School: Breachmhaigh (roll number 13222)
- Location:
- Breaghwy, Co. Sligo
- Teacher: Tomás Mac Giolla Pheadair
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0155, Page 303
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- XML “A Famine Story”
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- (continued from previous page)to buy any other food. From eating those bad potatoes many people took a disease called the cholera. In some cases who families died from the disease. Those who died were immediately coffened and carried out in sleighs drawn by horses.
As a result of the failure of the crop there was a terrible shortage of seed. At the time there lived a priest in Grange in the house beside the barrick where Miss Gilmatin has a shop at present. This priest used to say Mass every Sunday in an old bard beside the peace. One Sunday he told the congregation that if one person from every family went to Saint Patricks well (This well is in a field owned at present by Mr Roger Kerrigan, Newtown, Grange, Co. Sligo) And took home some of the water and sprinkled it on the buds and small seed which they had that they would grow bigger. The people did as the priest told them. One this first year the potatoes get bigger and they increased in size so that by the third year they were as big as they were before the famine time.
- Informant
- Martin O' Connor
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 52
- Occupation
- Farmer
- Address
- Breaghwy, Co. Sligo
