School: Árd-Fhearta
- Location:
- Ard Fhearta, Co. Chiarraí
- Teacher: Tomás Ua Nuanáin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0414, Page 041
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- XML School: Árd-Fhearta
- XML Page 041
- XML “Famine Times”
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- In 1847 a terrible famine spread all over Ireland. It was caused by the "black rot" in potatoes. In those times a large number of people lived altogether on potatoes so that when the famine came many of them died with the hunger. Before the famine there was twice the population in the locality of Ardfert. Early potatoes rotted in the pits and the late potatoes rotted in the gardens. When the potatoes were turning black they used to make stampy out of them. My great grandmother saw a man dying on the road to Banna where he was going for sea grass. During that time the English Government sent meal to relieve the people. They used to make gruel out of the meal. the people used to make gruel out of the meal. the people used to eat nettles also with the hunger. When the hens stopped laying the poor sold them to buy meal. Many of the people who were starving started for America.
- Collector
- Eileen Savage
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Ard Fhearta, Co. Chiarraí
- Informant
- Mrs Savage
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Ard Fhearta, Co. Chiarraí
