School: Cill Chais, Cluain Meala (roll number 596)

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1. The Famine (continued)

   

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   to the richer people for 1 cwt. of meal, and in many cases the starving poor were helped by the kind richer people. The Government gave help in this part to the younger people to emigrate. Many left Toor, Kilcash and other town lands of this parish and went to America and Australia with the money given them by the Government. The Government also helped by giving supplies of yellow meal which were wholly insufficient.

   
   There was a notice put up in the turnips gardens.

   "Take one, Take two
   But if you take three, I'll take you"

   meaning that the people could take two turnips from the garden but not more. This notice was put by people who had turnips to spare or were willing to help those who were starving.

   Flour, or at least a kind of flour, used to be made from beans. My grandmother remembered seeing it made. My grandfather remembered seeing bowls of yellow meal stirabout being put out to cool on the ditch opposite the school. It was on the ditch opposite the school. It was so watery they had to put it out in the air to cool.

   
   The village of Kilcash was thickly populated in the days before the famine and there were many

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   C. Ní Mhainnín

   Gender

   Female