School: Coppena, Graiguenamanagh (roll number 1152)
- Location:
- Coppanagh, Co. Kilkenny
- Teacher: Bean Uí Cheallaigh
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0857, Page 050
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- (continued from previous page)With friendly faces and dear old palces
'Tis I am lonely for long ago.They were great scholars, and well able to read and write. The local people respected them very much. They always patronised sport in the parish. Their songs are sung locally, and will never be forgotten.
- The famine was caused by the failure of the potato crop which rotted in the ground. The previous year the potatoes were so plentiful that it was said they were in many cases, abused, thrown in pits and beside the fence until they rotted and polluted the air. The next year they decayed in the ground, and it is said that two would dig from early morning until dinner time and would not have enough for the dinner meal. They were so bad that when they would see a good potato they would shout
"oh there's a white one".The food the people had instead of potatoes was porridge or stirrabout made from maize meal. This was made only in certain areas, on what were called(continues on next page)
