Written by Loretto Leary, Secretary of Ireland's Great Hunger Museum in Fairfield

A town's rise and fall is like an ancient tapestry interwoven with layers of history—at times it is woven with golden threads of prosperity, displaying vibrant scenes of bustling streets and booming trades. As time passes, the tapestry's colors fade, and fraying edges whisper stories of abandonment in empty streets and silent village squares. In County Limerick, Kilmallock is a town interwoven with layers of history, which has known both the golden threads of prosperity and the silent squares of abandonment.

A City of Contrasts: Limerick in the 1830's

In 1832, Kilmallock was recognized as a historic town in County Limerick, renowned for its rich ecclesiastical and architectural heritage. Once a fortified settlement, it housed monasteries, castles, and stone houses, tracing back to a monastery founded by St. Maloch in the 6th century. The town declined sharply after Cromwell’s forces dismantled it and became caught in historic battles surrounding the famine and the Irish Civil War in 1922.

A description of Kilmallock in The Dublin Penny Journal states that, “a few years ago, Kilmallock was a noble town; walled, turreted and filled with stately castles and monasteries and houses of cut stone; all ruined, silent, and deserted. Some wretched peasants had indeed, here and there, taken up residence in the corner of a tower or mansion, which, like a solitary figure in a mountain scene, only added to the effect of sadness and desolation."

The author of the article dated August 25, 1832, says, "Kilmallock has been in a state of desolation and decay since the usurper Cromwell, when it was dismantled and otherwise greatly injured by the parliamentary army. The recent return of the population is fast hastening the devastations of time, and, excepting its ecclesiastical remains, in a few years, it will have but little vestiges of its former splendor. Antiquarians as we are, however, we shall regret this change but little, if it brings industry, wealth, and peace to a spot that has been for a long period the dreary abode of wretchedness and want."

The writer mentions that in 1832, the population of Kilmallock was increasing. The population in general, all over Ireland, was growing. By 1845, it would reach 8 million people. Ireland has never reached that pre-famine population. Despite the author’s hope to witness an improved Kilmallock, “wretchedness and want” persisted.

Henry D. Inglis remarked about Limerick City in 1834: “I know of no town in which so distinct a line is drawn between its good and its bad quarters…” Even in the 1830s, we know of a vast divide between the haves and have-nots in Limerick. We can go back even further than the 1830s to see widespread disease and hardship in the rural areas of County Limerick. By tracing the Sedan Chair hire relocation in Limerick City, we can track the growing number of poorer people moving into the city.

Echoes of Suffering: Fever, Death, and Memory in the Ruins of Kilmallock

A travel writer named J. B. Trotter mentions two sad events in the early 1800s in the Dominican Friary in Kilmallock. He says that during 1817, when typhus fever raged, “In one part of the ruins, where a fine arched side-aisle was still very perfect, my guide showed some terror: I soon learned the cause from him. A person ill of fever had been left there the day before, lest he should communicate the infection to the family where he lodged. His hollow voice plaintively implored some drink; I assured him he should have it, and be taken care of, and hope revived at the moment life was ebbing fast away. In another part of this monastery, I saw a hat of a departed victim of fever exposed some time ago.”

Trotter also hears from locals about a tourist who once stayed at the same inn where he is currently lodging. “An American gentleman, totally a stranger, well clad and of pleasing appearance, came a few months ago to Kilmallock. He went to no inn, but wandered about the ruins, till at last, entering them, he was observed no more, and perhaps forgotten! He was ill, and fever burned in his veins; ...It was two or three days after the American gentleman's disappearance. Extended on his back in a recess of a ruined aisle, the unfortunate stranger lay speechless and expiring! Fever had arrested his steps."

The Fitzgeralds & The Dominican Friary

The Dominican Friary in Kilmallock was founded in 1291 with royal consent. The Fitzgeralds, an influential Anglo-Norman family, played a vital role as patrons, enabling the friary to grow and thrive. Dedicated to St. Saviour, it is situated on the north bank of the River Loobagh. However, its existence wasn’t without challenges. It was dissolved in 1541, briefly revived in 1622, and destroyed by Cromwellian forces in 1648. This event saw two monks executed right in front of the altar. After this attack, the friars had to operate secretly for many years. The Friary was abandoned in the 1790s, and the scars from Cromwell’s raid in 1648 echoed in the town's ruins until 1837.

