The Workhouse:*
We wandered along roads with tidy homes.** Every now and again we would find an empty property, usually with an agent sign. And once we observed a cottage completely covered in shrub, vine and other growth.
Finally, at the edge of town we arrived at the workhouse.
"My father always said I was going to drive him to the poorhouse," said DH. My parents never said that, but I have heard the expression. And on this day, we didn't drive. We walked, just like thousands of the Irish...poor and starving, they walked to the gates of the workhouse and asked to come in.
Oh, and "workhouse" - "poorhouse" it's all the same thing. Only the poorest of the poor ended up in the workhouse. One of the reasons no one wanted to be in the workhouse - the almost inhumane treatment of those residing therein. Families were separated (including children over two years of age separated from their mothers). Men lived in one barracks and women in another. And the work was miserable. We visited the laundry, where huge vats of linens were washed and dried over a huge heated pipe. The conditions were desperate and dangerous.
The workhouse was kept a dismal and unfriendly place for a reason. They didn't want it to be too easy. They didn't want the poor to decide going to the workhouse was a good option. They wanted people to decide leaving the country a better option than going to or remaining in the workhouse.
Once inside the courtyard of the place, we ran into two women who were staying at our B&B. They are from Australia and are walking the O'Sullivan March*** route (1603) to raise money for Cancer Australia in honor of family members they have lost to cancer (and for all of us, really).**** These ladies, sisters, are descendants of the O'Sullivan Clan. During our tour of the workhouse, they realized that their ancestor had been in the workhouse before emigrating to Australia. It was an honor to meet these strong and brave women during their journey and quite moving for us to be present as they realized another aspect of their ancestor's emigration story.
It's hard to comment more. I will let the photos speak.
Portumna Castle:
To be honest, the castle is really a manor house, wouldn't you say? And it is in the process of renovation. Only two things really interested me about the castle itself. One was the connection with the "de Burgh" family - a name I relate to characters in Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice. The other is Fury, the dog who saved the life of a young resident. The story had been "legend" until they found Fury's skeleton.
But the garden of the castle was wonderful. There were flowers and fruit and vegetables. It was lovely. But then we came upon a wild area. At first it looked like an area that had not been cleared. We kept walking around it until we discovered parts were separated. It was a willow maze.
Abbey Ruins:
Afterward:
Sorry this post is so crazy. In my haste I left out one of the best things about Portumna - our landlady, our hostess, Mary Lynch (Oak Lodge). I was sick in the "slept 12 hours" category. Mary met us at the door with food and maps and assistance beyond expectation. We met other travelers, our Australian friends,**** who shared how Mary was going above and beyond to get them prepared for the next leg of their journey (well fed and with clean clothes). On our way out we asked for a good place to go down by the Shannon, out came another map and Mary made sure we knew just where to go.
So, the good thing about having reservations in advance during the busy season is that you know you will have a bed. The bad thing is that you are "booked" and cannot change plans. We would have/should have stayed with the Lynch family in Portumna longer and, perhaps, made it our hub for seeing the area.
NOTES:
*http://irishworkhousecentre.ie/
**Tidy Towns is an Irish effort to keep towns neat and tidy - https://www.facebook.com/portumnatidytown/?fref=ts
***http://www.bearatourism.com/osullivanclan/march.html
****http://osullivanmarch.blogspot.com/2016/07/on-road-again-and-more-hills.html?spref=fb
https://give.everydayhero.com/au/jennifer-34/posts/666353
*****http://www.secret-ireland.com/portumna-friary-co-galway/
http://www.portumnachamber.com/tourist-attractions/heritage-around-portumna-co-galway
FINAL NOTE: THE BRIDGE!
Oh, shoot. I forgot to talk about the bridge. Portumna is one of the less than 30 crossings of the Shannon River from its source until it empties in the Atlantic at Limerick (note there is also at least one tunnel underneath and we crossed on a ferry once). Anyway, there is a bridge at Portumna that is a swing bridge! [OK. I am easily amused, but we just happened to be about to cross when the arm came down and the bridge swung out to allow boats to pass through. It was pretty cool.]
We wandered along roads with tidy homes.** Every now and again we would find an empty property, usually with an agent sign. And once we observed a cottage completely covered in shrub, vine and other growth.
 |
| A locked and empty convent/abbey. |
 |
| An empty school ground with activity directions: "run," "hop," "skip," and such. The school was just out for about a week. |
 |
| The gate to an "abandoned" cottage. |
 |
| A bird atop the chimney. We debated a cottage in Portumna, but decided the yard work might be too much. |
Finally, at the edge of town we arrived at the workhouse.
"My father always said I was going to drive him to the poorhouse," said DH. My parents never said that, but I have heard the expression. And on this day, we didn't drive. We walked, just like thousands of the Irish...poor and starving, they walked to the gates of the workhouse and asked to come in.
Oh, and "workhouse" - "poorhouse" it's all the same thing. Only the poorest of the poor ended up in the workhouse. One of the reasons no one wanted to be in the workhouse - the almost inhumane treatment of those residing therein. Families were separated (including children over two years of age separated from their mothers). Men lived in one barracks and women in another. And the work was miserable. We visited the laundry, where huge vats of linens were washed and dried over a huge heated pipe. The conditions were desperate and dangerous.
