School: Stoneyford, Thomastown (roll number 3029)
- Location:
- Áth Stúin, Co. Chill Chainnigh
- Teacher: Finghín Mac Íobhair
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0849, Page 058
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- Most of the Irish people have heard of the great Famine that was in this country about ninety years ago. It did not do much damage in this locality and did not cause many deaths. The food was not scarce, as there were a lot of rich Protestants with large estates living around here. They supplied the people with food and gave them work. This district was not thickly populated before this time, and there are not many ruins of houses to be seen now. In the years eighteen-forty-four, and forty-five the potatoes were very plentiful in this country, and the people did not think anything about them. They scattered them in the ditches and a lot of places. In the year 1846 the blight came on the potatoes. The decayed in the ground and pits. Yellow stirabout was the food that was used instead. The famine lasted for three years and a great number of people died. I have never heard people talk of the famine times. Yellow stirabout was distributed to the people(continues on next page)
