Mapping Famine Roads

Mapping Famine Roads (33:35) explores some of the most desolate and yet beautiful settings where these roads were built on the island of Ireland in the 1840s. The creation of Famine Roads as ostensible relief projects at the height of the Great Hunger in 1847 remains one of its most contentious legacies in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. These so-called ‘roads to nowhere’ are often bitterly remembered as misguided public works that exposed hunger-stricken labourers to inclement weather in desolate settings for a mere pittance to survive. Yet these bleak reminders of the Great Hunger also tend to traverse some of the most scenic landscapes and areas of outstanding natural beauty in Ireland, North and South, although they are usually difficult to find. This film brings you on a journey to some of the most remarkable ones.
Our guides Professor Eileen Murphy and Dr Colm Donnelly from Queens’ University Belfast have recently led a community archaeology project to excavate the Famine Road in Boho, County Fermanagh (https://earth.google.com/earth/d/1bXY..., which serves now as a monument to the events of 175 years ago when it was created. Mike Murphy from University College Cork explores the cultural significance and topographical features of Famine Roads in Glenville (https://earth.google.com/earth/d/1pkD...) and the Healy Pass in County Cork (https://earth.google.com/earth/d/1597.... The Killary Harbour Famine Road in County Galway (https://earth.google.com/earth/d/1ZVs..., Coolorta Famine Road in the Burren National Park (https://earth.google.com/earth/d/1auN...) in County Clare, and Slieve Gullion Famine Wall in County Armagh are all located in especially scenic surroundings. Each of these Famine Roads and walls can be visited with the aid of newly created maps in the film and in the standalone virtual resources above.
Mapping Famine Roads is hosted by the National Famine Museum, Strokestown Park and Irish Heritage Trust with funding from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media under the Cooperation with Northern Ireland Funding Scheme 2022. This film was made in collaboration with Professor Eileen Murphy and Dr Colm Donnelly from the School of Natural & Built Environment and Centre for Community Archaeology at Queen's University Belfast, and Michael Murphy from the Department of Geography at University College Cork. It also features Phoebe Larkin from the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Anthony Russell, and Caroilin Callery from the Irish Heritage Trust. Sean McLaughlin kindly allowed the community archaeological excavation of the Boho Famine Road to take place on his land in County Fermanagh. Drone footage of Boho Famine Road was taken by Ryan Montgomery of Queen's University Belfast.