Why Hast Thou Forsaken Us?

By Mary McGuire

The wailing of the babes could be heard throughout the land. There was nothing to eat. Men, women, and children perished. Mothers scoured the countryside looking for something to feed their sobbing infants. When the crying stopped, it was too late; the babes had succumbed to the Great Hunger. It was the scourge of Ireland. It would last for six years, taking the lives of more than one million people.

At thirteen years old, Sally ORourke felt the full force of the Great Hunger, the famine that descended on Ireland in the year 1845. Many perishedfamily members, friends, and neighbors. She, along with her sixteen-year-old brother, took the only recourse open to them: leaving their beloved country to cross the ocean in search of some means to abate the plague that had befallen their family. Her older brother James, who was preparing for the priesthood, was strong in his faith and accepted without question the Word of God. Unlike her brother, Sally was filled with anger at what had befallen those she loved. While James prayed for redemption, Sally remained silent, but her heart cried out to the Lord, Why hast thou forsaken us?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 21, 2018
• ISBN: 9781984525055

Mary McGuire

Mary McGuire began writing books after her retirement. In the past, she has written articles and term papers for college, but with working, and raising a family, did not have enough time to devote to creating a book. With the encouragement of family, especially grandchildren, she began writing. She finds it a very interesting hobby, especially for a retiree. This is her second book. Mary also likes to travel and spend time outdoors. She lives in Cleveland, Ohio.

Book preview

Prologue

It was still dark inside the cabin although almost time for morning. As yet no one stirred. There was no reason to rise. The last of the stale biscuits had been divided the night before, and there was not a crumb left. Glowing coals in the fireplace gave off a little warmth so it would be better for all to remain on their mats huddled together. Sally, just turned thirteen, and the oldest girl of the O’Rourke family, snuggled close to her sister, Mary.

It was quiet. Sally was accustomed to hear her father coughing during the night as he suffered from constant congestion of the lungs, but he and James, Sally’s older brother, had left the cabin in the middle of the night. They had gone to join the road gangs; men who were hired to build roads, leading nowhere and for no particular reason. The pay between father and son was barely enough to sustain the family for a few days, yet they vied with other men for the work.

The mat Sally was lying on had grown so thin and worn that she could feel the dirt and stone beneath her. She was so cold. The burlap cloth that hung where there had once been a door did little to keep out the cold winds. Snow covered the ground just inside the entrance. She had slept little during the night and could not sleep this morning.

Her four year old brother, lying close to her, turned over in his sleep. All was quiet, but something was amiss. Sally could feel it in her bones.

Granny was always the first to awaken in the morning. She would put more peat on the fire, if there was any to be had. She usually put a kettle on the hearth to warm water for tea, or in better days, meal that would be cooked for breakfast. There had been no gruel for breakfast since-Sally- could not remember when; and there were no herbs for tea, especially with the weather being unusually cold. Regardless, Granny would boil water every morning and drink it in place of tea. If there was any food to be had, she would bring it to the children with a cup of warm water. There would be nothing to eat on this cold, winter morning, but it was unusual for Granny to sleep in.

Sally rolled over on the mat to face the fireplace. In the corner beyond the light from the fireplace was Granny’s rocker. She could see Granny’s feet on the ground. As quietly as she could, Sally rose and went to her. Granny was still; her arms dangling from the arms of the rocking chair, her head rolled to one side. She knew immediately that her beloved Granny was gone. Without realizing it Sally let out a sob. Her mother awakened, and the wailing began.

They hadn’t had time to cover Granny when James and Da returned home. The men had to quit for the day. The snow was piling up and it was difficult to get any work done. James, however, had brought some bread for them to eat. It was put aside as everyone held each other and cried for Granny. With so many being buried each day, James and Da could not decide where to bury Granny. There was a hill not far from the cabin, where Granny would often go. She would sit beside a large boulder and look over the country side. It was, however, on another landlord’s property, and to make things more difficult, the ground around it was covered with stones. Despite the difficulties, they decided to bury her there.

It was bitter cold, and clouds covered the sky, so there were few about on this day. James and Da took picks and a shovel and went to the place. Although hungry and exhausted, the two dug a deep hole. Sally helped her mother comb Granny’s white hair; hair that had once been the color of copper, like Sally’s own. With loving care, Granny was placed into one of the bags that had once held seed to be planted and was carefully laid into the earth.

