School: Drumcrave

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1. Famine Times (continued)

   

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   by the failure of the potato crop. In those days potatoes were the chief diet and support of the population, which was said to be seven million people. Old people say that in the year 1845 the crop of potatoes, that grew in Ireland, was sufficient to support twice its population. They also say that the people did not thank God sufficiently for the great crop, and that was the reason given, for the failure.
   In 1847, the year after the potato failure by blight, there was a terrible famine all over the country. Young and old died of starvation. Whole families were wiped out by a disease called the "black faver". It has been said that sufficient coffins could not be procured to accommodate half the people, they were dying in such larg numbers.
   The oldest man living, say the potato crop has never been so good since the famine as before it. Most of the farmers had to sell their corn to pay rents, and try to keep themselves and their families from being evicted. In the years following, the Government started relief work. Which consisted of the opening up of by-roads. For this work each man was paid a small sum of nine pence per day.

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. am
      1. tréimhsí staire sonracha (~25)
         1. an gorta mór (~4,013)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Patrick G. Smith

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Aghalackan, Co. an Chabháin