’Ireland in Schools�

Images of Ireland

2. Famine images - English pressPunch

Pictorial Times

Illustrated London News - famine

Illustrated London News - migration

Miscellaneous

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Ireland during the Famine1. Punch

The English satirical journal, Punch, consistently under-estimated the severity of the crisis in Irelandand depicted the famine as a moral issue. It blamed indolence of the Irish for the continuation ofthe famine and for ’sponging� on the British taxpayer. Hard work or industry (symbolised by ashovel) at home or emigration were Punch�s answers to poverty in Ireland.

In the main, British press coverage of the Famine was coloured by anti-Irish prejudice and politicaland practical considerations. The general tenor was that the Irish were a backward race and livedon inferior food - the potato; they were ungrateful and disloyal; Ireland was a drain on Britishresources; and Britain was being flooded with Irish paupers. Punch, in particular, along with TheTimes ’reinforced traditional animosities and alienated the sympathies of the British upper andmiddle classes�.

UNION IS STRENGTHJohn Bull: ’Here are a few things to go onwith, Brother, and I�ll soon put you in away to earn your own living.�

17 October 1846

Here John Bull (England) presents his Irish’brother“ not only with food but also with aspade to help him ’to earn your own way ofliving“. Punch assumed that self-help was apriority and came to see Irish indolence for thecontinuing catastrophe.

HEIGHT OF IMPUDENCEIrishman to John Bull: ’Spare a trifle yerHonour, for a poor Irishman to buy a bitof -- a Blunderbuss with.�

12 December 1846

In this cartoon, published two months after’Union is Strength“, John Bull is accosted by anIrishman who has reverted into a violentstereotype, demanding money for a’blunderbuss“. Now ’Paddy“ is given the ape-like features increasingly common in hostileimages of the Irish.

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CONSOLATION FOR THE MILLIONTHE LOAF AND THE POTATO

Loaf: ’Well, old fellow, I am delighted tosee you looking so well. Why they saidyou had the Aphis Vastator.�Potato: ’All humbug sir never was better inmy life thank Heaven.�

11 September 1847

This caricature shows the potato restored tohealth and hand-in-hand with cheap bread. Itreflected British complacency about the foodsituation in autumn 1847.

THE ENGLISH LABOURER�S BURDENOr, THE IRISH OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN

[See Sinbad the Sailor]24 February 1849

Loans to combat distress in the west of Irelandwere regarded as unacceptable burdens onEngland“s respectable poor.

THE NEW IRISH STILLSHOWING HOW ALL GOOD THINGS MAY BE

OBTAINED (BY INDUSTRY) OUT OF PEAT August 1849

The shovel is labelled ’INDUSTRY“. Thecaricature expresses the British view (delusion?)that only exertion was needed to lift Ireland outof famine.

HERE AND THEREOR, EMIGRATION A REMEDY

15 July 1848

The cartoon portrays a poor family in Ireland(on the left) and a prosperous family livingabroad (on the right). Note the strainedinclusion of a shovel among the prosperousfamily, a symbol of labour.

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Ireland during the Famine2. Pictorial Times

Cahirveenthe home of the Irishleader, DanielO�Connell10 October 1846

Peasantry on theO�Connell farmsDerrynane,Co. Kerry31 January 1846

Cottiers� cabins in a’clachan� settlementIrish cabins inDerrynane BegCounty Kerry7 February 1846Cabins were built with localstones or turf, and thatchedwith rushes or straw. Mostwere without windows andhad only a hole in the roof tolet smoke escape. Pigs,poultry and other animalsshared the interior with thepeasant family.

Interior of the cabinof J. Donoghue onO�Connell�s estate7 February 1846Nothing was wasted by thepeasants: potato skins wereused to feed the pigs, whichwere a central part of therural economy. They wererarely eaten by the poor, butfattened and sold to raisemoney for rent. Pigs alsohelped produce the ubiquitousmanure heaps outside cabins,which were vital forfertilising the intensivelycultivated fields.

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Tom Sullivan�scabin, County Kerry24 January 1846’In answer to our inquiries ...he replied that the food ofhimself and his family allyear round was potatoes andbuttermilk. ”Were thepotatoes good?£ Troth, theywere not, bad as could be;£and he proved the assertionby cutting open a number ofthem taken at random fromthe heap, and showing us theextent of the disease.“

The house of PatBrennan, a smallfarmer on theO�Connell estate7 February 1846Potatoes are stored on a loftabove the hearth to allowthem to dry.

Farmer takingpotatoes to market28 February 1846

A potato dinner28 February 1846

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DestitutionFailure of the potatocrop22 August 1846

A farming familydefending theirhome againsteviction2 January 1847

Beggars onO�Connell�s estate14 February 1846

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Food riots inDungarvan10 October 1846In October 1846 two peoplewere killed when troops firedupon a crowd attacking bakers“shops in Dungarvan. Throughout the Famine therewere demands that the export offoodstuffs be prohibited. Thegovernment claimed that itwould be counter-productive, asit would retard Irish homeproduction and inhibit imports. Such reasoning did not impresspeople who were literallystarving. The Dungarvan riotwas the most notable of anumber of violent protests in theautumn of 1846. Desperate forfood and undeterred by theprospect of imprisonment ortransportation, people turned tocrime to stay alive.It is interesting to compare thehostile account in The PictorialTimes with the sympatheticaccount of the riot in theIllustrated London News,7November 1846.

Relief for Ireland30 January 1847

Food supplies undermilitary escort goingto a relief station inClonmel30 October 1847Despite food shortages inIreland, the grain harvestcontinued to be exported toBritain to pay the landlords“rent. More food wasimported than exported, butnevertheless ’removing thisfood, seemingly from themouths of the dying,provoked widespreadresistance and left greatbitterness. Militarydetachments were thereforeused to guard food convoys.

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Irish armed peasantswaiting the approachof the meal cart30 October 1847

Irish emigrants onthe Mersey6 June 1846

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Ireland during the Famine3. Illustrated London News 1

1. The Irish countryside

Ardfinan Castle andvillage

Ballydehob20 February 1847

Old Chapel-LaneSkibbereen13 February 1847’Neither pen nor pencil evercould convey the misery andhorror ... to be witnessed inSkibbereen ... there I saw thedying, the living and the dead,lying indiscriminately upon thesame floor, without anythingbetween them and the cold earthsave a few miserable rags.“

Dunmanway20 February 1847

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Skibbereen fromClover-hill13 February 1847

Skulla coastal village in westCork13 February 1847Remote areas such as these didnot always get their fair share ofgovernment relief.

Thurles on market-day26 August 1848

Tipperary

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Watch-house or hut inthe Old Chapel Yard13 February 1847

Mills Bridge

Kilrush15 December 1849’Kilrush will be celebrated in thehistory of pauperism.... morethan one-half of the wholepopulation ... are receiving relief... it is an afflicting picture to seeevery man, woman, or child, inpossession of a crust or a poundof meat, beseiged by anotherbeggar for a share of that whichis hardly sufficient for his ownwants.“

Going for a licence tokeep guns26 August 1848

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2. ’Destroyed villages� The reporter referred to a ’destroyed� rather than a ’deserted� villagebecause ’the wretched beings who once viewed it as the abode of plentyand peace still linger and hover about�.

Tullig15 December 1849’The sketch is not of a desertedvillage ... for wretched beingswho once viewed it as an abode ofplenty and peace still linger andhover about it - but of adestroyed village.“

Village of Moveenthree miles south-westof Kilkee22 December 1849

Village of Mienies20 February 1847Here dogs devoured the unburieddead and ’the gnawed andmangled skeleton“ of a mannamed Leahey was ’contendedfor by hungry dogs“ (13February).

The village of Killard9 February 1850

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Ruins of the village ofCarihaken19 January 1850

3. Dwellings

Harrington�s HutSkibbereen13 February 1847

Pat Macnamara�s cabinClear19 January 1850

Brian Connor�s scalpKilrush22 December 1849A scalp is a hole in the ground,two or three feet deep, roofed withsticks and turfs. A scalpeen isalso a hole but with a higherroof, as evicted families oftenbuilt temporary shelters from thedebris of their ’tumbled“ cabins.

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Brian O�Connor�sscalpeenKilrush15 December 1849Brian has erected a hut withinthe wall of his tumbled house forhis family of three..

ScalpeenCahuermore29 December 1849

Tim Downs�s scalpeenKilrush22 December 1849

Living outdoorsKeillines19 January 1850

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Judy O�Donnel�shabitation under thebridge at Doonbeg 29 December 1849

4. Distress

Old Chapel RoadDungarvana scene of late foodriots7 November 1846In October 1846 two peoplewere killed when troops firedupon a crowd attacking bakers“shops in Dungarvan. Throughout the Famine therewere demands that the export offoodstuffs be prohibited. Thegovernment claimed that itwould be counter-productive, asit would retard Irish homeproduction and inhibit imports. Such reasoning did not impresspeople who were literallystarving. The Dungarvan riotwas the most notable of anumber of violent protests in theautumn of 1846. Desperate forfood and undeterred by theprospect of imprisonment ortransportation, people turned tocrime to stay alive.It is interesting to compare thehostile account in The PictorialTimes with the sympatheticaccount of the riot in theIllustrated London News,7November 1846.

The Mall and Mall-HouseYoughala scene of late foodriots7 November 1846

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Searching for potatoesCahera20 February 1847’At Cahera ... a famished boyand girl turning up the ground toseek for a potato to appease theirhunger.“

Searching for potatoesin a stubble field22 December 1849’The people were digging ... likedogs after truffles ... in the hopeof finding a few potatoes theowner might have overlooked ... itis the only means by which thegleaners could hope to get ameal.“

Woman beggingClonakilty13 February 1847

The local vicar visitingthe dying Mullins in hishutScull20 February 1847Mullins was dying of fever; hischildren were huddled aroundembers of the turf fire; the vicarhimself also died of fever shortlyafterwards.

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House at Fahey�s Quay,Ennis - the WidowConnor and her dyingchild19 January 1850

Ejectment (eviction)16 December 1848Note the brutal bailiff, thepleading tenant, his weeping wifeand children, the unfeelingonlookers and stony-faced soldiersand the roof being stripped.

After the ejectment16 December 1848

Bridget O�Donnel andher children aftereviction22 December 1849Bridget was not only without ahome, she and her children wereill with fever, and she waspregnant. The child was borndead and her thirteen-year oldson died of hunger.

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Driving cattle for rentbetween Ouchterardand Galway29 December 1849Landlords were entitled todistrain (take) stocks or crops inplace of rent.

FuneralShepperton Lakes13 February 1847

FuneralSkibbereen30 January 1847This sketch underlined theindignity of death in FamineIreland, as in many places thetraditional ritual of burial,keeining and waking wereabandoned as whole familiesdied.

Praying in a chapelThurles26 August 1848In the chapel were ’hundreds ofcountry people - the men in theirdark blue or brown overcoats,with capes behind; the women intheir blue hooded cloaks: all ofthem in good condition as toclothes; hardly a ragged coat, orcloak, or stocking to be seen.“

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5. Relief

Sale of Indian cornCork4 April 1846To ease the food crisis, thegovernment imported Indian corn(maize) from America - enoughin the first instance to feed half amillion people at a rate of 450grams of meal a day. The aimwas not to feed all the people butto regulate the prince ofprovisions.When sales began in Cork depots in April 1846, ’the crowds ofpoor persons who gathered roundthem were so turbulently inclinedas to require the interference ofthe police, who remained therethroughout the day.“

Soup House run by theSociety of FriendsCork16 January 1847In November 1846 the IrishQuakers began to organise soupkitchens in distressed areas toprovide free food for the starvingpoor. The Cork soup housedistributed about 6,800 litres aday in January 1847.

Central Soup depotCork13 March 1847

USS MacedoniaCork7 August 1847The Macedonia arrived at Corkin the summer of 1847 with foodaid from New York. The use ofAmerican warships for charitablepurposes - sailing under whiteflags with a shamrock wreathedaround a thistle - caused a stirin Britain and Ireland, butmuch of this help came too late toprevent mass mortality.

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A government official�sdaugher, MissKennedy, seven yearsold, distributingclothingKilrush22 December 1849Miss Kennedy“s daily occupationwas ’distributing clothing to thewretched children broughtaround her by their morewretched parents.... one womancrouched like a monkey ...drawing around her the only ragshe had left to conceal hernudity.“ So completely did the misery ofthe poor ’occupy her thoughtsthat ... she gave up her time andher own little means to relievethem. She gave away her ownclothes ... and then shepurchased coarse materials, andmade up clothing for children herown age ... and she devotedherself with all the energy andperseverance of a mature andstaid matron to the holy officeshe has undertaken. The Sketchwill, I hope, immortalize thebeneficient child, who is fillingthe place of a saint, andperforming the duties of apatriot.“

The WorkhouseClifden19 January 1850’Clifden itself is an exotic in anunfavourable climate. It wasreared by the patronage of thelate Viscount; and since thatceased, it began to decline: thePoor Law has finished it.“

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Ireland during the Famine4. Illustrated London News 2 - migration

1. Embarking in Ireland

Leaving Ireland - thepriest�s blessing10 May 1851’None perhaps feel moreseverely the departure of thepeasantry than the RomanCatholic clery .... Yet none takea more active part in seeingthem safely out of the country... my rev. friend ... had a wordof advice to Pat, a caution toNelly, a suggestion to Mick;and he made a promise to Danto take care of the ” oldwoman£, until the five poundscame to his ”Reverence£ to sendher over to America ... heturned his moistened eyestowards heaven, and asked theblessing of the Almighty uponthe wanderers during their longand weary journey.“

Emigrants arriving atCork harbour10 May 1851Complaining of the untiringpersecution of hotel touters, thewriter continued,’No sooner isthe red plaid of an Irishemigrant girl, or the unbuttonedshirt-collar of a Kerrymanrecognised, than he or she isbeset by those harpies, ormancatchers. It is sometimeimpossible to escape, except bymain force, and by the aid ofthe police.“

Paying for the passageat the EmigrationAgents� officeCork10 May 1851’This ... sketch of the row at theoffice-door, where someemigrants are seeing payingtheir passage-money, will showthe extent to which the ruffianlytouters and mancatchers carrytheir interference.“

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Steamers leaving Corkfor Liverpool 10 May 1851

2. Making arrangements on Merseyside

Waiting for theMedical InspectorLiverpool6 July 1850No passenger ship was allowedto sail until ’a medicalpractitioner appointed by theemigration office of the port“,had inspected the ship“smedicine chest and passengersand certified that the medicineswere sufficient and thepassengers free from contagiousdisease.

Governmentemigration depotBirkenhead10 July 1852There was little state-assistedemigration to Australia at theheight of the Famine, and thosesent out later by the emigrationcommissioners were carefullyselected and ’balanced“ bylarger number of emigrantsfrom England, Wales andScotland.

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3. On board

Getting on board,Waterloo DocksLiverpool6 July 1850’Many bring, in addition to theboxes and trunks containingtheir worldly wealth,considerable quantities ofprovisions, although ... the scalefixed by the Government to besupplied to them on the ship issufficiently liberal to keep inhealth and comfort all amongthem, who, in the ordinarycourse of life, were notaccustomed to animal food.“

Between decks on anemigration ship 110 May 1851

Between decks on anemigration ship 26 July 1850

Dancing betweendecks6 July 1850’Any person who can play theviolin - the flute - the pipe, orany other instrument, becomesof interest and importance tothe passengers, and is kept inconstant requisition for theirinstrument. The youngest childand the oldest man in the shipare alike interested; and greyheaded men and women arefrequently seen dancing with asmuch vigour, as if Seventeen,not Seventy, was the numberthat would most nearly expresstheir age.“

Departure fromLiverpool6 July 1850

Looking for stowaways6 July 1850This search was not alwayseffective and in some instancesas many as ten or more emergedwhen the ship was two or threedays at sea. Instead of tarringand feathering them or makingthem walk the decks on coldnights in only a shirt, captainsmade the stowaways work theirpassage by doing the dirtiestjobs on board.

