School: Fairymount, Crettyard, Carlow (roll number 4776)
- Location:
- Doonane, Co. Laois
- Teacher: Ml. Ó Gormáin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0838, Page 017
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- Famine Times
In the years of the famine namely in 1846 and 1847 perhaps very few parts of Ireland was more affected by the loss or failure of crops that Deonane district in Leix. The nature of the soil is very poor at any time and very little surface soil is found to any great depth.
Consequently the potato crop at any time under the most favourable weather conditions is never good. It must have been a complete failure in 1846 and 1847. To add to the great scarcity of provisions including corn and potatoes there was a dense population here which must have made matters worse. We are told that people lay down and died in ditches with weakness from hunger. Nearly everyone was in the same condition and unable to release each other, hence it is we hear of many corpses being left unburied and resulting in and epidemic of fever.(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Mary B. Hennesy
- Gender
- Female
