School: Ceathrú (Carton) (roll number 15339)
- Location:
- Cartron, Co. Leitrim
- Teacher: Seán Ó Floinn
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0215, Page 292
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Trditions of the Famine times as related by Owen McGann Killamaun Mohill to J. Flynn Drumdart Mohill early in 1936.Owen heard it from his father - Big Stephen of Drumlara Mohill. Owen is now 75 years of age and married in Killamaun, Mobil. His father's about 30 years old when the famine came.
My father was born says Owen in 1814 the year before Waterloo and in the Famine years he was working below at Sheemore making the road from Sheemore through Ballingaving (?) and Sheffield into the village of Leitrim. He stayed down there for 9 months because he was a sort of a ganger. There were 150 men working there twos the relief work in '47. He told me he often saw 4 or 5 corpses coming to the work every day and he had to dispatch the men to Kiltoghent to bury the corpses
Some of the corpses were brought in "Bull rush" mats and "straw mats" because there was no tinker to make coffins. You know there was no timber a selling in towns at he time except balks which had to be carted from ships. And the man that wouldn't turn up(continues on next page)
- Collector
- J. Flynn
- Address
- Drumdart, Co. Leitrim
- Informant
- Owen Mc Gann
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 75
- Address
- Killamaun, Co. Leitrim
- Informant
- Stephen Mc Gann
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Drumlara, Co. Leitrim
