How did the potato blight lead to mass Irish emigration?

The potato famine caused a lot of hardship for the native people of Ireland as potatoes were their staple food.

Most of the other food they grew was sent to Britain as the Irish were under their rule.

As a result many people died and left because of the hunger and disease created by the potato blight.

They were willing to risk the long boat journey from Ireland to other countries just to get away from their plight.