Our dark history remembered
“Two very important areas in our town that stand as a reflection and a reminder of these miserable times”
All children going through the education system in Ireland learn in depth about the events in the 1840’s that led to a total upheaval in just what it meant to be Irish. The thousands upon thousands that were boarded on coffin ships or the many more that died on the side of roads, green juice form grass seeping out of the corners of their mouths, in a last, futile attempt to gain some sustenance from whatever little food they could get.
In the schools up to not so long ago it was called a famine and blamed solely on the failure of the potato crop. There is a train of thought that this refusal to explore the true events around that time may be down to shame. That for decades after the “Famine” the fact that we starved as a nation while bountiful foodstuffs were all around us was an embarrassment to ourselves as a people, or it might simple be the age-old adage that history is written by the winners.
Either way the failure of the potato crop, coupled with a governing body that saw the Irish as nothing more than primitive savages touched every part of the island, obviously some more than others but our own little community around Carrick-on-Suir was not immune from this catastrophe and suffered badly.
In 1842 a workhouse was opened where Sean Treacy Park now stands. The workhouse was designed to hold 500 inmates, but a census taken in 1849 shows that the number of poor souls that were accommodated there was in the region of 2,000.
Stories of the horrors of these institutions are recalled in several publications, such as “The Workhouses of Ireland” by John O’Connor and there are still many standing today where visitors can see first hand just what our ancestors endured, a great example and one that is a definite must for anybody with an interest in history is Donoghmore Famine Workhouse Museum near Portlaoise. The freezing cold, the disease, separation of parents and children and unimaginably high mortality rates are all part of what made these places a part of our darkest times.
There is no visible sign of the workhouse that once stood on the spot that is now Treacy Park, as sadly it fell victim to another sad part of our history in 1922 when being used as a barracks, but there are two, very important areas in our town that stand as a reflection and a reminder of these miserable times.
To the west of Treacy Park, stands a memorial graveyard, the upkeep of which is remarkable and due in the main to the residents who keep this solemn area in pristine condition, and it acts as a dignified reminder for all who visit of just what it was our forefathers endured. A visit to this site is a very worthwhile trip, if for no other reason than to remember those unlucky enough to have ended their days in that terrible place.
Leaving this beautiful, sombre area one can turn right and go over the newly constructed bridge over the railway tracks and into St. John’s Terrace.
At the St. John’s side of the bridge is a playing field where for decades the children of the area learned their footballing skills, indeed going back to the 1980’s the summer evenings often saw hard fought physical soccer matches take place between various avenues and areas of the town in a street league. Little did the players or spectators know, as they spent warm evenings under seemingly endless sunny days that one field away from them, the remains of many a poor soul lay in unmarked graves.
The field acted as an overflow graveyard for the workhouse and lay uncared for and neglected for decades. It was only at lately as 2016 that a committee was formed consisting of five local people, an archaeologist and a Teagasc environmentalist that work began on restoring the long-forgotten site.
John Connolly and the late, great Michael Cody are the two men responsible for the initial re-discovery of the burial place after some investigation studying maps and walking the area.
A visit to the area now, brings you to a beautifully maintained memorial and again is well worth a visit. It should be noted that these areas are right on our doorstep and provide a fascinating, if somewhat macabre reminder of our past.
With three primary schools and three secondary schools in the town these burial areas have the potential to provide students a solid image of just what happened in the workhouse that existed only three generations ago and could give them a visual focus for their learning.