School: An Corr Dubh (roll number 14339)

Location:
Corduff, Co. Leitrim
Teacher:
Pádraig Mac Giolla'n Átha
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0226, Page 550

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0226, Page 550

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  1. XML School: An Corr Dubh
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  3. XML “Local Traditions of the Famine Period”

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  1. The great famine occurred in the year 1846-47 and was caused by the blight that destroyed the potato crop in the summer of 1845. There was a stirabout station about 200 yards from the present Aughavas P.O. in the townland of Aughavas and 400 yards east of Corduff N.S. on the road to Carrigallen. The people of the district assembled here occasionally for their supplies of Indian meal. The allowance for each family was one stone.
    In the townland of Corroneary fifteen families perished during The Famine period. There was one man in particular who had three daughters and all three died of hunger. The father buried them in a graveyard at Kilafee now called Cavan. In those days the people used slip coffins in order to economise, one coffin doing duty for several.
    Mary Lee owned a farm in Corroneary in those days. The farm surrounded the present public house. In a field of this farm, last of the public house turnips were extensively grown. Mary Lee did a "roaring" trade in those turnips during the famine period because being of a rather generous nature she always gave full weight. There were other turnips factors who were not as honest and believed in exacting the last half penny from the poverty stricken people.
    (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
    Informant
    Bernard O' Rourke
    Gender
    Male
    Age
    75
    Address
    Corraneary, Co. Leitrim