You might wonder why the Friary was built here. The River Loobagh, a tributary of the River Maigue in County Limerick, springs from the Ballyhoura Mountains. It’s part of the Shannon Estuary and contains both salmon and trout.

In 1837, Samuel Lewis – another English travel writer – visited Kilmallock. In his two-volume series, A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (1840), he describes it as a town coming back to life: “The town is pleasingly situated on the western bank of a small stream called the Lubach, and its walls enclosed a spacious quadrilateral area, in which were several castellated mansions inhabited by noble and wealthy families. Of the ancient mansions and castles, only two have been preserved, one belonging to the Earl of Buckinghamshire and the other to the family of Godsall.” By 1840, we also had a drapery store on the main street in Kilmallock, which would become important during the years of the Famine. “Till lately,” Lewis says, “the town had remained in such a state of decay as to present only the appearance of a rural village; but since 1816, several good houses of stone have been erected in the principal street, which is now a handsome thoroughfare, inhabited by respectable tradesmen. The streets are neither paved nor lighted, and the inhabitants are supplied with water chiefly from the river.”

What types of trade are bringing Kilmallock back to life in 1837? Lewis states, “Close to the town are very extensive flourmills, the property of Mr. Creed; and not far distant, on the same river, are the Glenfield oat-mills, belonging to Mr. Ivers, built in 1825, at a very great expense, on the site of the old manor mills, and employing about 20 persons. There is also a tanyard in the town. The markets, formerly held on Monday and Thursday, have been discontinued for many years; but fairs are still held on Feb. 21st, March 25th, and Whit-Tuesday, chiefly for pigs, and sometimes for cattle and sheep.”

Kilmallock Town Population in 1841

Lewis mentions that only 20 people are employed in the oat mill. Where does everyone else make a living? The population of Kilmallock town in 1841 was 1,408. By 1851, it was 1074. That’s a decrease of 334 people in the town alone in 10 years. Now, consider how many more people are living in the surrounding countryside.

Lewis also describes King John’s Castle on Sarsfield Street. In 1837, this is what he sees: “In the center of the present town is the noble castle with its gateway, through which the road, now diverted to the east, formerly passed, and in which the Earl of Castlehaven deposited his military stores; it is still in good preservation.” The castle, built in the 15th century, was granted to Henry Billingsley in 1588. Initially, King John’s Castle was part of the town's defense system (Kilmallock was a walled town) and served various purposes over time, such as storing weapons, functioning as a hospital, and even operating as a blacksmith's forge. King John's Castle in Kilmallock is now a National Monument, although it was constructed after King John's reign (1199–1216) and may be named after a castle in Limerick. King John, also known as John Lackland, was the son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, remembered for his conflicts with barons that led to the Magna Carta in 1215, as well as for his turbulent reign marked by battles in France and conflicts with Irish lords.

The Merchant House

The Merchant House, a medieval mansion, is also a National Monument. Located in the heart of the town, it was one of about thirty houses built between 1571 and 1587 along Sarsfield Street, south of King John’s Castle. In the late 1500s, Kilmallock was a thriving town.

The Catholic Church, known as the Church of the Assumption, was established in the 19th century. Its original structure was built in 1825, replacing an earlier chapel. Over the years, it has undergone several renovations and restorations. On the eve of the Famine, there was enough money and plenty of Catholics in the town to build a fine church.

