School: Baile Ruadh (Cailíní)

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1. Famine Times (continued)

   

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   The military accompanied them to Turloughmore which they were escorted by police.
   John also used to relate that on an evening in the Summer of 1847 himself and a younger brother were standing on their garden fence watching two men coming from the direction of Cloonminda an adjoining towland, carrying a heavy object between them, when they arrived within talking distance of the two boys, they laid the object down and asked the boys to come and help them bury the dead. the bots ran away frightened. The men left the parcel lying there, and relaced their steps, the way they had come. old Tom Farrell went out to investigate, and to his horror found the parcel to contain the remains of a dead woman.
   He and his neighbours took the remains to Templetogher Burial ground, where they collected some old boards lying around fixed them around the body with the aid of straw ropes and buried the remains.
   It was a general occurance in Springtime for starving people to followed the plough, picking up Blicsauns and other roots also any small poreens of potatoes they would get, boiled cabbage, docks, and nettles were also largely used. Small potatoes sown in 1847 by some people gave a good crop, but many did not sow them.

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. time
      1. historical periods by name (~25)
         1. the great famine (~4,013)

   Languages

   Irish

   English

   Collector

   Máire Nich Mhaoláin

   Other names

   Máire Nich Mhaoláin

   Mary Mc Millan

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Williamstown, Co. Galway

   Informant

   Seáin Ó Fhearghail

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   c. 48

   Address

   Williamstown, Co. Galway