Roll call of passengers6 July 1850

Cross-section of anemigrant ship boundfor Australia10 July 1852

Emigrants on the deckof an Austrialianemigrant ship20 January 1849

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Ireland during the Famine5. Miscellaneous engravings and other illustrations from various contemporary

newspapers and other sources

Death sceneLithographA.S. StopfordNational Library of IrelandFamine fevers, mainly typhus and relapsingfever, killed huge numbers in 1847. Medical science offered no remedies. Onlythe provision of adequate nutrition before itwas too late could limit the spread of thedisease.

Carrying out the bodySkibbereen1847Lord Dufferin & the Hon. G.F.Boyle, Narrative of a Journey fromOxford to Skibbereen1847These two student-authors distributed �50collected at Oxford University.’On quitting the churchyard ... we came to asmall cottage, built as usual of mud and loosestones, and raised a little above the level of theroad; there was only one window ... almostblocked up, the door was shut, and the hut hadevery appearance of being deserted. At thismoment, the funeral cart with its attendant cametowards us; it stopped opposite the cottage; a dealcoffin of a large size ... lay jolting at the top. With some difficulty the man backed the vehicleup the ascent. In the meantime, the clergymanbeckoned us to one side, and we prepared for oneof those scenes of which we had often heard, butnever expected to witness.... the coffin was for awoman who lay dead in that house ... and ...four others of the same family lay sick of fever,unable even to assist in removing the body of theirrelation. The man with the cart called to another... bidding him to assist in carrying out thecorpse; and upon his refusal began to curse andswear in the most awful manner, unchecked bythe very presence of death, and the almost visiblemanifestations of the judgment of God. At last,however, the man consenting, both disappearedwithin the shadow of the door way. Presentlythey returned, bearing between them the deadbody, over which a scanty tattered yellow rag hadjust been thrown, not sufficient however to coverthe whole length of the figure, or to prevent one'sseeing the livid lifeless arms as they hung downswinging and knocking against the ground. Theyhastily flung it into the shell, the cart drove off,and the remains were hurriedly consigned to theearth without a coffin, and without the offices ofreligion! Who was most to be pitied? the Pastor,thus compelled to witness the destruction of hisflock; the men, who most probably enacted but arehearsal of their own burying; the fever-strickenwretches, who were left helpless and hopeless inthe darkness of their cottage; or the human soul,just borne by death far beyond the dominion offamine and disease?“

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Irish beggar-woman andchildrenThe Lady's Newspaper15 January 1848

Irish brigands lying in waitHistoric Times1 June 1849Scattered groups of uprooted labourers tookto ’brigandage“ - raiding food convoys andfarms - in the mountainous areas. Theirnumbers were always exaggerated by theBritish press.

The Protestant missionarysettlementAchill IslandNational Library of IrelandThe Quakers and other groups providedsoup and relief in a spirit of Christiancharity, irrespective of the religiousdenomination of the recipients and with noclaims on their allegiance. However, anumber of evangelical missionary groupsmade relief conditional on conversion to theProtestant faith. One of the mostcontroversial proselytisers was Rev. EdwardNangle who established this missionarycolony on Achill Island, Co. Mayo. Suchmissionaries attracted hundreds of converts,but their strident propaganda caused greatresentment among the Catholic clergy. ’Souperism“ remains an abiding image inpopular folklore.

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The causes of migration fromIrelandThe Lady“s Newspaper13 January 1849A large proportion of emigrants were notdestitute but people with resources, such astradesmen with savings, business people andsome farmers. The majority from thefarming class were adult children. Previously, they would have remained on toinherit the farm, marry into a farm, or renta farm. In the Famine, however, theprospects were uncertain, and landlordswere less accommodating than in therelatively good times before the Famine. Moreover, with the unprecedented numberson relief, the Poor Law rates were aconsiderable drain on farm incomes in manyareas.

Irish emigrants on their way toCorkHistoric Times2 March 1849

Emigrants embarking at an IrishportL'IllustrationParis11 November 1865

Landing of an emigrant ship atBostonGleason's Pictorialearly 1850sConfused, dispirited and impoverished,many Irish immigrants got no further thanthe slum tenements of their port of arrival.