School: Cnoc na Groighe (B.), Ráth Mhór

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1. Some Tales of the Famine Period (continued)

   

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   His idea was to save the lives of his tenants and their children during the dreadful years of the Famine. My father, - the Lord have mercy on him - and his father and mother were then living in Knocknagree in the house now owned by Denis OConnor and in 1848 Mr. Coltsman brought them here and gave the charge of the mill to my father. At the same time he established a Court here and my father was appointed Court Clerk. Since then the house is known as the Courthouse. Mr. Coltsman went to Cork and bought grain and the farmers round about went with their horses and carts for it. It was brought here and ground and given FREE to all Mr. Coltsman's tenants 'rich' and poor. There were a certain number of "Scoops" for each but I cannot remember how many. This saved the people from starvation. I often heard my father tell how the poor people would take up the empty sacks when they would be thrown aside after carrying the grain to the mill and they (the people) would shake them and strike them to get any dust of meal they could out of them. My father was soon after appointed Relieving Officer and he often spoke of going to Millstreet Hospital and having to step over dead bodies when going through it. The Hospital was made up of a lot of sheds somewhere

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. time
      1. historical periods by name (~25)
         1. the great famine (~4,013)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Díarmuid Ó Múimhneacháin

   Gender

   Male

   Occupation

   Príomhoide

   Informant

   Miss Ellie Cronin

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   86

   Address

   Knocknagree, Co. Cork

   Informant

   Miss Julia Cronin

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Knocknagree, Co. Cork