Roscommon was one of the hardest hit counties during the Famine, losing 31 percent of its population.
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In 1845, County Roscommon was one of the first counties to record the appearance of the blight in the locality. The return of the disease the following year – earlier in the season and more lethal – resulted in an immediate increase in distress. On 12 October 1846, the … [Read more...] about Roscommon, Part III:
The Hungry Years
Famine
Roscommon, Part III:
The Black Stone on Bridge Street
Montreal's memorial to Irish Famine victims. ℘℘℘ In 1997, Irish people around the world will remember the 150th anniversary of the Famine that resulted in one million deaths and forced one million and a half to emigrate to Canada and the United States. The deplorable conditions these immigrants endured aboard ship resulted in a typhus epidemic that decimated many en route to a … [Read more...] about The Black Stone on Bridge Street
A "Blight-Free" Potato?
A variety of potato engineered to be resistant to the pathogen that caused the Great Irish Potato Famine has been approved for deregulation by the USDA. The J.R. Simplot Company’s so-called Innate potato is more resistant to bruising and black spots than most varieties. When cooked at high temperatures, this potato also produces less acrylamide, a chemical compound that some … [Read more...] about A "Blight-Free" Potato?
Forgotten Famine-era Graves
Discovered in Massachusetts
An estimated 600-900 neglected and forgotten Famine-era graves were discovered in Massachusetts in September when Rhode Islander Annie McMullen was attempting to trace her husband’s Irish ancestry in New England.
McMullen’s journey to discovery began several years ago when she became interested in learning more about her in-laws’ journey from Ireland to the U.S. She soon … [Read more...] about Forgotten Famine-era Graves
Discovered in Massachusetts
Galway’s Irish Famine Archives
An exciting new archive for a little known area of Irish Famine research was recently unveiled at NUI Galway. The Digital Irish Famine Archive shines a much-needed light on the eyewitness accounts of Irish famine emigrants to Canada between 1847-48 and the role of the many extraordinary people who helped them. Included in the archive are first hand accounts of the Sisters of … [Read more...] about Galway’s Irish Famine Archives