School: Slane (B.) (roll number 4851)

Location:
Slane, Co. Meath
Teacher:
Séamus Ó Cuánaigh
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0713, Page 063

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0713, Page 063

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  1. XML School: Slane (B.)
  2. XML Page 063
  3. XML “Famine Times”

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  1. The great famine lasted from eighteen forty five to eighteen forty seven. The potato crop became the chief food of the Irish people about the year seventeen hundred, so this district along with all the surrounding districts was affected by the famine. This district was fairly well populated before the famine, but after the famine there were only a couple of people left to tell of the famine..
    There are several old ruins of houses which were occupied before the famine but the inhabitants died and the houses went to ruins. The potatoes decayed in the ground so that there was no crop for the next year and so it went on. The next year they had a few over that they kept for seed and they sowed them in another field and the same thing happened that year.
    Then the people had no potatoes and no other food to be got without money so they starved. Raw turnips, weeds and sea-weeds were commonly eaten. The year eighteen-forty seven was the worst year of the famine.
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. time
      1. historical periods by name (~25)
        1. the great famine (~4,013)
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Liam Carolan
    Gender
    Male
    Address
    Fennor, Co. Meath