School: Gort an Gharrdha (roll number 11384)

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1. Famine Stories (continued)

   

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   sixty bonhams. These he would fatten on the potatoes he expected. But soon his hopes were dashed. He saw his own splendid looking crop as well as those of his neighbours wither before his eyes. Soon his food supply ran out and the most of his pigs died of the hunger. But Mr Farrell did what was never done before. He ate the pigs for food, No one ever eat [sic] meat up to that time.
   There was at that time another man in the townland of Fortwilliam, Mr Meagher. He heard that James Farrell had eaten the pigs meat. So he killed his one pig, and that used meat for the first time.
   This terrible famine had terrible effects. People died by hundreds at home and on the roads into Nenagh workhouse. The potato ridges in the hills were never touched and are there distinctively to-day. People left their hungry homes in the hills and those valleys and level spots which once sheltered happy homes, soon watched over homeless ruins. On top of this came

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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

   Informant

   Richard Bourke

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   70

   Occupation

   Mason

   Address

   Blean, Co. Tipperary