Mapping Famine Roads

Mapping Famine Roads (33:35) explores some of the most desolate and yet beautiful settings where these roads were built on the island of Ireland in the 1840s. The creation of Famine Roads as ostensible relief projects at the height of the Great Hunger in 1847 remains one of its most contentious legacies in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. These so-called ‘roads to nowhere’ are often bitterly remembered as misguided public works that exposed hunger-stricken labourers to inclement weather in desolate settings for a mere pittance to survive. Yet these bleak reminders of the Great Hunger also tend to traverse some of the most scenic landscapes and areas of outstanding natural beauty in Ireland, North and South, although they are usually difficult to find. This film brings you on a journey to some of the most remarkable ones.
Our guides Professor Eileen Murphy and Dr Colm Donnelly from Queens’ University Belfast have recently led a community archaeology project to excavate the Famine Road in Boho, County Fermanagh (earth.google.c..., which serves now as a monument to the events of 175 years ago when it was created. Mike Murphy from University College Cork explores the cultural significance and topographical features of Famine Roads in Glenville (earth.google.c...) and the Healy Pass in County Cork (earth.google.c.... The Killary Harbour Famine Road in County Galway (earth.google.c..., Coolorta Famine Road in the Burren National Park (earth.google.c...) in County Clare, and Slieve Gullion Famine Wall in County Armagh are all located in especially scenic surroundings. Each of these Famine Roads and walls can be visited with the aid of newly created maps in the film and in the standalone virtual resources above.
Mapping Famine Roads is hosted by the National Famine Museum, Strokestown Park and Irish Heritage Trust with funding from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media under the Cooperation with Northern Ireland Funding Scheme 2022. This film was made in collaboration with Professor Eileen Murphy and Dr Colm Donnelly from the School of Natural & Built Environment and Centre for Community Archaeology at Queen's University Belfast, and Michael Murphy from the Department of Geography at University College Cork. It also features Phoebe Larkin from the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Anthony Russell, and Caroilin Callery from the Irish Heritage Trust. Sean McLaughlin kindly allowed the community archaeological excavation of the Boho Famine Road to take place on his land in County Fermanagh. Drone footage of Boho Famine Road was taken by Ryan Montgomery of Queen's University Belfast.

[@carmelhegarty9829]

I am from Co.Mayo- I know that my Ancestors SUFFERED absolutely Inhumane conditions. Yet they survived as we are the IRISH and we are hard to break, our ROOTS are strong and our footprints still live in every grain of our tearful past and soil. Thank you for this post. Diá dháoibh Éire agus Céad Béannachtaí. 🙏🇮🇪🙏🇮🇪🙏

[@Irelandunited2012]

And never forget that the English could have prevented this and they used it instead, as an act of war.

[@jamesfitzpatrick6100]

Fascinating stuff and great research. Is information available on such roads county by county ? I am interested in co Cork, particularly near the city.

[@maxiculture]

In 1847 John and Jane Morris together with their two little girls and John's sister Ellen, sailed from Westmeath to South Australia. The elder girl was Letitia my great grandmother. My mother's granny who was 7 when they sailed. Life was hard for them. John died soon after arrival. Jane remarried a widower 3 years later. She died after several years. No family stories mentioned famine.

[@Celtic2Realms]

Very interesting. Is the blue clay in the Fermanagh road the same blue clay used on the Nendrum tidal mill in 620 AD

[@lorrainegriffiths554]

my Mckenna family moved from Monaghan to Fermanagh during the famine.

[@lorrainegriffiths554]

shocking that starving people had to work for food at that time

[@RevoeLad]

This is the main thing that makes me embarrassed of my country it could have and should have been prevented.

[@waynemcauliffe-fv5yf]

Wicked

[@tonymcginnity4957]

It was shocking to find out how much food was exported during this time in history.

[@geovanniali6060]

❤

[@Robbie7441]

Why is the famine of 1740 never talked about? Strange that.

[@genevievedolan1288]

Because bad as it was it wasn’t as bad as the 1847 famine that completely decimated the population. But you are right , the other famines should also be better known.

[@mattpotter8725]

As an Englishman with Irish heritage from a couple of the countries shown, I've not far away at all from where they were from, that I'm currently researching I'm just lost for words. I don't think the English ruling class as a whole, that in all honesty haven't changed that much since these times, don't want people to know about what was done by those in power, many who still just don't care about anyone but themselves. I guess the Victorian thought was that people shouldn't just get hand outs, something you still hear today, but making starving people do hard labour is just beyond the pale (no pun intended) and criminal, especially because there was enough food to feed everyone but that food was to be for export and for profit for landowners, whilst people starved, which more people should be aware of today, rather than just being called woke and told nothing to see here.