School: Tuaim Gréine, Lúbán Díge
- Location:
- Tomgraney, Co. Clare
- Teacher: Pádraig Ó Cadhla
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0591, Page 225
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- XML “The Famine”
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- The famine occured in the years of 1846 and 1847. It was caused by the blight that destroyed the potatoe crop in the Summer of 1845 and again in the Summer of 1846. The Irish people in those years unfortunately left themselves dependent for food upon the potatoe crop and the result of the potatoe failure was great starvation among them.
About one million people died of hunger or of disease caused by hunger in those famine years, and about one million is supposed to have emigrated to the United State and other countries to escape death from hunger at home.
Work-houses were built for the poor people who had not enough money to pay for food. Mrs. O'Callaghan of Raheen was a matron in the Work-house in Scariff. My mother told me that her mother Mrs. Scott was born the last year of the famine.
Some of the people who had no food used to eat raw turnips and seaweed. The people died so quickly the they were buried coffinless and they were often found dead on the roadside.
In 1921 in order to prevent the Black-and-Tans from staying in the Work-house in Scariff they removed the patients and burned the Workhouse.
