School: Dromlogach (roll number 10908)
- Location:
- Drom Leagach, Co. Chiarraí
- Teacher: Seán Ó Laochdha
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0410, Page 025
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- XML “The Famine”
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- In the year eighteen forty six and in the year eighteen forty seven a great famine arose in this country. It was caused by the blight on the potatoes and as the potatoes were the only diet the people had, millions of them died of hunger and starvation on the roadside. In those days the people set the potatoes and in six weeks thay were ripe enough to dig them. There was sufficient food in the country at that time to support easily its population but the farmers had to sell all their crops to make the rent for the landlords. The rent was very high. When the crop failed the people were often as hungry as that they ate the raw cabbage, turnips, and sometimes grass. The fever then came with the starvation until the population was reduced to four millions.