Kilmallock Poor Law Union was officially established on January 9, 1839, highlighting the growing needs within the community even before the devastating potato crop failure of 1845. Covering an area of 220 square miles, the Union was initially set to be named Bruff Union but was renamed Kilmallock in July 1839. Its operations were overseen by an elected Board of Guardians consisting of 28 members, alongside 9 ex officio Guardians. The Board convened weekly on Fridays at 11 a.m. to address matters related to the workhouse

Kilmallock Union Workhouse

The Kilmallock Union workhouse, built between 1839 and 1840, spanned a seven-acre site in the southeastern area of Kilmallock. Designed by George Wilkinson, the Poor Law Commissioners' architect, the facility could accommodate up to 800 individuals. Construction costs reached £7,000, with an additional £1,212 dedicated to fittings and other essentials. It officially opened for “paupers” on February 18, 1841, with the first inmates admitted just under seven weeks later, on March 29.

The main building featured the Master’s quarters centrally located, flanked by separate wings for male and female inmates. At the rear, various single-story utility rooms—including a bakehouse and washhouse—were connected to the infirmary and wards for individuals with mental disabilities, then called an “idiots’ ward” via a central spine. This section also housed the chapel and the dining hall. During the famine of the mid-1840s, additional sheds were constructed to house up to 200 extra inmates. A 40-bed fever hospital was later built at the back of the site as well as the “dead house.” By 2002, most of the original workhouse structures had been demolished, leaving only the entrance block intact. The right wing of this block was repurposed to serve as a place to store the local fire engine. Today, the firehouse has been relocated, and the area that once served as accommodations for women and children under 13 now houses the Kilmallock Library and Administrative offices. Standing before the main entrance, the sheer scale of the former workhouse becomes evident, with its structure stretching both to the right and left, showcasing its original expanse. A housing estate now stands on the vast majority of the entire site.

Once admitted to the workhouse, families were separated based on gender and age, and in all likelihood, they may never see each other again. Conditions inside Irish workhouses were intentionally harsh to discourage dependence on the poor law system—a belief rooted in the Providentialism ideology of figures like Charles Trevelyan. Authorities feared that providing better conditions would undermine the work ethic of the "lazy Irish." Between 1845 and 1852, when famine and disease ravaged the Irish population, individuals seeking entry to workhouses had to prove that their circumstances outside were worse than the dire conditions inside the workhouses.

Within the overcrowded workhouses, residents, already weakened from starvation, were vulnerable to famine-related illnesses. As overcrowding worsened after 1847, these institutions became breeding grounds for disease, leading to high mortality rates. Many people feared entering the workhouse. One tragic account from the Limerick Examiner describes the ordeal of a grieving widow living near Limerick City, just over 20 miles from Kilmallock. The widow loses her youngest child to starvation and carries the child's coffin for miles to bury it in her family’s graveyard. Upon returning home, she finds that a second child has died and repeats the heartbreaking journey with another coffin. One by one, three more of her children succumb to disease, and each time, she makes the same agonizing journey to lay them to rest. This woman, like thousands of others, would end up either in the Limerick City Workhouse, or she would die alone in the laneway where she and her children lived and died in extreme poverty during the Irish Famine.

Records from the Kilmallock Union Minutes Book

Records from the Kilmallock Union Minutes Book, dated April 9, 1846, reveal the tragic deaths during the week ending March 28, 1846. The toll included four men, one woman, one boy under the age of 13, one girl under the age of 13, and two children under the age of two. That's seven deaths in one week—one death per day during the first seven months of crop failure.

Situated just 14 miles from Kilmallock, Sergeant Warren played a role during the famine, reportedly "encouraging peaceful tenant transitions," as noted by scholar Desmond Norton. By 1852, most of Warren's tenants had either emigrated, succumbed to death, or left the estate. Those who remained often found themselves in the workhouse. Kilmallock Workhouse served a population of nearly 76,000 in the surrounding region and was the second largest in County Limerick, surpassed only by Limerick City Workhouse. The four workhouses in the county were located in Limerick City, Rathkeale, Newcastle, and Kilmallock.

In the harsh winter of 1846, Dr. Morgan O’Connell, a cousin of Daniel O’Connell and a physician at the Kilmallock Dispensary, reported the emergence of fever and smallpox, which he attributed to the consumption of diseased potatoes. He expressed growing concerns about the spread of disease and rising unemployment, emphasizing the dispensary’s dire need for additional funding to provide adequate medical relief. By December 19, 1846, Dr. O’Connell highlighted the urgent issue of overcrowding in the workhouse, particularly in dormitories designated for boys, girls, and infants, which he described as "excessively overcrowded."

