Famine walls were built throughout Ireland, especially in the west and south, in the mid-19th century, during the Great Famine. The walls were built as famine-relief works projects, sponsored by landlords and churches to provide work and income for unemployed peasants.[1][2][3][4] As payment, workers received food or money, and many of the walls served little practical purpose other than giving work to the poor and clearing the land of stones.[5]
The walls are generally around 8–10 feet high and 300 yards long.[2] Along some of the walls are periodic holes built in to the structures, which records say were a way for two parties to stand on opposite sides of the wall and touch fingers through a hole, signifying making an agreement or contract.[1][2]
References
edit- ^ a b "Stone Walls". www.dochara.com. 29 December 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ a b c "Famine Wall at Maghery". www.discoveringireland.com. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ Kinealy, Christine (14 March 2017). The Great Irish Famine: Impact, Ideology and Rebellion. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-350-31722-2.
- ^ "Famine-era wall in Ballyhogue made a protected structure". independent. 21 November 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ "Ireland's Famine Walls Text". slkphotography. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
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