Book about Irish Famine 1840's

[lyndo]

Found this book on-line yesterday.
Its a bit shocking.
I never knew it was so terrible, although I knew my family cleared out from there at the time.

I hope its OK to put the link here.
Moderator will govern that.
Anyway book is by Asenath Nicholson and is called "Annals of the Famine in Ireland" and was written at the time by eyewitness account.

Its on Irish Library site. If moderator removes link as you have to pay money for the ebook you could search the name of author and the title.

http://store.payloadz.com/details/1572833-ebooks-history-annals-of-the-famine-in-ireland-in-1847-1848-and-1849.html

If you live in another country like I do -  its hard to imagine what happened and it lets you understand why they were desperate to find new life.

lyndo

[dowdstree]

Hi Lyndo,

Thanks for your post and I am certainly going to take a look at this book. Unbelievable what they had to suffer and no wonder people left Ireland for a better life.

My own ancestors on my dad's side came over to Scotland from 3 different parts of Ireland.
The life that they had in Dundee - working in the Jute Mills and living in what we now consider to be slum conditions - was not ideal but must have been 100 times better. At least they could work and feed their families. I am so proud to be descended from them.

Dorrie

[lyndo]

Hi Dorrie,

Be prepared to shed some tears. Its heartrending.
A bit religiousy - she was some kind of missionary person I think - but I just absorbed that as part of the times they lived in.

And yes tough survivors who went to countries and worked their butts off to make a new life for their families. I share your pride in them.
Apparently many of the Irish lived in some kind of sod huts.
They had absolutely nothing.
Its a genocide kind of thing. I read that historians say that 4 million Irish died over 3 years timespan. Well not genocide because that is a planned thing.

Glad you want to read it. Its only $3.00
lyndo

[bibliotaphist]

Worth noting that the text of this book is available for free on the Internet Archive.

https://archive.org/details/texts?and%5B%5D=Annals%20Of%20The%20Famine%20In%20Ireland

[dowdstree]

Thanks for your info on downloading this book.
Afraid I am a bit old fashioned and like my books in hard copy - eyesight not what it used to be either.
Got a birthday soon and usually get some book tokens. See that Waterstones have it at £9.99 so I will treat myself.

Dorrie (Edinburgh)

[Sinann]

Apparently many of the Irish lived in some kind of sod huts.

You might like a read of this
http://www.askaboutireland.ie/reading-room/history-heritage/architecture/the-thatched-house-of-co/thatched-houses/materials-in-walls-and-ro/

[lyndo]

Thanks pstainsthorp,
I am sending the link to everyone who has Irish family that  I know, so they can download it.
I don't mind giving the Ireland library the money but it is nice to get something free.

I have learned a huge lesson from this.

I have pretty well finished my family history to my satisfaction. Now I realize that all I have is a few names on a bit of paper.
Now to redo the info I have, combined with history of the times and specific places.

To be truthful I was rocked to the core by the info in the little book.

I was too young to really understand the Biafra famine as a child, other than to have it said that a child in Biafra would be glad of the food I was turning up my nose at.

There have been famine's since, but they just passed over my head.
Never again. When someone asks for money for famine from now on I will be happy to give it.

[lyndo]

Hello Sinann,

Thanks for the link.

I have been unable to get onto the site from my home computer after numerous tries..
Can't even bring up askaboutireland.ie

Am going to the library to see if I can get it on their computers.

Its exactly the kind of site I need to learn about Ireland.

I will look at everything not just housing.

Thanks Rootschatters.  Never too old to learn something new, are we?

[jaybelnz]

Thank you Lyndo for the tip about this book.  And pstainthorpe for the Internet Archive ref?

I downloaded it earlier today onto my IPad from The Internet Archive. Not read it all yet of course, but finding it to be very sad and a real eye opener. (Especially as the 3x great Grandaughter of an Irish Gentry Landowner). 

Jeanne