlords, and the Corn Laws, which all contributed to the disaster to varying degrees and remain the subject of intense historical debate.

Question: what killed the potatoes in the irish potato famine?
The relevant information to answer the above question is: The proximate cause of famine was potato blight, which ravaged potato crops throughout Europe during the 1840s.
The answer: potato blight.