School: Bloomhill
- Location:
- Cluain Creamha, Co. Uíbh Fhailí
- Teacher: C. Nic Annraoi
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0812, Page 429
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- XML “Famine Times”
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- This district was very badly affected by the famine and it was much more thickly populated before the famine than it is now. There are at least seven ruins of houses which were vacated after the famine. The blight fell on our potatoes and the potatoes rotted in the ground. The people used make boxty with the potatoes which were black but not altogether decayed. That was the Chief food. This is how boxty was made:-
All the potatoes which were "Black", that is beginning to decay were selected. A rasp was made by putting holes in the bottom of a saucepan. The potatoes were rasped or scraped with this. Then the pulp was put into a cloth and the water squeezed out of it. Some houses make flour (that is wheat ground at home) was put in and a pinch of salt.
This was flattened out like potato cake nowadays, cut into parts and baked on a griddle. It was eaten with milk and butter and is supposed to have been very wholesome. At that time too they used eat ball-cote's eggs(continues on next page)
