School: Cullahill (B.), Rathdowwney (roll number 13136)
- Location:
- Cullahill, Co. Laois
- Teacher: P. Ó Reachtagáin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0830, Page 161
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- The famine of 1846 to 1847 affected this district very much as it affected every district in Ireland. All the people would have starved only for a Spanish ship coming with a load of "Indian meal". There is the site of an old house near Dollard's house Cullohill which was occupied in that time but is now in ruins. There is another site near Collier's house Ballyhealy which was occupied then.
There was no spraying done that year and so all the potatoes rotted. Nearly all the potatoes decayed and there was very few seed for the next year. The year of the famine the people went to the priest and asked him what they should do. He told them to sow the snags. They sowed them and they grew. The next year the people had potatoes but some sowed the snags and they did not grow.
The people ate turnips and mangolds when they had no potatoes. Most? of the people of this district died of starvation and hunger. A great fever followed the hunger and more people died.(continues on next page)
