Falling into Wretchedness : Ferbane in the Late 1830s

In 1836 the parish priest of Ferbane stated that local people had 'fallen into wretchedness'.

This study portrays the community of people who lived in and around the small West Offaly town of Ferbane during the late 1830s.

Using the diary of the local landlord's wife, parliamentary records and crime reports as sources, Shiel clearly illustrates the contrast that existed between the lives of local gentry figures and of local farmers and labourers.

A small network of gentry families enjoyed luxurious and secure lifestyles, while remaining almost totally unaffected by the growing poverty, and the disorderly lives, of many of the poorer local inhabitants.

The high level of crime in West Offaly during the 1830s is examined, and other aspects of the Ferbane area such as the local landscape; the role of 'strangers' in the community; housing conditions; and, the availability of employment, education and entertainment are described.

This study concludes with the observation that the conditions around Ferbane during the late 1830s meant that the prescient observation by a contemporary onlooker that 'a heap of misery is likely to be generated' would inevitably be fulfilled in the Great Famine of the 1840s.