with Fifth and Sixth class
The Famine
I woke up in the morning and got my breakfast at about seven o' clock. When I came back in at a quarter past eight there was a very bad smell about. I couldn't think what it was.Then my son Jack ran into the house saying that the smell was coming from the potato patch. I ran out to investigate , only to discover that the potatoes were rotting in the ground.I decided to dig them up when I had finished the rest of my jobs.
During the morning bad news was heard. My wife, Anne -Marie , and my son Jim ,were talking to some of the neighbours.They discovered that a disease called blight was causing the potato crop in Ireland to rot.Fearfully, I went to my own garden.I prayed as I began to dig. Every single potato was mushy and some fell to dust straight away. At that moment I realised that hunger wasn't far away.
Of all the houses in the village, I considered that we were fairly comfortable.We had two strong horses and a cow for milk.We had twenty sheep and eighteen hens . The potatoes we had stored from the previous year lasted us for four months. Sadly, our seven year old son , Jim ,died.The famine was one of the greatest disasters to hit Ireland and we thanked God when it was over.
Hallowe'en
On Hallowe'en night I decided to go trick or treating with my four friends.We set off at half past eight and passed the graveyard at a quarter past nine. My friend Seán dared another friend, Dermot, to walk to the top of the graveyard."Why not?" he replied and set off. He soon stopped in tracks when he heard a loud noise.It sounded like a gunshot.We saw Dermot falling to the ground .Then suddenly we saw a large figure with a mask, emerge from behind a gravestone.We ran for our lives.
Quickly we ran towards the Garda Station.On our way , we came to the bonfire.A large crowd had gathered round.Suddenly ,we heard a twig snap and immediately we turned around.It was the man with the mask.As we were terrified we decided to make a run for it.
On and an we ran until we reached the Garda Station.The man in the mask was still following us.When we got to the station the garda wouldn't believe us and told us to stop wasting his time.By this time the man had nearly caught up with us . Still terrified, we ran on ,only to hear gun-shots coming from the Garda station.We kept on running until we were breathless.In the distance , I could hear someone calling me .It was my mother, telling me that I was late for school. It had all just been a horrible dream.
The Fire
One Christmas, I was staying at my cousin's house.It was the 19th of December and my Auntie had just put up her Christmas tree.My cousins and I had been playing with their computer . At eleven o' clock their mother told us to go to bed.We talked for a while and then went to sleep.I awoke after a while and looked at the clock. it was three o'clock.
I tried to go back to sleep and after a while I did.I awoke again after twenty minutes and could smell smoke.Quickly, I ran downstairs to check the kitchen. However, there was no fire there.I checked the sitting room to find the computer still plugged in and on fire. It had also set the Christmas tree ablaze.
Immediately, I ran upstairs to wake everybody up.I told them it was an emergency. My Aunt quickly rang for the fire brigade .We shut all the doors and went outside,The fire brigade arrived within twenty minutes. They attached the hose to the outside tap and ran in.They poured wter on the flames to extinguish them. Eventually, the fire was quenched .Luckily, we all survived.That is the last time that I will leave things plugged in!
Return to Index
.
Return to Home Page