Mayo Historical and Archaeological Society
Irish Workhouse Centre, Portumna.
By N.O'N.
10, Sep 2011 - 21:02

The Irish Workhouse Centre, Portumna, was the venue for a visit by the Western Archaeological Society, Galway, to mark Famine Memorial Day, 2011.The group was welcomed by Mr. Pierce Joyce, of the local Workhouse Committee who has spent many years researching the history of the institution.

Mr Pierce Joyce, welcomes the society members to the Irish Workhouse Centre, Portumna.

The buildings are in an advanced state of disrepair, but work is ongoing by an enthusiastic committee who aim to restore parts of the complex which still retain some of the original features.

A view of the interior of a dormitory where the inmates slept on the floor side by side, just two feet apart. A walkway divided the room in two and the sleeping inmates occupied both sides.

During the worst years of the famine six hundred destitute men, women, and children were housed there, and it is likely that many of these were saved from certain death due to disease and starvation.
Mr. Aiden Clarke and Dr. Christy Cunniffe of the historical society, thanked Pierce Joyce for his welcome, and for his interesting and informative tour of the complex.
The workhouse is open to the public, and if you are in the area it is worth a visit to learn something of that dreadful period of Irish history, and to get an idea of the harsh regime  that existed within the workhouses of the time.