The family held hands and James led them in prayer. Her brother, just turned sixteen, was preparing for the priesthood. He would often accompany the parish priest traveling the countryside to offer solace to those who had lost their loved ones.

That evening James read from his missal as the family gathered around. They held hands and prayed for Granny’s soul and redemption, but Sally remained silent. She could not fathom that she would never see Granny again or hear the stories she had to tell, or the songs she had to sing. No one realized that as she fed the children, Granny had taken nothing for herself. James spoke of God’s love and prayed that the terrible scourge that had befallen their county would soon end. As the others prayed, Sally remained silent. All she could feel was anger.

Chapter I

Dawn was breaking on a cold winter morning as a group of people huddled beside a winding cobblestone road. A mixture of rain and snow saturated the ground and those who stood upon it. Some people whispered softly to each other, while others sobbed and yet others wailed. There were those who stood motionless, seemingly without emotion, as though the spirit had left the body. The Great Hunger that began in 1845 in Ireland had wreaked havoc upon its inhabitants. An unusually severe winter in 46’ lasting into the first few months of 47’ intensified the misery of the starving, wretched populace

Thirteen year old Sally O’Rourke stood among the group of people unmindful of the rain and snow that made her bonnet lie limp upon her head. She clutched tightly to a tote bag that held all the belongings she had in the world. It had been made of remnants of clothing that had been mended again and again. A few of the people began to call out and then Sally heard it, the sound of carts approaching. The bouncing of wheels and the clacking of horses’ hooves grew louder and louder as they traveled over the rough terrain.

The O’Rourke’s, like the majority of their countrymen, were tenant farmers. They lived simple lives on parcels of rented land. In the spring they planted crops and waited patiently for the harvest. Potatoes were the mainstay of their diet. Then in the year 1845 as people looked forward to the harvest, the potato crop failed. It was the beginning of the Great Famine. It lasted for more than six years, bringing such misery and suffering to the people of Ireland that it would change the fate of the Irish nation for generations to come.

The wailing and moaning of the crowd grew more intense as people clung to each other. It was like being at a wake, and it was a wake of sorts. Family members and friends were saying goodbye to their loved ones; many of whom they would never see again. It would be a long perilous journey from the shores of the Irish coast to the North American continent

Standing as tall as she could Sally O’Rourke looked down the road where the horse drawn carts were coming into view. She tried to appear confident and mature, but the dress she was wearing had been made from cloth that was worn and faded. It hung on her small frame making her appear younger than her thirteen years. Sally was a pretty girl with thick red hair surrounding a small oval face. Her eyes ranged from blue to green and her pert nose was dotted with freckles making her appear even more childlike. Shivering as much from fear, as from the cold, she pulled a thin shawl tightly around her shoulders. Sally would be joining the other emigrants going to America. Like so many of her countrymen leaving their homeland, she would try to find some means of earning money. If something wasn’t done, her family like so many others, would starve to death.

Standing beside Sally was her mother. Weakened from illness and starvation, she was barely able to hold her eyes open. In her arms was six-month old Jane, the youngest member of the family. Quiet and listless, Jane’s cloudy blue eyes took no interest in anything about her. The babe had been this way for some time, and it was a wonder that she was still clinging to life. Sean, a small lad of four clung to his mother’s knee. A solemn faced, Thomas O’Rourke stood beside his wife. He held his six year old son, Timothy. The child’s leg was wrapped in a piece of ragged cloth. He had injured himself carrying peat from the bogs. Given his weakened condition from lack of nourishment, the leg had not healed properly. Gone was their brother, Ryan, not quite three years of age, when he succumbed to illness, brought on by the The Hunger. The child, so lively and good-natured, had left an emptiness in the family that would never be filled. Sally would carry her little brother’s smile with her for the rest of her life.

The family had been in disbelief when they lost Granny. She was known to be strong willed and outspoken. Sally resembled her more than any other family member. She had her red hair, and many said she also had her feistiness. Yet one morning before the children aroused from their sleep, Granny, who awakened before any of the others, was found lifeless in her rocking chair. No one had seen her take a bit of food in some time. She had given her portions to the children.

