School: Galmoy
- Location:
- Galmoy, Co. Kilkenny
- Teacher: Dll. Ó Duinn
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0869, Page 222
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- XML “Famine Times”
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- The old people of this district tell many stories about the famine in 1846 - 47. There were about ten people in this district to every one after it. At that time there were twelve or more houses in Pinchback lane.
The year before the famine the potato crop was a great success. The people did not know what to do with them and they threw them out in the ditches. When the blight came the people did not know what it was. The potato stalks were burned to the clay. The potatoes turned black on top. The amount of good potatoes they had were kept being afraid to sow them lest the blight should come again. They did not sow any potatoes for a couple years afterwards.
At that time the potatoes were sown in ridges in grass fields. The ridge was the length of the field and about six feet in breradth. These were six sods ploughed with a single plough drawn with one horse. the manure they used was grass sods that had been burnt. They used cut the sods pile them and leave them to wither and dry.
The poor people got Indian meal from the government. They did not know how to cook it. Some used to put it down and never stir it. others use rise it up raw.
The people could either get into the workhouse, emigrate or die at home of starvation. Some died in the ditches. Others died while they were walking along(continues on next page)
- Collector
- null
- Gender
- Female
- Informant
- null
- Gender
- Female
