Great Famine in the Skibbereen and Schull Workhouses

The workhouse was the final refuge for thousands of starving people during Ireland's Great Hunger. The Skibbereen Union was one of the worst affected areas in Ireland by the crisis and its workhouse was grossly overcrowded, and so the smaller workhouse at Schull was opened in the early 1850s.
Thousands died in the Skibbereen Workhouse during the Famine of the 1840s and these victims were first buried in the infamous 'Famine Pits' at Abbeystrowry but, from 1847 onwards, they were buried 'in trenches' in the workhouse burial ground.
This short film gives brings us some eye witness accounts from the Skibbereen Workhouse Burial Ground of conditions in the workhouse itself and the awful circumstances surrounding burials there in mass graves.
All images and text © Skibbereen Heritage Centre

[@teresaburke8535]

Heart wrenching details of how our wretched neighbours of Famine times ended their lives..

[@myhousenow]

😢

[@kriptoow]

Hello I am desperately trying to find my nana birthplace, she said she was born in Skibereen in 1913, can you help ?

[@skibbereenheritagecentre8706]

Hi Wendy, please email our genealogist your query on [e-mail] ... best of luck with it!

[@allisonshaw9341]

Great Britain will have hell to pay come Judgment Day for how it treated the Irish people.

[@MrMrFishtacos]

A complete disregard for keltic life

[@jerryfields4837]

thanks brits,, AGAIN...3 thousand english pounds she sent for famine relief, and then spent 250, 000 pounds on the memorial for her dead husband...i drive by that graveyard everyday and bless myself for those poor souls..i hope if there is a God he was watching this and give those poor souls everlasting happiness