All four of my grandparents came from Ireland. One grandmother came from County Down where the Famine supposedly was not severe but my Great Great Grandparents Edward Rice and Brigid Brannigan Rice, died from TB as a result of the Famine. They left two small orphaned daughters. With Famine came disease, the following is a partial list of the diseases that contributed to the estimated one million people who died as a result of the the Great Hunger (An Gorta Mor). Typhus Relapsing Fever Dysentery Bacillary Dysentery Hunger Oedema Scurvy Ophthalmia Cholera TB As mentioned in other posts there are many excellent books about The Great Hunger, along with Cecil Woodam-Smith, a few others are: This Great Calamity The Irish Famine 1845-1852 by Christine Kineally -Excellent The Darkest Years - A Famine Story- Michael Mullen, native of Castlebar, County Mayo (the book is based on the records of the Connaught Telegraph). Irish Famine Facts by John Keathing The Irish Famine by Peter Gray Famine Diary Jouney to a New World by Gerald Keegan The 1851 Census reflects the great cost of human life lost to the Great Hunger and immigration, mostly caused to escape the desperate conditions in Ireland. After calculating for the natural growth of a population it was determined that more than a quarter of the population was lost during the Great Hunger, more than 1,100,000 starved to death or died from diseases caused by An Gorta Mor. 1846-1851 ( does not include 1845 or 1852, both Famine years) Average annual excess mortality by county. The following death statistics per county is taken from "The Irish Famine" by Peter Gray Yearly deaths per thousand: 50,000-60,000 Counties: Mayo Sligo Western Leitrim 40,000-50,000 Leitrim Cavan Roscommon Galway 30,000-40,000 Clare Cork 20,000-30,000 Fermanagh Monaghan Longford Westmeath Tipperary Kerry Waterford Laois 10,000-20,000 Donegal Antrim Tyrone Armagh Offaly Limerick Kilkenny Meath Wicklow 0-10,000 Derry Down Louth Kildare Carlow Wexford Dublin The following information is taken from "Irish Famine Facts" by John Keating: Decline of the population between 1841-1841 More than 25% Counties: Fermanagh -26% Monaghan -29% Cavan -28% Sligo -29% Mayo - 29% Roscommon -32% Longford -29% Leitrim -28% Galway - 27% Laois -27% Clare -26% 20-25% Counties: Limerick -21% Tipperary -24% Cork -24% Westmeath - 21% Meath - 23% Offaly- 23% Wicklow - 22% Carlow - 21% Kilkenny - 22% 15-20% Counties: Tyrone 18% Armagh - 16% Louth - 16% Kildare-16% Waterford - 16% Kerry - 19% 10 - 15% Counties: Donegal- 14% Derry - 14% Down - 11% Wexford - 11% Less than 10% Counties: Antrim 9% *no stats for Dublin Michael Davitt a native of Straid, County Mayo was a small child during An Gorta Mor when he and his family were evicted from their home. The family left for England where Micahel lost his arm due to a manufacturing accident while working in a factory, he was about 12 years old. The victims of eviction were not allowed to seek shelter from relatives or friends and many lay on the road near their home dying from starvation and disease. Two years of the Great Hunger are missing from the following statistics. Taken from Irish Famine Facts by John Keating. Evictions: 1846 - 4,000 Families 1847- 6,000 Families 1848 - 9,500 Families 1849 - 16,500 Families 1850 - 20,000 Families 1851 - 13,000 Families I've included this information to give you a glimpse of what was happening in Ireland. There are a lot of sites on the internet that provide a lot of detail including newspaper accounts during An Gorta Mor. >From a book about Michael Davitt I learned about a Famine Grave in Swinford. My cousin who knows most details about our parish of Kilconduff was unaware of this Famine Grave. Close to 600 Famine victims were thrown unceremoniously in a large grave up behind the Fever hospital, no religious ceremony was allowed at the time of the burial. The Famine Grave is up behind the Fever Hospital on the Dublin Road. Hidden behind a vale of drooping branches is a most incredible monument dedicated to the victims of An Gorta Mor. In 1994 Arun Gandhi and his wife Sunanda Gandhi dedicated the monument in memory of all the souls who lost their lives to An Gorta Mor. There is a carved picture of Michael Davitt and Mahatma Gandhi and a carving of a St. Brigid's Cross. The following is what appears on the monument. "Here lie the remains of hundreds of poor people who died during Ireland's so called Great Famine In 1879 Michael Davitt visited this grave before founding the National Land League. Their memory challenges us to continue the struggle for a more just and equitable world." Quote by Davitt - "To Ireland I leave the undying prayer for absolute freedom and independence which it was my life's ambition to try and obtain for her". Quote by Mahatma Gandhi - "The earth has enough for everyone's needs But not enough for everyone's greed". Unveiled by Arun Gandhi grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and Sundanda Gandhi on Sunday, May 8, 1994. I have been in correspondence with Arun Gandhi and he continues his grandfather's work toward peace. He walked with others on a ten mile walk beyond Pontoon, in honor of a group of Famine victims who were told they could not receive any food unless they showed up at the workhouse first thing in the morning. They walked in snow all night to arrive in time at the workhouse, but sadly many died during the walk. For any of you who have the opportunity to visit Swinford, a visit to the Famine Grave is a powerful experience. Beannachtai, Margaret

