December 14th, 1846: The sufferings of the Irish poor might be dismissed as exaggernation were it not for the sober evidence of the Quakers. One of the first objects of their Central Committee is to obtain "trustworthy information respecting the real state of the more remote districts".
Accordingly, William Forster, a respected English Quaker, visits the west and north west accompanied by Joseph Crosfield. They witness a heart rending scene outside Carrick on Shannon workhouse: "Poor wretches in the last stage of famine imploring to be received into the house women, who had six or seven children, begging that even two or three of them might be taken in." Their husbands earn an inadequate 8d a day. Children are worn to skeletons.
A widow with two children, who for a week had subsisted on one meal of cabbage daily, are admitted. They are in so reduced a state that a guardian remarks to the master of the poorhouse that the youngest child will trouble them but a short time.
A great number is refused admission as there are only 30 vacancies. Some of those rejected look so wasted it is doubtful if they will reach their cabins alive.
Mr Forster distributes 40 lb of bread. "The ravenous voracity with which many of them devoured it on the spot spoke strongly of starvation or of a state nearly approaching to it."
One woman, however, eats only a small portion of her bread because she has five children at home.
"Throughout this journey, it was William Forster's observation that the children exhibit the effects of famine in a remarkable degree, their faces, looking wan and haggard with hunger, and seemingly like old men and women ... To do the people justice, they are bearing their privations with patience and fortitude, and very little clamorous begging ... Forster has completely formed the opinion that the statements in the public newspapers are by no means exaggerated."
A member of the board of guardians remarks callously to him that the poor "were dying like rotten sheep". Two clergymen say that while they are at their meals, "poor famishing wretches appear before the windows and groan in the most pitiable manner".
Mr Forster, who has experience of managing soup kitchens for the English poor, offers to provide a boiler and give a donation to start a soup kitchen in each place he visits. Except for Castlerea, Co Roscommon, this largesse is accepted gratefully. In Castlerea a priest refuses because he fears the town would be over whelmed by destitute hordes from the countryside.
Five or six thousand starving people march into Listowel, Co Kerry, shouting "Bread or Blood". Despite the pleas of the parish priest, Jeremiah Mahony, they refuse to disperse. Father Mahony faints with exhaustion from his exertions. The townspeople remonstrate with the peasants, who agree to leave.