School: Inch, Borris

Location:
Clanagh, Co. Carlow
Teacher:
Michael J. O'Donoghue
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0903, Page 608

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0903, Page 608

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  1. XML School: Inch, Borris
  2. XML Page 608
  3. XML “Famine Times”

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  1. Long ago this country was rack-rented. The people saved corn and potatoes to have food for the Winter. They had no money to pay the rent and they had to send the corn to England.
    They had no food only potatoes. They sowed peas, and beans in drills and they had then for the Winter. When the potatoes failed they had nothing to eat.
    Before the famine this district was very thickly potulated. The old people point out many places that are now in ruins and were then occupied. There is a house in Ballyroughan and people named Condels lived in it. Some of them left it and went to America.
    Before the famine the people had potatoes twenty one times a week. three times a day. In 1846 the blight came on the potatoes and only a few came under each stalk. They made small pits in the ground and buried the potatoes afraid they would be stolen. They kept some of the potatoes for seed and when sowed them they did not grow. Most of the people died from starvation.
    The people that died were buried uncoffened in threnches. Many people died on the way to America and they were thrown
    (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
    Josie Fanning
    Gender
    Female
    Address
    Ballyroughan Little, Co. Carlow
    Informant
    Mr John Joyce
    Gender
    Male
    Address
    Ballyroughan Little, Co. Carlow