Margaret~ Thanks so much for taking the time to record this excellent data! I had thoughts of putting together a piece this weekend. No need. I think listers who have not really read too much can see how horrible and complex this was. The books you and Ocean mentioned are tremendous resource material for people who want to know the total story. Anyone going to Mayo should take the drive from Louisburgh where 300 (amount varies) had come for help after being turned away at Westport House and told to go to the English Officer at Louisburgh. Take the road out toward Leenane. This is where the authorities at Louisburgh told them to go to Delphi House for assistance. It was winter, raining and they were starving sick. On the way to Leenane is a cross LEFT side of the road. This was placed by Bishop Desmond Tutu several years ago. He was accompanied by members of the American Indian Tribe who sent assistance to the starving people. At Delphi House they were again refused aid and forced to return to Louisburgh. Mary Ellen Chambers conaught2 <conaught2@charter.net> wrote: All four of my grandparents came from Ireland. One grandmother came from County Down where the Famine supposedly was not severe but my Great Great Grandparents Edward Rice and Brigid Brannigan Rice, died from TB as a result of the Famine. They left two small orphaned daughters. With Famine came disease, the following is a partial list of the diseases that contributed to the estimated one million people who died as a result of the the Great Hunger (An Gorta Mor). Typhus Relapsing Fever Dysentery Bacillary Dysentery Hunger Oedema Scurvy Ophthalmia Cholera TB As mentioned in other posts there are many excellent books about The Great Hunger, along with Cecil Woodam-Smith, a few others are: This Great Calamity The Irish Famine 1845-1852 by Christine Kineally -Excellent The Darkest Years - A Famine Story- Michael Mullen, native of Castlebar, County Mayo (the book is based on the records of the Connaught Telegraph). Irish Famine Facts by John Keathing The Irish Famine by Peter Gray Famine Diary Jouney to a New World by Gerald Keegan The 1851 Census reflects the great cost of human life lost to the Great Hunger and immigration, mostly caused to escape the desperate conditions in Ireland. After calculating for the natural growth of a population it was determined that more than a quarter of the population was lost during the Great Hunger, more than 1,100,000 starved to death or died from diseases caused by An Gorta Mor. 1846-1851 ( does not include 1845 or 1852, both Famine years) Average annual excess mortality by county. The following death statistics per county is taken from "The Irish Famine" by Peter Gray Yearly deaths per thousand: 50,000-60,000 Counties: Mayo Sligo Western Leitrim 40,000-50,000 Leitrim Cavan Roscommon Galway 30,000-40,000 Clare Cork 20,000-30,000 Fermanagh Monaghan Longford Westmeath Tipperary Kerry Waterford Laois 10,000-20,000 Donegal Antrim Tyrone Armagh Offaly Limerick Kilkenny Meath Wicklow 0-10,000 Derry Down Louth Kildare Carlow Wexford Dublin The following information is taken from "Irish Famine Facts" by John Keating: Decline of the population between 1841-1841 More than 25% Counties: Fermanagh -26% Monaghan -29% Cavan -28% Sligo -29% Mayo - 29% Roscommon -32% Longford -29% Leitrim -28% Galway - 27% Laois -27% Clare -26% 20-25% Counties: Limerick -21% Tipperary -24% Cork -24% Westmeath - 21% Meath - 23% Offaly- 23% Wicklow - 22% Carlow - 21% Kilkenny - 22% 15-20% Counties: Tyrone 18% Armagh - 16% Louth - 16% Kildare-16% Waterford - 16% Kerry - 19% 10 - 15% Counties: Donegal- 14% Derry - 14% Down - 11% Wexford - 11% Less than 10% Counties: Antrim 9% *no stats for Dublin Michael Davitt a native of Straid, County Mayo was a small child during An Gorta Mor when he and his family were evicted from their home. The family left for England where Micahel lost his arm due to a manufacturing accident while working in a factory, he was about 12 years old. The victims of eviction were not allowed to seek shelter from relatives or friends and many lay on the road near their home dying from starvation and disease. Two years of the Great Hunger are missing from the following statistics. Taken from Irish Famine Facts by John Keating. Evictions: 1846 - 4,000 Families 1847- 6,000 Families 1848 - 9,500 Families 1849 - 16,500 Families 1850 - 20,000 Families 1851 - 13,000 Families I've included this information to give you a glimpse of what was happening in Ireland. There are a