the impact of the war on the irish population was unquestionably severe, although there is no consensus as to the magnitude of the loss of life. the war resulted in famine, which was worsened by an outbreak of bubonic plague. estimates of the drop in the irish population resulting from the parliamentarian campaign range from 15 to 41 percent. the parliamentarians also transported about 50,000 people as indentured labourers. some estimates cover population losses over the course of the conquest period (1649–52) only, while others cover the period of the conquest to 1653 and the period of the cromwellian settlement from august 1652 to 1659 together.