The Black Death - did it effect Ireland badly ?

McArmalite

Was wondering, did the Black Death effect Ireland as much as the continent ? Here is an account of it by a friar in Kilkenny in 1348, the year the Black Death came to Ireland. " The pestilence was so contagious that those who touched the dead or the sick were immediately infected. Many died of boils, abscesses and pustules which erupted on the legs and in the armpits...It was very rare for just one person to die in a house; usually husband, wife, children and servants went the way of death. "

I once heard that it did not effect Ireland badly, only those who lived in the larger towns, Dublin, Drogheda, Kilkenny ( which was the Norman capital in 1348 ? ) as people who lived in the smaller rural villages weren't effected much. And most of the population of those towns were Anglo Norman anyway, so the 'native' Irish population would hardly have been affected. Anyone know anything ?

Dr Strange

McArmalite wrote:

Was wondering, did the Black Death effect Ireland as much as the continent ? Here is an account of it by a friar in Kilkenny in 1348, the year the Black Death came to Ireland. " The pestilence was so contagious that those who touched the dead or the sick were immediately infected. Many died of boils, abscesses and pustules which erupted on the legs and in the armpits...It was very rare for just one person to die in a house; usually husband, wife, children and servants went the way of death. "

I once heard that it did not effect Ireland badly, only those who lived in the larger towns, Dublin, Drogheda, Kilkenny ( which was the Norman capital in 1348 ? ) as people who lived in the smaller rural villages weren't effected much. And most of the population of those towns were Anglo Norman anyway, so the 'native' Irish population would hardly have been affected. Anyone know anything ?

Ireland was hit pretty badly as well. Between 1347 and 1350 the plague wiped up to 50% of the European population off the face of the earth. Ireland fared little better.

Between August and Christmas 1348 it was said that 14,000 people died in Dublin alone (a rate of 100 a day).

For more information I can only recommend these two books by Maria Kelly:

- A History of the Black Death in Ireland (Tempus Publication, 2001)

- The Great Dying - The Black Death in Dublin (Tempus Publication, 2003)

Best,
Preusse

Riamfada

The Black Death stayed mainly to the East coast due to its links with Britain and Europe. Many people fled to the "sanctuary" of Clontarf and Dalkey Island which soon became mass graves consisting of hundreds of people.

spurious

New Ross was very badly hit by it.