School: Naomh Bríghid, Blackwater (roll number 7036)

On this page

1. The Famine (continued)

   

   Share Share Post

   

   You are not logged in, but you are welcome to contribute a transcription anonymously. In this case, your IP address will be stored in the interest of quality control.

   (continued from previous page)

   family. Old people say that the stirabout had the taste of soap. The people also lived on barley-bread and buttermilk. I heard that the corn was very good that year but the potatoes rotted away in the ground. I heard the farmers sent off to the south of England for the seed potatoes for the next year. The seed was sown in the beds the year after. Old people say that the rent and the taxes were very high the year of the famine and although the grain was plenty they got very little for it.

   Save Cancel

   Transcription guide »

   By clicking the save button you agree that your contribution will be available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and that a link to dúchas.ie is sufficient as attribution.

2. Public Works

   

   Share Share Post

   An old man told me that the road joining Blackwater and Wexford was made in the year of the Public Works. On that road about a mile and a quarter from the village of Blackwater there was a huge lime and stone bridge. It is said that when the workers were drawing stuff for the roads they discovered three skeletons while digging. Then three crosses were put there and it is from those that this place derived the name "Hill of the Crosses". Those jobs were got done quickly on account of the crowds of people men and women that worked on them. Everyone that had a car got extra money.

   I heard that the hunger was so great

   (continues on next page)

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit