School: Glassalts (roll number 1239)

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1. Hardships and Struggles of the Early Pioneers (continued)

   

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   to rake and dig over a field of dug potatoes. He toiled all day Saturday and got half a bucket full about the size of marbles. On Sunday morning he attended early mass and prayed God to send them food that day. After coming from Church he went down to Culduff Bay and from the top of a high rock with a home-made fishing line, he cast off and in an hour to his great delight and surprise, pulled up a good-sized fish. He cast off again and in ten minutes hauled up another, twice as big. Greatly excited and delirious with joy, he shouted. "Hold ye're hand, God I have plenty, and went home. Satisfied that his prayer had been answered he and his family gave thanks as they sat down to a well-deserved Sunday dinner of "poundies" (mashed potatoes) and boiled fish.
   Another and more pathetic story of the potatoe famine time that my grandmother used to tell was of a widow and her two schoolboy sons. The eldest, Mark Cain, went out foraging for food after school and brought home a large turnip which his mother cooked, mashed and put away for their Sunday dinner. The pangs of hunger were too much for the boys to overcome so after their mother went to sleep Saturday night they discovered its hiding place and got at

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. events
      1. hardship (~1,565)

   Language

   English

   Informant

   Mr Robert Campbell

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   65

   Address

   Collin, Co. Donegal