Podcast: The Famine in Toomevara, Co Tipperary by Helen O Brien Malone

On 28 May 1849, at the height of the Great Famine, over 500 people were evicted from the village of Toomevara. Reports of the clearance spread far and wide and its notoriety was such that it was discussed in the British House of Commons. The clearance was carried out with little regard for the welfare or survival of its inhabitants and the appalling conditions which prevailed after the clearance are difficult to comprehend in the present day. This talk will examine Toomevara’s experience of the Famine throughout the years 1845 to 1851 with particular focus on the clearance and the events which followed.
Helen, a native of Toomevara lives in Dublin and works as a primary school teacher. She holds an honours business degree and a first class honours M.A. in Local History. Her first publication The Famine Clearance in Toomevara, County Tipperary is to be published later this year by Four Courts Press as part of the Maynooth Studies in Local History Series.