Ireland County Cork

The Bantry cemetery has a memorial to those that died near here during the potatoe famine of 1845 - 1847. This was one of the worst hit areas of the country as potatoes were their only food. An adult would eat around 8 pounds of potatoes a day! The corn, oats, wheat, barley, beef and pork from the area were mostly all exported. Once the blight hit the potatoes season after season, thousands died of malnutrition, fever and starvation. The bodies were so many that they were simply dropped into huge pits in the Abbey grounds. It is hard to believe today that such a thing was allowed to happen.