School: Bellanagare (roll number 2968)
- Location:
- Bellanagare, Co. Roscommon
- Teacher: Seán Mac Dochair
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0244, Page 110
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- In the year of 1872 a disasterous plague occured in this district. It lasted for about two years. The potato crop was destroyed by a disease called blight. At that time potatoes were the main food of the people.
When the crop failed the people died from hunger and fever and this awful plague set in. The people then perished by thousands. They left their homes and fled to other countries. Very often old people were seen lying on the roadside dead and a green line around their mouths from eating grass.
When the people died they were buried coffinless in a pit. Indian meal was often boiled in cities and starving creatures would dip the hands into the boiling meal and swallow it. Very often at the dead of night a priest would be called from his bed and the Last Sacraments administered to a dying creature on the roadside.
When the old people could to nothing to save themselves from the plague the young people began to leave the country and fly to America. Very often when a ship load left the country thousands were seen wailing and weeping because they knew they would die from starvation. Thousands left Ireland from that year until 1886 when the plague ended.
- Collector
- Eileen Mc Cormack
- Gender
- Female
- Informant
- Terence Ryan
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 74
- Address
- Drummin, Co. Roscommon
