The Dead Buried by the Dying

This shocking new study documents the history of the Great Famine in County Leitrim with unprecedented depth, making use of records that haven’t been used in any previous study. The records reveal astounding details concerning the shape and longevity of the catastrophe. With this expansive coverage, author Gerard MacAtasney seeks to reveal the extent to which both environmental conditions and the British authorities played a part in altering the life of County Leitrim forever, by way of death, disease, and forced emigration. In 1841, the population of Leitrim was 155,000; 10 years later, it had declined by 40,000. MacAtasney’s absorbing study gives substance to these figures with astonishing revelations concerning the character of the famine in Leitrim. These revelations are as comprehensive as they are compelling, given that MacAtasney’s findings are contained within the most detailed account of the famine at a local level yet to be written.