14: Famine Pot BSW1 and 24. DHS

Shrine Twenty four: the great hunger. Location: 54.692587, -8.064501Speaker: Patsy McNulty, Lough Eske.Theme: gathering to survive a natural disaster.From this pot were the impoverished locals fed during the Great Hunger of the late 1840s. It stands as a memorial to all those brave souls that perished during those dark days. The famine of the 1840s or the Great Hunger, caused by a complete failure of the potato crop, was the most devastating event in 19th century Ireland. The famine pot at Lough Eske reminds us of that sorry period when a million people died of starvation and famine related disease and another million plus were forced to emigrate from the likes of The Hassans near Donegal Town, many of them to die in the coffin ships before reaching their destination. Up until very recently, the area still had a handful of locals who could recount some poignant tale in their own family which has been handed down by word of mouth from generation to generation. Jim McMullin, from Meenadreen was one such local who recalled many harrowing stories told to him by his grandfather who was one of the lucky ones to live through the famine and die naturally in 1911. There's further signage about the area by the pot, as well as a good car park and a looped walk starting right beside the pot which takes in fine views of Lough Eske.Patsy references the famine donation by the Turkish sultan Khaleefah Abdul-Majid that had to be reduced so as not to embarass Queen Victoria's paltry contribution. Click here to find out more about it.Audio appears on both Donegal's Hallowed Sites  and The Bluestack Way audio guideSpotify playlists: Donegal's Hallowed Sites and The Bluestack Way