Black

A Relief Committee was set up which was charged by the Government with providing assistance through local schemes of public works and through the notorious Workhouses. The Hon. Sec. of that committee was the Rev, George Maxell and he sent a letter to the government in Dublin in Feb 1847 with a list of those who subscribed to the Relief Fund.

The total amount collected came to £170.4s 7d, eventually the committee received £83.10s as a grant for the Relief of hunger. so the grand sum of £253.14s7d was all that stood between the people of askeaton and certain starvation.

The relief committee was trying to feed 7000 people who had been deprived of their staple food, the potato by the blight. A number of factors made the task of the Askeaton relief committee very difficult. These same factors applied to the entire county and by looking at how events fared in our own town it is easy to discover why 1847 became known as "Black'47".

Firstly, the population of Askeaton had exploded in the 10 years prior to the famine. In 1831 the combined population of Askeaton, Lismakeery, Morgan's, and Toomdeely was 5967. In just three years i.e. in 1834 it had risen 6248 Iveruss, i.e. Ballysteen had grown in those years from 1884 to 1978. One can only presume that this growth continued until the famine began. This would have meant that almost 10.000 people were living in the area in 1845.Most of these poor people, working as labourers and growing enough potatoes to feed their families.

The second reason for the tragically high number of deaths during 1846, 1847, and 1848 was the British government was slow to respond to calls for aid. It has always been alleged that if the government had wished it could have saved the lives of almost a million people. This is absolutely true. However, it is easy to criticize from the distance of 150 years. The government was far removed from the reality of the situation and it was also restricted by the fact that in those days it was not considered proper or moral for the government to provide charity. When they finally agreed to set up the workhouses their decision was considered as revolutionary by many and dangerously radical by some. When one considers how much modern governments are expected to provide for the welfare of their citizens it is strange to think that in the 1840's politicians were branded as red revolutionaries for daring to save lives with public money.

The first workhouse for the Rathkeale area was built on the site of the present Shannon meats co. in Rathkeale town. This was already overcrowded by Feb 1847 as Rev. Maxwell stated in his letter. As things grew worse and more people needed assistance Auxiliary Workhouses were built to cater for the extra numbers. There were three of these in Askeaton as well as a fever hospital. The largest of these Auxiliary workhouses was in BallyEngland. The others were in Main St, and in Mussle lane. The remains of the fever hospital can still be seen beside the Wyeth's Road. I have not been able to find out exactly how many inmates were in these places in 1847. However I think that one may judge the number from the fact that four years later in 1851 there were still 828 people in these institutions despite the fact that food was no longer scarce.

But despite the work of Relief Committees, Auxiliary workhouses, a Fever Hospital the famine tool a terrible toll on Askeaton. Some were lucky to get passage to America on Coffin ships. But many Askeaton people were not so lucky and found their resting place in unmarked, often mass graves beside the old Fever Hospital. The Census figures for 1851 tell the story far better than any words.

PARISH	1834	1848	1851
Askeaton Lismakeera Morgan's Toomdeely	4012 1314 487 435	An Estimate	3182 569 316 281
Total	6248	8000app.	4348

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