School: Mainistir na Croise, Thurles (roll number 1811)

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1. Famine Times (continued)

   

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   but starvation. They had not anything to eat when the potatoes failed and many people died with hunger and sickness. People still point out the sites of the old ruined houses where these people lived and how numerous they were in olden times.
   The people were so hungry that they ate the grass in the fields and they ate the black potatoes. The black potatoes even killed them too. The famine was called the black famine. The people had not even black bread to eat. This great famine occurred in the year eighteen forty seven and it was the cause of Ireland being so smally populated. It is said that the dogs ate the people with hunger. The people were not able to with hunger and weakness. They crept from place to place. Crowds of people were found dead in the ditches and lanes and by the roadside and their mouths green from eating grass. Any people who had turnips to eat were very glad to have them to eat but very few had them.

   

   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

   Philip Ryan

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Killeenyarda, Co. Tipperary