School: Cloonmorris (roll number 12496)

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1. The Famine (continued)

   

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   were travelling about. The woman died from hunger, and when the child got hungry he ate the woman's flesh.

   During the famine, Indian corn was sent to relieve the people, but whatever people got top-dressed their lands with it and let the people die of hunger. The land in Tomiskey, which was recently divided, was top-dressed with Indian corn during the famine.

   Ireland was in a terrible state during the famine; thousands of people were buried without coffins. Some were rolled up in white sheets and brought to the nearest church before burial. Others were buried in their own gardens, as their friends and neighbours were weakened with hunger, and they were not able to carry them any further.

   A few of the strongest men in the townland or neighbourhood, went at night and buried a dead body in a garden, and put a stone over the grave for a mark. In some places they were not buried at all. Some were taken away in emigrant ships, but few of them ever came to land again, for the ships were old and some were bottomless ones.

   The people dug fields, that were dug many times before, to get any old potatoes to eat.

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Teresa Beirne

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Edercloon, Co. Longford

   Informant

   Patrick Beirne

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   50

   Occupation

   Farmer

   Address

   Edercloon, Co. Longford