School: Scoil an Chlochair, Cappamore
- Location:
- Cappamore, Co. Limerick
- Teacher: An tSr. Fionntán
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0520, Page 306
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- (continued from previous page)the blight came, they had only meal and sometimes nothing.
They had no lamps or candles, and the old people say that they used to peel rushes and dip them in tallow to give them light.
The year before the famine, there was a great crop of potatoes there, and when the people used be coming out dirty gaps, they used throw hampers of potatoes to level it, they were so plentiful. There was scarcely any flour, and they used eat black bread and drink black tea.
The Government gave seed-potatoes to the people. A Scotchman named Madaboy was first to get them, and the rest of the people exchanged with him.
Great sickness followed the famine, and the people used to go to the Poorhouse in Newcastle West to try to get something but they very often died. The poor labourers had hardly anything to support their families, and the farmers had only their crop of corn and this to be sent to the mill.
Indian meal was sent over to be given to the people, but they had to pay for it. They used to make porridge out of it. It was called "the Black Famine "
- Collector
- Cáit Ní Riain
- Gender
- Female
