Death for a Starter

The year is eighteen fifty and Ireland is in the grips of a famine as its basic food the potato is blighted by disease and the plants are rotting in the ground. .

Alicia O’Dowd was desperate as she searched for food for her two children, Patrick and Florence. The ground was wet and very muddy. Her feet were icy, in shoes which were badly worn, giving little protection against the bitter cold. She was digging with her bare hands and holding a medium size sharp pointed knife to help in moving the soil to one side, trying to find a potato that had survived the blight. With a heavy heart she could see the fungus had spread across the plot of land, and that the leaves had wilted turning to a dirty looking brown with round blackish spots. Although knowing it was useless, with her husband and son, both of whom were on other areas of the patch of ground, continuing their search for just one of the vegetables which had survived the disease.

The English Land Agent is forgiving and demands further money from them for the use of this poor piece of land, they do not have any funds and after an event which puts them in mortal danger they seek their fortune by emigrating to England.