In 1845, Templecrone Parish, in Northwest Donegal, was inhabited by a population that relied almost entirely on the potato as a sole source of nourishment.
The parish suffered heavy casualties from hunger, disease, stress and inclement weather from 1845 to 1849, and beginning in 1850, many of the survivors led to Can.
The parish comprised more than 50,000 acres of bogs, lakes and boulder-strewn mountains, and its rugged coastline was defended by a string of islands that were heavily populated.
In 1845, Templecrone Parish, in Northwest Donegal, was inhabited by a population that relied almost entirely on the potato as a sole source of nourishment