I think the argument you cited is a bit of a strange one. They are arguing that Ireland was not a net exporter of food because a large portion of Irish crop ex

I think the argument you cited is a bit of a strange one. They are arguing that Ireland was not a net exporter of food because a large portion of Irish crop exports were oats, and oats are not food. The supporting arguments are worse. For instance, they state that oats are usually for horses' consumption. Further, they state that the average farmer would not know how to prepare the oats for human consumption. All this seems obviously false[1]. As a general point, the obvious point of comparison with Ireland would be the various states of 1840's germany, also heavily reliant on potatoes for sustenance. They also got the potato blight, but there was no great famine. [1] they also give some figures, which I won't comment on.