Initially built to accommodate 800 individuals, the Kilmallock Workhouse was overwhelmed by March 20, 1847, with 1,397 people crammed inside, nearly 500 of whom were children. The devastating toll of the Irish Famine on families was immense, and while the workhouse was strained with its numbers, an even greater population of destitute individuals struggled to survive outside its walls, choosing to die in the open air rather than enter the overcrowded, disease-infested workhouse.

The old Dominican Friary became a refuge for those stricken with famine fever. Dr. Morgan O’Connell recounted the presence of “nine poor souls in the abbey cloister,” among whom were a widow Galvey, and her young daughter, drinking from the river to sustain themselves. On the night the widow's daughter passed away, her body was laid out on a bed of straw in the Dominican ruins. Cows gathered around the corpse, eating the straw from beneath it.

The Kilmallock Workhouse provided meager food of poor quality. On February 11, 1848, the workhouse minutes recorded an instance of two young boys, driven by hunger, scaling the workhouse walls to steal turnips. Within the final 12 weeks of 1848, the workhouse saw a devastating toll of 230 deaths—an average of 2 to 3 people succumbing daily during October, November, and December in 1848. By this time, even the drapery store on Sarsfield Street was temporarily utilized as an auxiliary workhouse to alleviate overcrowding in Kilmallock Workhouse.

The mass famine grave behind the Kilmallock Workhouse contains 8,000 unnamed famine victims who died in the workhouse or the surrounding area of Kilmallock during the Irish Famine.

Famine Memorial Park, Kilmallock

On May 2, 1998, Mary Robinson, then President of Ireland, inaugurated the Famine Memorial Park at the site of the mass grave in Kilmallock, paying tribute to the intense impact of the Great Hunger on the local community. The 1998 commemoration plaque reflects the careful language required during the 150th anniversary commemorations of the Irish Famine across Ireland, coinciding with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement on April 10, 1995. The period from 1995 to 2002 in Ireland marked seven years of Famine commemorations and the installation of monuments around the country. Considering these monuments were designed and approved many years before their installation, the careful wording represents an attempt to avoid inciting further violence and stirring negative memories, which could jeopardize peace in the North of Ireland.

The end date for the Irish Famine on the memorial in Kilmallock is 1850. The wording choice reflects the mindfulness needed on the 150th anniversary of the Famine, and even that end date shortens the years of famine suffering. The inscription on the memorial in Kilmallock reads: "Let us remember the Famine victims lying here in unmarked graves and without anger or reproach dedicate ourselves to ensuring that nobody will ever again die in want in this beautiful land that God gave us."

In Guy Beiner’s book, Forgetful Remembrance, he mentions that two hundred years after the United Irishmen’s Rebellion in Antrim, the ancestors of the rebels of 1798 were digging up pikes from fields and the thatched roofs of cottages, now able to face the truth— that Catholics and Protestants fought side by side. It only took 200 years to confront the truth.

Kilmallock to host the Irish Famine Commemoration Day, 2025

The choice of Kilmallock, County Limerick, as the location for the Irish Famine Commemoration Day in 2025, 20 years after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, signifies a shift in attitudes in Ireland about how we should discuss the Irish Famine, in my opinion. On the 180th anniversary of the arrival of the blight in Ireland in September 2025, we begin our own 20-year countdown to uncovering the truth about the Irish Famine.

In Kilmallock, County Limerick, the graves are indeed walking. From those who died in the workhouse to those who died in the ruins of the Dominican Friary and the Battle of Kilmallock during the Civil War, we are surrounded by echoes of the dead asking us to tell their stories.

• 10 Facts about Irish Workhouses
• Irish Workhouses
• The Mayo Orphan Girls

Check out our buildings database to find your ancestors' local workhouse and discover more...

SEARCH BY COUNTY WORKHOUSES IN IRELAND

Limerick