Does anyone have climate information about the weather in 1840-1850?

[hedgehog]

I just read a fictional book inpsired by the Franklin Expedition (Dan Simmons' The Terror) and the author suggests the ships were frozen in place after being caught by unusually early and cold winters. My question is, how were these cold Artic winters of 1845- 1847 related to the cold and rainy weather observed in Ireland those years? That weather helped trigger the spread of the potato blight leading to the Great Hunger.

Also, were there any volcanic eruptions associated with triggering this cold weather?