The carts came to a halt beside the road, and Sally’s brother, James, descended. . and helped Father Devlin from the cart. The aged priest gathered the people around him and with James’ assistance, he led them in prayer.

James Edward O’Rourke, age sixteen, was the oldest child of Thomas and Nora O’Rourke. He had made known from his childhood that he would become a priest. Days he would spend with his father, scouring the countryside for some kind of labor and evenings he would spend with the clergymen trying to bring solace and hope to a desolate people. Much of his time was spent seeking those who had expired and might be still lying among their families, who were too weak and spent to tend to their burials. Yet, with all this, James’ faith in God never wavered.

It was Father Devlin whose idea it was for James to go to America. He procured. fare for the journey. When Sally voiced her willingness to accompany James, the priest agreed wholeheartedly. The girl was very bright, and still had some strength within her despite the meager diet they all subsisted on. She would be one less that James would have to provide for, and she too could most likely find some kind of employment.

Sally looked at her father. He was so thin his bones protruded from his worn shirt, and his once cheerful demeanor had been replaced by despair. It had taken much coaxing for her father, as well as her mother, to give permission for such a perilous journey. If it hadn’t been that Sally would be traveling with her brother, sixteen year old James, they would not have agreed

Concerned about the living conditions some of his countrymen were enduring in the big cities in the new land, a priest, Father Ryan, who was much younger than Father Devlin, had left for Canada just before the winter season began. He planned to gather people who were willing to travel. They would move west, to start a settlement and build a church. Father Devlin gave James a letter to Father Ryan. He explained that James could work with him as a layman, and eventually return to Ireland, God willing, to enter the priesthood.

As they prepared to leave, Sally looked through the throngs of people. There she was, her ten year old sister, Mary. Standing beside Da, she was holding Patsy, the doll Sally had given her. Patsy’s clothing was tattered and torn; her bright red sash was now being used to close Sally’s tote bag, but the doll’s smile was still there reminding them of better days. Best friends as well as sisters, Sally and Mary had been inseparable. As their eyes met, Mary was unable to quell her tears. Sally hugged and kissed them all. The last to say goodbye was Mam. Unable to conceal her grief, Mam kissed her son and then turned to Sally. She clung to her daughter and then placed something in the pocket of her dress. Those who were departing gathered their belongings and climbed into the carts, which were filled to capacity. They waved goodbye as the mournful wailing of the crowd followed them.

Chapter II

As the cart climbed a steep hill Sally could look down upon the clachan where she had lived. There was the stone path that led to the cottage where she was born and had spent her entire life. It was empty now, the door ajar; the shutters waving in the wind. Many of the cabins had been torn down and those that remained were empty. The landlords were using the land to graze their cattle and soon the ground would be barren of grass, razed by the animals’ hooves.

James, who was sitting on the floor of the cart reached up and patted her hand, We will come home, Sally, and things will be just as they used to be.

Yes, James, she replied. But she knew things would never be the same. The cabin would soon be razed just as the others had been. There would be nothing left of the place they had called home. James lived by his faith and he would not question God’s will. But Sally could not accept without question. Why had a loving God let this happen? As for the journey they were about to undertake, there were very few who made this journey and returned. Some of the ships were lost at sea and all the passengers aboard were lost. For others the wretched conditions aboard ship caused many to succumb to illness even before they reached the foreign shore. To make matters worse, those who survived the crossing faced prejudice and rejection. Many had difficulty finding means to support themselves and could do nothing to ease the suffering of those they had left behind.

After the O’Rourke family had been evicted from their cabin, they took refuge in a small shack, one that had been used by Uncle Timothy for his boat and fishing gear. It was barely large enough to hold a boat and fishing gear, and the dirt floor was often muddy from rain that leaked through the roof, but Mam and Da were grateful for it. . Sally thought of Uncle Timothy. To Sally he seemed invincible. His laughter, oh how she remembered his laughter. Now that laughter was stilled. He had been lost at sea. Against all word of caution, he and some of the other men had launched their ill equipped boats, hoping to bring in a cache of fish to bring some small relief to the hungry.

It was as though for Sally