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  3. Carrowbeg

School: Carrowbeg (roll number 10754)

Location:
Carrowbeg, Co. Donegal
Teacher:
Rachel Nic an Ridire
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1118, Page 513

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1118, Page 513

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  3. XML “Famine Times”

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  1. Famine Times

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    The Great Famine of 1846-47 affected the district very badly. The district was far more thickly populated before it than it is now.
    There were six houses then to every one that is now. People still point out a few houses which were then occupied but are now in ruins, and not even the ruins of others are to be seen. The blight came about the month of July and the green stalks soon withered away. Then owing to the storm a rot set in in the potatoes and they decayed in the ground. Many that were good at the time of digging decayed later in the pits. A man might have dug for a whole day and not have got a basketful of good potatoes.
    There were seed potatoes for the following year but they came from America. When the seed time came, most people got a poke of potatoes free from the Government. That was the first time the Champion were got in this district. The potatoes were planted in ridges with spades about five or six potatoes wide. This was called
    (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
    Emma Jean Hutchinson
    Gender
    Female
    Address
    Meenletterbale, Co. Donegal
    Informant
    Mr Elkin
    Gender
    Male
    Age
    72
    Address
    Moville, Co. Donegal
    Informant
    Robert Farren
    Gender
    Male
    Age
    78
    Address
    Ballymagaraghy, Co. Donegal
    Informant
    Samuel Hutchinson
    Gender
    Male
    Age
    66
    Address
    Meenletterbale, Co. Donegal
    Informant
    Willie Mc Laughlin
    Gender
    Male
    Age
    74
    Address
    Carrowmenagh, Co. Donegal