School: Cléireacháin, Cluain Meala

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1. Famine Times

   

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   The old people still talk of the "Famine Days". They say that a great number of people died with the hunger. Before that time the locality was very thickly populated, the village of Clerihan being a very large place at that time and having a large population.

   The whole village is now, more or less, in ruins, the remains of the houses are still to be seen.

   The stalks of the potatoes became black and decayed. The potatoes were small and scarce under the stalks. The principal decay came during the Winter in the pits. When those were opened the following Spring, all the potatoes were found to have rotted and gone black. The people had to use yellow meal instead. There were relief houses in every district, one being in the village of Clerihan. Each man used to get 1 lb of yellow meal per day. There is a story told that the people were dissatisfied with the allowance and asked for more. One man was picked to see how much he could eat, and he ate 2 lbs of meal and 1/- month of bread and still had not enough. After that incident the ration was increased to 2 lbs of meal per day.

   It is said that people were got dead in the dykes with a green slime around their mouths, showing that they were trying to eat grass before death. Great numbers were buried coffinless.

   Up to 60 or 70 years ago, the food given to the labourers was yellow meal for breakfast, and potatoes for dinner and supper. The farmers' houses in which the porridge used to be made fairly thick are still spoken of, as this was thought to be a grand concession.

   

   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

   Location

   Ballyclerahan, Co. Tipperary

   Informant

   William Ahearne

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   70

   Occupation

   Farmer

   Address

   Ballyveelish South, Co. Tipperary

   Informant

   Mary Ahearne

   Relation

   Grandparent

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   88

   Address

   Ballyveelish South, Co. Tipperary

   Informant

   Denis Ahearne

   Relation

   Parent

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   70

   Address

   Ballyveelish South, Co. Tipperary

   Informant

   Hanora Ahearne

   Relation

   Parent

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   72

   Address

   Ballyveelish South, Co. Tipperary