lot of sites on the internet that provide a lot of detail including newspaper accounts during An Gorta Mor. >From a book about Michael Davitt I learned about a Famine Grave in Swinford. My cousin who knows most details about our parish of Kilconduff was unaware of this Famine Grave. Close to 600 Famine victims were thrown unceremoniously in a large grave up behind the Fever hospital, no religious ceremony was allowed at the time of the burial. The Famine Grave is up behind the Fever Hospital on the Dublin Road. Hidden behind a vale of drooping branches is a most incredible monument dedicated to the victims of An Gorta Mor. In 1994 Arun Gandhi and his wife Sunanda Gandhi dedicated the monument in memory of all the souls who lost their lives to An Gorta Mor. There is a carved picture of Michael Davitt and Mahatma Gandhi and a carving of a St. Brigid's Cross. The following is what appears on the monument. "Here lie the remains of hundreds of poor people who died during Ireland's so called Great Famine In 1879 Michael Davitt visited this grave before founding the National Land League. Their memory challenges us to continue the struggle for a more just and equitable world." Quote by Davitt - "To Ireland I leave the undying prayer for absolute freedom and independence which it was my life's ambition to try and obtain for her". Quote by Mahatma Gandhi - "The earth has enough for everyone's needs But not enough for everyone's greed". Unveiled by Arun Gandhi grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and Sundanda Gandhi on Sunday, May 8, 1994. I have been in correspondence with Arun Gandhi and he continues his grandfather's work toward peace. He walked with others on a ten mile walk beyond Pontoon, in honor of a group of Famine victims who were told they could not receive any food unless they showed up at the workhouse first thing in the morning. They walked in snow all night to arrive in time at the workhouse, but sadly many died during the walk. For any of you who have the opportunity to visit Swinford, a visit to the Famine Grave is a powerful experience. Beannachtai, Margaret ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to IRL-MAYO-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Dear Mary Ellen, Roger and Oceanstrands, When I wrote the post I didn't look at my notes for the name of the the Famine Walk which takes place each year. As you an Oceanstrands mentioned it was the DOOLOUGH Famine Walk where Mahatma Gandhi's grandson Arun Gandhi and his wife Sunanda Gandhi marched in memory of those poor souls who were forced to walk many miles in harsh weather during the night to only be turned away the next morning. I am very fortunate because after corresponding with Mr. Gandhi, the organization which sponsors the Famine Walk each year sent me a program for the year Mr. Gandhi participated. There are many excellent books about An Gorta Mor (Great Hunger). My Mother read me Cecil Woodham-Smith's book when I was in grammar school. While the book has always been considered the definitive work on An Gorta Mor, "This Great Calamity" by Christine Kinealy is also excellent and has some eye opeing information. Aid to the Irish came from all over the world as stated in Christine Kinealy's book: "The first contribution received is thought to have come from Calcutta in 1846 and amounted to 14,000 pounds. In July 1847, Calcutta sent fruther 2,500 pounds for Irish relief via the Society of Friends. A sum of 3,000 pounds was also sent from Bombay. Subscribers for the distressed IRish were also raised in Florence, Itlay, where an Irish Relief Fund was established and a society ball was held for this purpose. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul om France sent 110,000 francs, and the negroes of Antigua...from their own scanty resources raised 144 pounds. The House of Assembly in Jamaica voted 2,000 pounds towards the mitigation of Irish distress in remembrance of the fact that, 65 years earlier, Ireland had sent 2,000 pounds to Barbados when that island had been destroyed by hurricanes. A Famine Relief Committe was established in Hobart in Van Diemen's Land which throughout 1847 sent both regular cash donations and also wheat for the relief of Irish distress. Their final donation was sent in November 1847. In 1847 when most of the charitable donations had ceased, an unusual one was sent by a tribe of Red Indians from Oklahoma in America. The Choctaw Tribe, which had been forced from their own lands in 1831, had heard of the suffering of the population in the DOOLOUGH district in the Westport Union. They sent a donation of $170.00 for distribution among the local population". The U.S. sent the largest amount of money, over a million dollars and also sent food. It was remarkable to see those who least could afford to send help, did so from Antigua and the Choctaw Nation. Amdist the tragedy of the coffin ships, the starvation, disease and evictions it is overwhelming to see the goodness of heart of so many. Beannachtai, Margaret (Máiread)