Contributed by Joanne McEntee The above verse, taken from Amhrán
na bPrátaí Dubha (The Song of the Black Potatoes), starkly
reveals the immense impact of the Great Famine 1845-50. While it
is easy to get lost in figures with the 1851 census revealing
how at a national level some 2,400,000 or more than a quarter of
the population were lost through death or emigration, one can
only imagine the effect of such losses at a local level. Various
museums exist across the country that exploring different
aspects of the famine from a local perspective. From Doagh to
Donaghmore, and from St. Mary’s Church, to the Jeanie Johnston
to mention but a few, such local sites act as significant
reminders in their vicinities and beyond of both the suffering
and immense endurance of man. Although billed as the Irish
national famine museum, the Strokestown Park museum, Roscommon
appears to remain outside of the consciousness of many. Read
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