School: Rathmorrel (roll number 10545)
- Location:
- Rathmorrel, Co. Kerry
- Teacher: Anraoí Ó Conchobhair
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0417, Page 133
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- XML “The Widow and Her Son”
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- A widow and her only son lived in this locality during the famine of 1847. Like most people at that time they were often for days without food. The son tried to get work to support himself and his mother but in vain. On one occasion when they had no food to eat or money to buy it the son said they should do something to keep themselves alive and he suggested to his mother that probably their well-to-do the neighbours would then do something for them.
The mother readily agreed to this proposal. The son put the kitchen table in a dark corner, and laid his mother on it and then placed a white sheet down on her. When he had this done he rubbed some meal dust to her hand and feet to make her appear more like a corpse. Out with him then to the neighbours crying bitterly. they inquired what was wrong and he told(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Eddie Mulvihill
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Ballynoe, Co. Kerry
- Informant
- Mr William Barrett
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 55
- Address
- Ballynoe, Co. Kerry
