School: Mountbellew (roll number 12352)
- Location:
- Mountbellew, Co. Galway
- Teacher: William Hans
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0046, Page 0324
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- XML School: Mountbellew
- XML Page 0324
- XML “Famine Times”
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- During the years of the famine the people died in houses,fields and ditches from starvation and cold.
Sir Christopher Dillon Bellew and the Franciscan Brothers fed the most of the people around here during the Famine years.
The roads around Mt Bellew were covered with corpes of the people.
A person might be a week or a fortnight lying dead by a ditch before he would be buried because the neighbours or his people hadn't strength enough to bury him.
Indian meal porridge,grass and nettles were the chief food uses by the people during those years.
The famine was caused by the failure of the potatoes and that was caused by the blight.
Food was very cheap during the Famine a loaf only cost three halfpennies.
There was a butcher in Mt Bellew in those years and he used to carry the corpses in his cart down to Carnacregg and throw them into a sand pit.
- Collector
- William Hans
- Gender
- Male
- Occupation
- Teacher
- Address
- Mountbellew, Co. Galway
- Informant
- William Fleming
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Springlawn, Co. Galway
