School: Doire na Cathrach, Dúnmaonmhuighe (roll number 13543)

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1. Famine Times (continued)

   

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   in the country making roads and fences, but the wages were small. Many men worked for four pence per day, but if a man was able to strike a drill he would get double that pay, and their only food then was yellow-meal stirrabout and cabbage, so people suffered very much for years afterwards.
   After this there was a great famine in cattle and sheep in the Spring and early Summer of the year 1855. This was caused by a snow-storm which fell on the night of the 16th February 1855.
   When the people arose in the morning the snow was as high as the walls of their houses in some districts. This remained on the ground for some months and on the hillsides until the end of June. Lots of sheep died of hunger buried underneath the snow by the fences and any of them that lived when they were dug out had the skin and earth eaten off the fences. Mostly all died on the hillsides, but they were small loss in comparison with all the poor people who died of starvation.
   Mary Teresa Hurley,
   Derinacahara.

   Date of writing Feb 28th 1938

   I got this information from

   Mr Patrick Hurley,
   Derinacahara,
   age fifty years.

   

   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

   Mary Teresa Hurley

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Derrynacaheragh, Co. Cork

   Informant

   Mr Patrick Hurley

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   50

   Address

   Derrynacaheragh, Co. Cork