School: Ceis (roll number 15342)
- Location:
- Kesh, Co. Sligo
- Teacher: Proinnsias Ó Hainín
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0186, Page 477
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- The famine of 1846-'47 affected this district very much. There was a total failure of the potato crop. The blight, making its first appearance, came on in a single night and destroyed the young green stalks. In some cases a quantity of very small potatoes escaped decay. Some people preserved these for seed for the following year and they produced a very successful crop.
Before the famine this district was very thickly populated. Many people died of hunger. Great distress prevailed and to relieve this the Government granted a supply of Indian meal. This meal was sometimes given raw to the poor people, in other cases there was a man employed to make porridge from the meal. An old man who died not long ago told that he saw women pull nettles and ask for "a grain of salt" to put in the raw nettles.
A very bad fever called cholera followed in the wake of the famine. Many people left home(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Margaret Benson
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Cross, Co. Sligo
