Famine Fever

transcribed at

The Famine Fever  [duchas:4858395]

In 1847, one of the greatest fevers ever known occurred in Ireland. The year is known as the famine year, and also as black '47.
This story has been told to me by a very old man. A man who lived in this district had the fever, and all the workhouses and hospitals were full of dying or sick people. So he said to himself that if he stayed in his house to die, someone else would get it; consequently he went out to a field, lay down, and died.
Some days after, his body was torn to pieces by a dog; soon many dogs got to know of the body, and the people were horrified when they saw one dog going round with a leg; another with an arm; others with some other part of his body. The dogs were driven off and the remains buried in Glenkeen.