School: Naomh Pádraig, Carrowmena (roll number 16787)

Location:
Carrowmenagh, Co. Donegal
Teacher:
Pádraig S. Ó Cathain
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1118, Page 422

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1118, Page 422

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  1. XML School: Naomh Pádraig, Carrowmena
  2. XML Page 422
  3. XML “Famine Times”

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  1. The famine affected the district very much. The district was very thickly populated before the famine. There are four houses now in ruins in Ballymagaraghy which belonged to the Mags, the Mac Laughlins, the Shoemakers and the Manuses, who died during the famine. The potatoes failed with the storm and rotted. The potatoes rotted in the ground.
    The American Government gave them the seed potatoes for the following year year. The potatoes were sown in ridges. The people's food was oatbread, potato bread, porridge and milk. The Government sent oatmeal and relief (Indian) meal to the Glen and the people of Ballymagaraghy, Carrowbeg, Carrowmena, Ballyharry and the Glen got it to make porridge. The quarter of the people of my district died of the hunger and another quarter died of the fever which followed the famine. It was said that if the people went out to dig a sack of potatoes they would be digging from morning (to) morning to fill the bag.
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. time
      1. historical periods by name (~25)
        1. the great famine (~4,013)
    Language
    English
    Collector
    John Lafferty
    Gender
    Male
    Address
    Carrowbeg, Co. Donegal
    Informant
    Charles Canning
    Gender
    Male
    Age
    69
    Address
    Ballymagaraghy, Co. Donegal