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School: Toames, Maghcromtha (roll number 15478)

Location:
Tooms, Co. Cork
Teacher:
Seán de Búrca
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0338, Page 240

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0338, Page 240

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  1. XML School: Toames, Maghcromtha
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  3. XML “Stories of Epidemics”
  4. XML “Stories of Epidemics”

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  1. Stories of Epidemics (continued)

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    (continued from previous page)
    He said he devoured it ravenously thanked him and started on his way. About an hour afterwards my father found the poor man lying against a fence dead, about a hundred yards from the house. It seems that being without food for so long the amount he took was too much for him and caused his death.
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    History Edit

  2. Stories of Epidemics

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    When the fever was at its height it was quite common to find numbers of dead people lying almost at regular intervals dead along the road. Horses and carts were hired by the Authorities to go along and pick up the dead bodies and bury them all together coffinless in the outskirts of some graveyard. He told me an extraordinary thing that happened in connection with this form of burial. One day a cartman, and his helpers were on their rounds collecting dead bodies. when they had collected as many dead bodies as they were able to take they proceeded to the graveyard of Fanlobus to the east of Dunmanway where a great pit had previously been prepared for receiving the bodies. On arriving at the graveyard the horse was backed in, the cart was "heeled" and the bodies tumbled into the pit. An attempt was made to arrange the bodies in some order before covering them up. Just as they were about to start throwing in the earth one of the bodies quivered slightly. They couldnt at first make out whether it was a feeble sign of life or because of some unevenness in the position of the body
    (continues on next page)
    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
    Informant
    Daniel Burke
    Gender
    Male
    Age
    70
    Occupation
    Farmer
    Address
    Coolsnaghtig, Co. Cork