School: Druim na dTréad

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1. Famine Times

   

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   The famine is spoken is spoken of as "black forty seven". Once in the days of the famine a poor man called Paddy Clerkin who lived in a field now owned by my father being too ashamed to except charity he went to Meath to look for work and he had only a shilling in his pocket to pay his expenses up and down. When he arrived above no work was to be found so the unfortunate man had to return home. He walked the whole way and here and there he bought a bun. He was both hungry and exhausted when he reached home and ever afterwards he would be telling the story of his adventure and end by saying "Maybe, maybe that wasn't the shilling got fair play"

   The people of the district mostly depended on the potatoes depended on the potatoes and when these failed there was scarcely anyone who did not suffer much because of it. To relieve the suffering public relief works were started. Roads and passes were repaired. A pass from "the old kiln" to the Edran's road through Ratrusson, through our fields, was made by the locals. They themselves spoke of this pass as "the townland pass" but outsiders spoke of it as "Rathrusson road." Another pass leading

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. time
      1. historical periods by name (~25)
         1. the great famine (~4,013)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Philomena Clarke

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Ratrussan, Co. Cavan

   Informant

   Mr Patrick Clarke

   Relation

   Parent

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Ratrussan, Co. Cavan