School: Westland (roll number 8428)
- Location:
- Donore, Co. Meath
- Teacher: Mrs E.J. Roberts
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0706, Page 336
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- XML “The Famine”
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- There are stories about the famine of 1846 - 47 in my district. It effected this district because it was thickly populated and all were small farmers on poor land and when the potatoes failed they had nothing. They sold their oats at 7/6 a barrel and it was 50/- a barrel the next Spring.
The first year of the famine blight came on the potatoes and they rotted in the ground and the second there was a great promise of potatoes, but one night in June a bad frost came and killed them all. Then for the third year the people had no seed. For seed for the second year of the famine they cut the eyes out of the potatoes about the size of pig-nuts and shook them out like grain.
The people ate pig-nuts, and smoked colts' foot instead of tabacco.
The Government relief reached this district but it did not do much good.
An man named Mr Jacob lived in Leix and he went to America. When the famine came on Ireland he sent a big ship loaded with meal and flour and other things to be given to the people of Ireland. It saved a great many peoples' lives. Indian meal was not known in Ireland till after the famine. A sickness called "the Cholera" came after the hunger.
- Collector
- Olive Mc Whirter
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Drumlayne, Co. Meath
- Informant
- Mr R. Mc Whirter
- Relation
- Parent
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Drumlayne, Co. Meath
