Famine

At the time of Bliain a Drochshaoil, as it was known in Glenfin, Tarlach na bPréatai who lived in Letterbrick happened to have a fairly good supply of potatoes. He sold a good lot and the people who gave him a springing heifer for a measure of potatoes were quite satisfied.

A Moneen man erected a new fence and hid his potatoes in the heart of the fence, least they be stolen. Men walked long distances to Meenlaharry where a new road was being made, where their pay was three pence a day.

Rinn Dálaigh na glaise coire brat achan lá agus thigeadh na bochta isteach agus fuair gach duine acu gugán brat. Stailpin was the name given to a mixture that was used as food at the time of the Famine. A vat filled with milk and binid a ghamhna (calf's rennet) added. It was left until it thickened, and then many people came for a meal of stailpin.

Landlord Style of Cloghan gave two pounds of meal per week to families on his estate. Some others of his tenants got broth twice a week. The little Broth house is still to be seen there.

That year five spades spent a day planting potatoes in Falgarrow. They had only the full of a stocking of seed to plant. The seed were so small that by the end of the day they had not succeeded in planting all the seed but they had plenty of potatoes the following year.

Bhí baintreach ann agus ni raibh aici ach lan stopa le cur. An bhliain 'na dhiaidh sin bhí sí ábalta tonna sa lá a bhaint on stópa.

Bhí fear a romhar ar a mhóinin anbhliain sin I ndeas don bhealach mhor agus bhí turnapai a fás ins an talamh sin an bhliain roimhré. Bhí sé ag fáil cuid dena turnapai ins an rómhar agus iad íontach beag. Chaith sé os cionn an talaimh iad. Bhí beirt chailín tuairim ar dhá bhliain deag a teacht a bealach mór agus shíl sé nach dtiocfadh leis ní bfhearr a dhéanamh ná na turnapaí a thógáil agus iad a thoirt dófa mar bhí fhios aige go raibh gort orthu sa bhaile. Thug sé dófa na turnapaí agus bhí athas iontach orthu. Thug siad na bhaile iad agus rinn siad trá maith daofa.

Bhí fear ag innse gur eirigh sé go luath ar maidin agus bhi daoine ag reathaidh amach as a bhoitheach ag fanacht go bhfuigheadh siad préataí nó rud éiginteacht a bhainfeadh an tocras daofa.

Bhí daoine le feiceáil I Leitir Bric ag dul fríd an airbhir nuair a fuaidh sé I gcraobh ag piocu an luibh a dtugadh siad a garrabhragach air agus a rósu agus dá ithe.

Bhí sé ráite go deachaidh beirt níonacha amach a bhaint trá phréataí ar maidin agus nach raibh oiread bainte tráthnóna acu agus a rinn pota beag brúitín.

An darna bliain chruinnigh fear cuid de na scídíni beaga agus sé a raibh de sheift aige iomaire mór leathan a dhéanamh a choimeach adh cúig scoilteáin ar leitheid agus agcrathá mar chraithfeadh sépoir de rud ar bith eile ar an iomaire. An tSamhraidh na dhiaidh sin bhí sé ag baint na bpreataí arais agus iad comh mór le turnapaí. Ní atharadh se an bhucaid go dtí go lionta í.

The blight came in a night of thunderstorms and a deluge of rain. Cows were left out until morning and anybody who was in had to stay in. The potato fields were black in the morning. Before that tragic night it was usual to get a creel of potatoes against a creel of dung. It was said that conditions in Glenfin were as bad in 1879 as they were in 1847.