School: Baile Dubh (C.) (roll number 2493)

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   “In the year 1846 in the famine days, the people of this district like all others were dying with the hunger.”

   

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   In the year 1846 in the famine days, the people of this district like all others were dying with the hunger. They were forced to eat raw turnips and cabbage. In this locality lived a family named Joyce, who lived near the Ferry Bridge about a mile from the village of Ballyduff. The Joyce family sold the farm about nineteen years ago and the present owner is man named Patrick Dunne. One member of the family was a nun in the Mercy Order in Tralee and lived to be over ninety years.
   The Joyce family were very generous to the poor and needy in the famine days, and these came long distances to get food. Many a time on getting up in the morning they found dead bodies in their yard or at the door—people who died of hunger.
   One evening an old woman came to the door and asked for a few leaves of cabbage but there was not a leaf in the haggard. Old Billy Joyce told his daughter to go out and cut the cabbage stumps. The woman filled her apron with the stumps. Next morning when they got up the haggard was full of cabbage, on which a shower of honey had fallen during the night, and all the neighbors came

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Mrs B. Lawlor

   Gender

   Female

   Occupation

   Teacher

   Informant

   Richard O' Callaghan

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Ballyhorgan, Co. Kerry