School: Cluain Meacan (roll number 11451)

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1. The Famine (continued)

   “About a hundred years ago the Irish people were very badly off.”

   

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   of things people had to eat several diseases broke out and a large number also died from these diseases. He says that in one case a man was found dead in a field with grass in his mouth. The number of deaths was so high that all the grave yards were black with fresh graves and this is one of the reasons why the year of the famine is called Black Forty seven.

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

2. The Famine

   “In the two years following the famine nearly forty thousand were evicted.”

   

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   In the two years following the famine nearly forty thousand were evicted. Martin Kennelly of Dromin who is now 85 years of age says that in one case an attorney who was acting for a landlord had to get a wheelbarrow to take all the eviction notices to the court. The evictions continued for about 30 years after the famine and during these years nearly one hundred and fifty thousand evictions to place. Owing to the actions of the Land League and Moonlighters the landlords were forced to sell their estates under the land acts and the tenants got a big reduction in their rents. Old Mr Raymond was the landlord of Dromin. He worked most of the estate himself and employed a large number of men. The pay of the men was one shilling a day without diet. When he died his son Captain Raymond became the owner and he let the lands to tenants, he was a very good landlord and never had any trouble with his tenants

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Informant

   Dan Twomey

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   50

   Address

   Dromin, Co. Kerry