School: Kilmyshal (roll number 14777)
- Location:
- Kilmyshall, Co. Wexford
- Teacher: E. Mac Niocláis
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0891, Page 251
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- 251In the years of 1846 - 1847 there was a great famine in Ireland. The potato crop failed and thousands of people died of starvation. There was a man who lived in Newtownbarry who used to sell porridge to the rich people and he gave it for free to the poor people. In Kilmyshall there was another man who sold Indian meal to the people rich or poor. The crops of potatoes were sowed like you would sow corn. The corps used to be carried on stretchers to their graves. Three corpse's used to be put in one grave and sometimes two according to the way the grave would be made. In these times people from distant countries would send some bags of seed potatoes to the people of Ireland. The potatoes were very small. When the people would be sowing the potatoes they would scatter them along like you would spread corn.
There was a man named Kavanagh who lived in Ballycarney. He had six children. Every morning he used to go away to Newtownbarry with his bag to get food for his wife and children he used to get oaten-meal from "The Reliever(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Nellie Thumpkins
- Gender
- Female
- Informant
- Patrick Clear
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 54
- Address
- Ballyprecas, Co. Wexford
