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School: An Cillín (roll number 16603)

Location:
Killin, Co. Donegal
Teacher:
Séamus Mac Eachlainn
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1036, Page 231

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1036, Page 231

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  1. The Bad Times (1846-1847)

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    John Dorrian, Drimlatafin, Inver P.O. Co. Donegal, told me that when the Famine was in this country, it affected the people of this district badly. Many of them were to be seen lying dead on the highways and in the fields. Others of them sold their farms and emigrated to foreign countries as they could get nothing to eat in this country.
    As far as the old people can tell there were far more people living in this district before the Famine than are now, as many families died of hunger and others emigrated.
    At that time blight never affected the potatoes, but instead they never grew to any size, growing no bigger [that?] than seeds of grain. These potatoes were of no use for eating, but instead they kept these small seeds for setting the next year. Nevertheless these seeds were set in ridges.
    When the potato crop failed some wealthy people had corn which they got ground into oat meal, and this served as food while it lasted. These people divided their meal among the poor people so as to keep them from dying of hunger. There were people living in Legan who used to give out relief stirabout which the Government gave them. The hungry used to come from far away to get a measure of this stirabout. The same was done in Corraduffy. This stirabout used to be boiled in a large boiler. All the same, there died a few people in this district during the Famine.
    About thirty years after the Famine the potatoes were scarce again. The Government sent a grant of money to buy meal
    (continues on next page)
    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
    Annie Teresa Boyle
    Gender
    Female
    Address
    Drumlaghtafin, Co. Donegal
    Informant
    John Dorrian
    Gender
    Male
    Age
    60
    Address
    Drumlaghtafin, Co. Donegal