School: Benbawn

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1. Tales of the Irish Famine (continued)

   

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   The corn was put into a vessel called a quern, and then pounded with an other stone, the seeds were taken off by putting the meal into water, and they were skimmed off. The potatoes were only the size of marbles, a man then digging potatoes and working hard could carry them home on his back.
   The Americans sent over money, and the English sent over Indian meal. There were poor-houses then in nearly every country town. The Indian meal was sent to these poor-houses, and those that had money bought the meal, and the poor people got it free. The people were put to work, smoothing roads, and making the hills level.
   Their wages which were 1d per day, and food which they got three times per day, consisted of Indian gruel, and water. After a time diseases broke out among them, and hundreds of them died behind the ditches of starvation and weakness.
   There is told a story of four brothers who went to the graveyard with their brother to bury him, and one of them collapsed

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Olive Ebbitt

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Drumerkillew, Co. Cavan

   Informant

   Willie Parr

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Cordoagh Glebe Upper, Co. Cavan