School: Borrisoleigh, Glenkeen (roll number 590)
- Location:
- Buiríos Ó Luigheach, Co. Thiobraid Árann
- Teacher: Tomás de Búrca
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0544, Page 440
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- (continued from previous page)out the sight of houses which was occupied in that time. The potatoes failed that year and did not grow. They decayed in the pits so the people dug them out of the land to till it for the next year. The people sowed them in seeds like grain with their hands. The people that time had only the potatoes. Then the Government send cars with food and if they would become Protestant they would get the food. The people died in great numbers that time. There did a great sickness follow the Famine that time and it was called Colhera. The population of our district is very low. (End)
- Old people have told stories about the Great Famine. (1847.) This district was very thickly populated. But nearly all the people had to leave the district, and any of them that stayed behind died of hunger. The people had to sell oats, wheat and barley to pay their rent. The rents were very high at that time. There is a lot of ruins of houses to be seen. These houses were said to be occupied before the famine.
The people came round with food from the Government. If they turned Protestants the would get yellow meal or cabbage but if they remained Catholic they would not get any. - Collector
- Mary Bourke
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- An Chúlchoill, Co. Thiobraid Árann
- Informant
- Patrick Bourke
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 65
- Address
- An Chúlchoill, Co. Thiobraid Árann
