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School: Ballyhahill (B.), Glin (roll number 10685)

Location:
Ballyhahill, Co. Limerick
Teacher:
Domhnall Ó Maoláin
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0482, Page 161

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0482, Page 161

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  3. XML “Famine Times”

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  1. Famine Times

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    The famine of eighteen forty six and eighteen forty seven was the greatest catastrophe in Irish history. Over a million people emigrated to England, Canada, the United States and the west India islands during that period. It is also estimated that over a million people died from the shortage of food and the sicknesses following. A university student from cambridge who was travelling the country at that time said that the country side which he passed through was completely desolated. When he did meet people they were like corpses eating in many instances the grass of the fields to keep them alive because potato crops completely failed.
    Before that famine the Ballyhahill district was thickly populated. Many ruins of houses can be seen where people then lived. At that time the potato crop was a complete failure. People had to go to Tarbert in those days for meal. One day as they were going to Tarbert they found a dead man on the road with grass in his mouth. It seems that he began to eat the grass and he died. They had to live on meal and turnips and nettles for a long time, and they swelled up and died.
    That famine was called the "black forty-seven". The government would not allow any ships to bring food to IReland but one steamer brok through and got food for the people.That was the first ship that brought food to Ireland during the famine times. It was a pitiable sight to see
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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
    Collector
    John Stack
    Gender
    Male
    Address
    Mohernagh, Co. Limerick
    Collector
    John Walsh
    Gender
    Male
    Address
    Finnoo, Co. Limerick
    Informant
    Garett Stack
    Gender
    Male
    Age
    49
    Address
    Mohernagh, Co. Limerick
    Informant
    John Nolan
    Gender
    Male
    Age
    74
    Address
    Finnoo, Co. Limerick