School: An Corr Dubh (roll number 14339)

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1. Famine Times

   

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   As most of the old people that were born about the time of the famine of 1846 have passed to the great beyond, it is surely timely to revive some of the stories often told by them to the youths of Ireland. Most people know there were a million beef cattle exported during 1846-1847 while the people were starving to death. And often a man or woman would call at a land lord's estate and ask for something to eat; if it happened to be on a certain day of the week they were offered a chunk of meat, if they accepted it mean't that they had denied their religion and when they turned away with a "No thank you" they were laughed at Most of the boys and girls of Corrduff school know of "Crag Bush" That bush was planted by a young girl. A small boy called at her home for something to eat, and after a hearty meal the poor little fellow was dead in a few hours; he was buried in a field on the hill of Corriga and to mark the grave she planted that bush. There is one more story I want to make known; it is about a Mary Hollywood. She was the daughter of Irish parents born in U.S.A. She taught school among the Indians, and in reading a newspaper she saw where a handful of meal would save a life in Ireland. She went to the governor of the State, and the next day had him dispatch 10,000 bushels of wheat on sail boat relief. When the ship was ten days out there blew a storm and the crew and all were lost. This girl was known among

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. time
      1. historical periods by name (~25)
         1. the great famine (~4,013)

   Language

   English

   Informant

   Lawrence O' Donnell

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   66

   Occupation

   Merchant

   Address

   Corriga, Co. Leitrim