O'Connell died in Genoa in May 1847, at the height of the famine. The potato crop failed again in 1848 and, to lesser degrees, in 1849, 1850 and 1851. As a consequence, a country renowned for its poverty underwent a catastrophe of unprecedented impact in terms of population loss and social upheaval. Within the space of six years, Ireland lost over a quarter of its population; approximately 1,000,000 people died and a higher number emigrated. Precise mortality and emigration statistics were not kept by the government, meaning that many of those who died or left remained uncounted and anonymous. As a consequence, the country that O'Connell had loved and fought many political battles for was vastly changed. In the midst of the famine, Young Ireland attempted an insurrection in the unlikely location of Ballingarry in Country Tipperary. It was swiftly defeated with no fatalities. This defeat meant that Irish independence appeared more elusive than ever. Recovery from the years of famine was slow, with falling birth rates and high emigration continuing for decades. Moreover, many of the brilliant minds that had been attracted to the Repeal Association and Young Ireland, were either dead, in exile, or had been transported. Those who remained, like Charles Gavan Duffy, despaired of Ireland's future, socially and politically. Mass emigration had shifted the power balance as the majority of those who left Ireland sought refuge in North America. In the United States, they faced the hostility of the nativists, especially from the Know-Nothing Party.