School: Ballymahon (B.) (roll number 12690)

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1. The Famine

   

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   During the famine great numbers of people died in this district. Before the famine this district was much more thickly populated about half of the people being wiped out by it. There are many houses particularly around Moigh and Ballymulvey districts which were occupied before the famine but are now in ruins. In Moigh there were about twelve families completely wiped out by the famine. The potatoes first started to fail in the year eighteen forty four and continued to get worse until in the eighty forty six forty seven season there were no potatoes at all. It was in the ground the potatoes decayed and not in the pits. there was no relief at all given in this district and a great number of people from this district besides dying went to America and other countries. The people died in great numbers during the famine and the people ate grass, dead horses dogs, birds and rats and anything at all they could get. There was terrible sickness and disease for years after the famine. I did not hear of the potato crop failing at any other time though in 1924 they were very bad.

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Harry Flood

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Ballymahon, Co. Longford

   Informant

   Mr A. Kearney

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   62

   Address

   Ballymahon, Co. Longford