School: Kilsarcon (C.) (roll number 14798)

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1. Famine Times

   

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   The old people have a lot of stories about the famine years. A man names Morgan Mc Sweeney, who lived at the quarry lodge, found seven dead bodies in his cowhouse one morning. The people had taken shelter there, and had died of starvation. There was a Carthy man and his wife living in Kilsarcon East, and the man died from hunger and he was dead for three days, and there was no one to carry him to the graveyard. He was a man of 6 ft 3 ins and his wife, had to cut off his feet, and put him into a basket, and carry him to the graveyard herself, and bury him. There was four people found dead in Gloulea Glen.

   Ireland was very thickly populated before the famine. It is said that there were 11 million people in it, and they had plenty of food. There were 13 houses in Peter Cronin's land of Ballahantourigh and the ruins of them, can be seen there yet. There were 3 houses in John Connor's land, in Ballahantourigh and they are now in ruins.

   In 1846 there was a fine crop of potatoes, and they all blackened in the pits as they got the blight while growing. The year 1847 was called

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. time
      1. historical periods by name (~25)
         1. the great famine (~4,013)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Han Healy

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Knocknaharan, Co. Kerry

   Informant

   Mr John Rahilly

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   81

   Address

   Knocknaharan, Co. Kerry