3/10 part 3 - Famine Ships, and Picturesque Inistioge

We left Waterford City and went to New Ross to visit a replica of the Dunbrody famine ship and along the way Brendan talked about the famine. The Irish plight was so awful that it made news everywhere and in 1847s the American Choctaw Indians donated $170 for Irish relief. Pretty amazing, considering the Choctaws were still recovering from the Trail of Tears 16 years previously.

The Dunbrody was a merchant vessel that was modified to carry passengers, although not in any comfort. At this point people were so desperate to start a new life that they were willing to accept even these spartan conditions.

In these ship each family would have been allotted an area of maybe 6 ft by 4 ft. Even if you were traveling single, you shared someone else's space. Often up to 50% of the passengers died during the trip from disease, which spread easily in these conditions. The Dunbrody had a better record that most ships; in one trip with 313 passengers (how did they all fit in?), only 6 people died. She normally carried a much lower number, 200 or so.

People emigrated because they were looking for something better, or because the English who owned their land wanted them out so the land could be converted to grazing. Sometimes the landlord would pay the seafare, just to have them gone. People showed up at the dock with everything they had been able to carry away from their home, only to find they were not allowed to take anything that didn't fit into the small bed areas. They had to leave it on the dock.

People in these small cubbyholes were only allowed on deck for 20 minutes a day. It would have been dark, damp, noisy, and full of sick people. Meals would have been sparse but welcomed.

Not everyone was traveling destitute. Some people who wanted to go to America had enough to travel in a private cabin. Dunbrody had two and although they might not be first class by our standards, they were excellent when compared to the alternative. These lucky folks had unlimited access to the fresh air on deck and much better food.

The docent who acted the part of a poor passenger had a very different accent from the one who portrayed the wealthy passenger. I liked her sing-song accent and the way her voice dipped down a little at the end of each sentence.

The Dunbrody galley was interesting. Not sure how one prepared any meals on this boat, much less in here!

Time to leave this distressing past behind and head back to our luxurious hotel. 

As we rode, Brendan kept us entertained. He told us that the small item hanging in the cab of the bus was a Bridget's cross. It's the kind made by school children, usually from rushes, and is shaped more like a plus-sign than a cross. It's a very traditional item, often hung in houses or shops.

He mentioned famine walls, which were dry-stone walls built during the famine. Unlike farm stone walls, these walls don't usually serve a real fencing purpose. Landlords would set people the job of creating a wall and pay them a penny a day, which would clear the land of stones and provide a bare substance living.

And he told the story of P.J. O'Hare and the leprechaun suit. P.J. One day in 1989 O'Hare was out walking on Slieve Foy mountain when he heard someone call. He searched and found a small suit of green clothes with 4 gold coins and some small bones. P.J., a publican (pub owner) brought it all back to display in his pub - and it's still there.  

He talked about Fairy Trees, which are hawthorn trees. Nobody quite believes that they are protected by fairies but nobody wants to them down, either. Brendan told about a contractor who told his employee to cut one down. The employee wouldn't do it, he said if the guy wanted that tree cut down, he could do it himself. In the end neither one cut it down. 

Along the way back to the hotel we stopped at what Brenden had listed as "the very picturesque village of Inistioge." Well, he was right, it was picturesque, starting with the 10-arch bridge into town. It's so picturesque that they have sheep grazing right where they are visible through the bridge arches. How's that for accommodating?

Lovely town, lovely sights, and such handsome men!

The medieval St. Mary's church is drop-dead beautiful, even if we couldn't go inside (it's still in use). To the back of it are the ruins of an older Augustinian Priory and on the right is the new (1846) Catholic Church of St. Columcille. What I loved was the extensive graveyard beside it. I stayed as long as I could but we didn't have time to go through the whole thing.

We did find time to slip into a pub for a few minutes, for something to tide us over on the long drive back.

On to dinner in Kilkenny. Tonight I had Duck Terrine, Spinach and Ricotta Tortellini, and warm Apple & Cinnamon Crumble. Randy had Poached Salmon Rillettes, Roast Sirloin of Irish Beef, and Passionfruit Cheesecake. Afterwards Randy went to the spa and I enjoyed a long, hot bubble bath. Wonderful!