there was much contention over the title of today's blog. The references refer to the famine boat we visited. Jayne wanted, 'hot potato, hot potato', the staple diet of the Irish through the ages, but given this will be our last blog from Ireland I was opting for some unused titles we had tossed around before. 'Raindrops keep falling on my head', 'Who'll stop the rain?' but any rain references were too obvious. My favorite was 'blackbird singing in the dead of night' because at home I hate the little ferals, but here they are natives and they are everywhere. Aside from the weather and Guinness they are a constant. Anyway, I went for the leaky boat connection.
The Dunbrody
During the Irish famine of the 1840s many people left to seek a better life. For some this was voluntary, for the others who were land tenants, their landlord paid for their passage. Apparently cattle were a more profitable venture and they didn't complain.
The ship itself was one of the better ones, however, it wasn't uncommon to have up to 300 passengers in steerage. They paid around 5 pounds for the trip and had to bring their own food. Conditions were cramped, to say the least, and toilet facilities were a bucket. And that couldn't be emptied during bad weather. Get the picture? The reason it couldn't be emptied was that the hold was sealed. Not a lot of fresh air coming in and beneath steerage was where the live animals, chickens and goats lived. Ah the aroma!
They didn't spend six months in a leaky boat, it was more like two months. More than long enough for a boat that was about 33 metres in length crossing from Ireland to Canada or the United States.
The potato blight that caused the famine destroyed the main food source for everyone. A man working as a labourer would eat 4 - 6 kg of potato a day. This would be supplemented by milk. I don't know how they avoided scurvy. I guess you wouldn't need to ask the question, "what's for dinner?" because the answer would always be "hot potato, hot potato".
Kilkenny Castle
We decided to avoid Bunratty and Blarney Castles mainly because they were not quite on our itinerary and we figured most castles would offer the same fare. King John's Castle was a bit of a disappointment, much like his reign, however Kilkenny Castle was wonderful. The sad thing for me is that they didn't allow any photography inside. I could rail against this for some time, but I won't, so, insert Brad rant here.
Like many Irish castles its origins date back to medieval times and the original castle was probably a timber construction. Down through the years this gave way to the stone castle of today, although the current design has been added to on a number of different occasions. The Butler family owned it from the 1300s through to 1967 when it was sold to the people of Kilkenny for 50 pounds.
It is another major for the Irish Department of Works. The restoration work already completed is amazing. No pictures :-(
So long, farewell ...
We shall be off to the pub shortly for dinner and a pint of Kilkenny Cream - I assume it will taste all the better for being had in its native county. Tomorrow, we pack up and fly to Paris and then catch the train the Lille. So, that will be where the next blog is created, the western front. Things will be a little quiet (get it? all quiet on the western front?) for the next couple of days until we are settled in France. We are both really looking forward to ANZAC day.
The Dunbrody
During the Irish famine of the 1840s many people left to seek a better life. For some this was voluntary, for the others who were land tenants, their landlord paid for their passage. Apparently cattle were a more profitable venture and they didn't complain.
The ship itself was one of the better ones, however, it wasn't uncommon to have up to 300 passengers in steerage. They paid around 5 pounds for the trip and had to bring their own food. Conditions were cramped, to say the least, and toilet facilities were a bucket. And that couldn't be emptied during bad weather. Get the picture? The reason it couldn't be emptied was that the hold was sealed. Not a lot of fresh air coming in and beneath steerage was where the live animals, chickens and goats lived. Ah the aroma!
They didn't spend six months in a leaky boat, it was more like two months. More than long enough for a boat that was about 33 metres in length crossing from Ireland to Canada or the United States.
The potato blight that caused the famine destroyed the main food source for everyone. A man working as a labourer would eat 4 - 6 kg of potato a day. This would be supplemented by milk. I don't know how they avoided scurvy. I guess you wouldn't need to ask the question, "what's for dinner?" because the answer would always be "hot potato, hot potato".
Kilkenny Castle
We decided to avoid Bunratty and Blarney Castles mainly because they were not quite on our itinerary and we figured most castles would offer the same fare. King John's Castle was a bit of a disappointment, much like his reign, however Kilkenny Castle was wonderful. The sad thing for me is that they didn't allow any photography inside. I could rail against this for some time, but I won't, so, insert Brad rant here.
Like many Irish castles its origins date back to medieval times and the original castle was probably a timber construction. Down through the years this gave way to the stone castle of today, although the current design has been added to on a number of different occasions. The Butler family owned it from the 1300s through to 1967 when it was sold to the people of Kilkenny for 50 pounds.
It is another major for the Irish Department of Works. The restoration work already completed is amazing. No pictures :-(
So long, farewell ...
We shall be off to the pub shortly for dinner and a pint of Kilkenny Cream - I assume it will taste all the better for being had in its native county. Tomorrow, we pack up and fly to Paris and then catch the train the Lille. So, that will be where the next blog is created, the western front. Things will be a little quiet (get it? all quiet on the western front?) for the next couple of days until we are settled in France. We are both really looking forward to ANZAC day.
bro peta & i were just chatting/discussing or talking [i couldnt decide which word to use] about the song/blog titles your doing great but youve got a long way to go yet i dont reckon youll do it allthough you do have jaynes help.
ReplyDeletec u scotty
oh ye of little faith, 'when the going get's tough, the tough get going'. we have done this all from our 'memories'. Irish radio is dreadful, even the music stations talk and talk. when we get 'lost in france' we'll have all my music from the computer to listen to and 'I'll have the time of my life'. no more rush. so, stick with us, because 'you can't stop the music' and we'll 'rock with you' with no repeats! 'music is my life'
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