School: Castleblayney (2) (roll number 10649)
- Location:
- Baile na Lorgan, Co. Mhuineacháin
- Teacher: William Boyd
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0943, Page 428
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- XML School: Castleblayney (2)
- XML Page 428
- XML “Famine Times”
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- The famine which broke out in 1846 an 1847 effected our district very much. The district was very thickly populated at that time. There are two ruined houses on our farm. These houses were both occupied at the time of the famine. One by Johnny George and the other by James Geddis. The blight came as the weather was very hot and the people never sprayed at that time. The potatoes rotted in ground. In some parts of the country the seed potatoes were sown like grain and some clay was then put over them, The seed potatoes were got from any of the remaining potatoes. The people ate oat and Indian meal porridge. Government relief reached our district, Drumakill school was used as a “stirrabout” house. The people got their “stirrabout” in a small can which they took to the stirrabout house. The people were so hungry that a man had to stand at the “stirrabout house” or they would have rushed in past and scalded themselves in the porridge. When some of them got their porridge they were not able to eat it because they were so(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Annie Harvey
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Eanach Fhearta, Co. Mhuineacháin