The workhouse was kept a dismal and unfriendly place for a reason. They didn't want it to be too easy. They didn't want the poor to decide going to the workhouse was a good option. They wanted people to decide leaving the country a better option than going to or remaining in the workhouse.
Once inside the courtyard of the place, we ran into two women who were staying at our B&B. They are from Australia and are walking the O'Sullivan March*** route (1603) to raise money for Cancer Australia in honor of family members they have lost to cancer (and for all of us, really).**** These ladies, sisters, are descendants of the O'Sullivan Clan. During our tour of the workhouse, they realized that their ancestor had been in the workhouse before emigrating to Australia. It was an honor to meet these strong and brave women during their journey and quite moving for us to be present as they realized another aspect of their ancestor's emigration story.
 |
| Through the gate of the work house was a dismal scene. |
 |
| It's a small little fire to warm a huge room. |
 |
| The windows to the "outside" are high, so no one can see in. The windows to the courtyard are low. And some buildings have no windows at all. |
 |
| Welcome to one of the wards of the women's dormitory. |
 |
| Corner of a table. |
It's hard to comment more. I will let the photos speak.
 |
| This guy was in a field nearby...a little life after a place of so much sadness and pain. |
 |
| Our Australian friends at the gate to the castle. |
 |
| The castle - it's mostly a shell, but they are working on it. |
To be honest, the castle is really a manor house, wouldn't you say? And it is in the process of renovation. Only two things really interested me about the castle itself. One was the connection with the "de Burgh" family - a name I relate to characters in Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice. The other is Fury, the dog who saved the life of a young resident. The story had been "legend" until they found Fury's skeleton.
 |
| Part of a display on the family. |
 |
| Fury's skeleton |
But the garden of the castle was wonderful. There were flowers and fruit and vegetables. It was lovely. But then we came upon a wild area. At first it looked like an area that had not been cleared. We kept walking around it until we discovered parts were separated. It was a willow maze.
 |
| There were lots of bees. |
 |
| Inside the green house. |
 |
| Raspberries |
 |
| Beautiful honeysuckle |
 |
| It's a large garden. |
Abbey Ruins:
The Portumna friary, once Cistercian, then Dominican and finally, in the mid 1700s, protestant. It has some of the most beautiful window framing we saw and there's a little "scavenger hunt." Find the carved upside-down face on a door frame. Also look for a carved leaf. And we found 'em.
 |
| The cloister has been reconstructed from pieces. |
 |
| The head. |
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| The leaf. |
 |
| The face at the base of the far door frame. |
 |
| Looking out of the church |
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| Looking in. |
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| It was a large place. |
 |
| To the memory of John and Eleanor Cunningham, their son, Thomas, and their beloved daughter, Margaret. Erected by son, John. |
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| Another sacred to the memory of John Cunningham...maybe this time for the son. |
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| Churchyard |
 |
| A final small window. |
Afterward:
Sorry this post is so crazy. In my haste I left out one of the best things about Portumna - our landlady, our hostess, Mary Lynch (Oak Lodge). I was sick in the "slept 12 hours" category. Mary met us at the door with food and maps and assistance beyond expectation. We met other travelers, our Australian friends,**** who shared how Mary was going above and beyond to get them prepared for the next leg of their journey (well fed and with clean clothes). On our way out we asked for a good place to go down by the Shannon, out came another map and Mary made sure we knew just where to go.
So, the good thing about having reservations in advance during the busy season is that you know you will have a bed. The bad thing is that you are "booked" and cannot change plans. We would have/should have stayed with the Lynch family in Portumna longer and, perhaps, made it our hub for seeing the area.
*http://irishworkhousecentre.ie/
**Tidy Towns is an Irish effort to keep towns neat and tidy - https://www.facebook.com/portumnatidytown/?fref=ts
***http://www.bearatourism.com/osullivanclan/march.html
****http://osullivanmarch.blogspot.com/2016/07/on-road-again-and-more-hills.html?spref=fb
https://give.everydayhero.com/au/jennifer-34/posts/666353
*****http://www.secret-ireland.com/portumna-friary-co-galway/
http://www.portumnachamber.com/tourist-attractions/heritage-around-portumna-co-galway
FINAL NOTE: THE BRIDGE!
Oh, shoot. I forgot to talk about the bridge. Portumna is one of the less than 30 crossings of the Shannon River from its source until it empties in the Atlantic at Limerick (note there is also at least one tunnel underneath and we crossed on a ferry once). Anyway, there is a bridge at Portumna that is a swing bridge! [OK. I am easily amused, but we just happened to be about to cross when the arm came down and the bridge swung out to allow boats to pass through. It was pretty cool.]
 |
| Can you see the bridge is swinging open? |
 |
| The boats lined up... |
 |
| ...and passed through. |
Thank you for putting these updates on-line, we really enjoyed the commentary. Portumna Workhouse does a great job in telling the story of the workhouse system, and it's a great to have the castle and priory in the town too.
ReplyDeleteFind at the Skibbereen Workhouse: http://www.southernstar.ie/news/roundup/articles/2016/08/14/4124460-mass-famine-burial-ground-is-revealed-in-skibbereen/
ReplyDelete