School: Castletowngeoghegan (C.) (roll number 2093)
- Location:
- Castletown Geoghegan, Co. Westmeath
- Teacher: C. Ní Chonaire
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0734, Page 464
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- (continued from previous page)of thousands of people who lived in this district during the Famine years are to be found on the banks of the Saint John River in New Brunswick, and on the banks of Lake Ontario and Erie. There are to be found the final resting places of many of Ireland's sons and daughters, an unbroken chain of graves where repose fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers in one commingled heap without a tear bedewing the soil or a stone to mark the spot.
In some parts of the district there was a society called the "Quaker Society". It consisted mostly of Protestants. They were very generous to the poor people and they always shared a portion of their meals with them. Some people said they were so generous because they wanted the people to turn away from the true Faith, but some of them would rather die than do that.
In the year 1848 the Government distributed some seed oats and potatoes to the people, but the majority of them were too weak to sow them. Those who were able to sow them did so and that year the potato crop grew again and the people had means of support once more.
