School: Cill Fhearga (roll number 15128)
- Location:
- Killarga, Co. Leitrim
- Teacher: Mícheál Ó Gallchobhair
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0202, Page 288
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- XML “Famine Times”
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- In the year eighteen forty six and eighteen forty seven there occured a severe famine in this district. The country was very thickly populated in the year eighteen forty five, and was as rich as it is now. The population was over eight and a quarter millions.
It is supposed that the blight came from the far west of the country. In the end of the Summer eighteen forty five, when the stalks were about one foot in length, the people saw a terrible disease coming on their potatoes.
They did not know how to stop it, because bluestone was not known of at that time. That year most of the potatoes rotted, but the people had enough of food without them. The potatoes rotted soon after the blight came on them.
The Government sold Indian meal and oat meal to certain families in each district, which was then boiled in a large boiler and left to cool. Everybody in the district brought a small can to the nearest one of these families.
The porridge was divided among them according to the number of people who lived in each house, and the work that they had to do. People also got money by making old roads. Each person received three pence per day. Nobody could work at these roads unless they were eighteen(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Lizzie Ann O' Rourke
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Darkvalley, Co. Leitrim
- Informant
- Mrs E. Carty
- Gender
- Female
- Age
- 78
- Address
- Darkvalley, Co. Leitrim
