School: Irishtown
- Location:
- Milltown, Co. Westmeath
- Teacher: Margaret McNally
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0742, Page 167
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- (continued from previous page)they complained of a very bad headache. After a few hours they began to get black and the people knew they could have the coffin ready. Often times there was no coffin to be got, and the person would have to be buried in the "winding sheets". The old people said it was the curse of England. The disease first came on the potato crop and then on the people.The oats crop failed in the harvests of eighteen hundred and forty eight and eighteen hundred and forty nine. Before the famine a black potato was never known to be found in all Ireland. Every potato grew to it's own side, there were no "cúd-láns, but ever since the famine we have plenty of black potatoes and small ones. All the bread was black.
Blackleg was never know in beasts before the famine, but since it is a frequent occurrence.
- Collector
- Maureen Kelly
- Gender
- Female
- Age
- 14
- Address
- Irishtown, Co. Westmeath
- Informant
- John Mullally
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 76
- Occupation
- Pensioner
- Address
- Corkan, Co. Westmeath
