Bóthar na Marbh is the Irish for the road of the dead. It’s an old lane way which refers to ‘The Great Famine’ of 1845-1857 when local women brought bodies to the hilltop for the men, working on the roads to collect and bring down to St. Thomas’s Church of Ireland graveyard for burial. A large limestone rock known as the ‘Famine Rock’ marks the graves. To this day locals refer to the laneway as ‘Barr na marbh’ meaning the summit or top of the road, which is approximately 140 metres above sea level, located in Kilmactranny in the Northeast of County Sligo on the borders of Leitrim and Roscommon.
Rosa canina, Dog Rose, Feirdhris ;
Fragana vesca, Wild Strawberry, Su talun fiáin
Dactylorhiza fuchii ssp.fuchii, Common Spotted-orchid, Nuacht bhallach
Veronica chamaedrys, Germander Speedwell, Lus cré talun
I have included the Irish plant names to honour the people who lived and died here from the ancient warriors,the neolithic farmers who cultivated the land and raised cattle to the more recent people who survived famine and made it what it is today … a truely magical place to live
Medium: Watercolour
Size: A3 29.7cms x 42cms 11.7inches x 16.5 inches
Paper: St. Cuthberts Mill Bockingford 300gsm, hot pressed, acid free, archival paper
Bóthar na Marbh is the Irish for the road of the dead. It’s an old lane way which refers to ‘The Great Famine’ of 1845-1857 when local women brought bodies to the hilltop for the men, working on the roads to collect and bring down to St. Thomas’s Church of Ireland graveyard for burial. A large limestone rock known as the ‘Famine Rock’ marks the graves. To this day locals refer to the laneway as ‘Barr na marbh’ meaning the summit or top of the road, which is approximately 140 metres above sea level, located in Kilmactranny in the Northeast of County Sligo on the borders of Leitrim and Roscommon.
Rosa canina, Dog Rose, Feirdhris ;
Fragana vesca, Wild Strawberry, Su talun fiáin
Dactylorhiza fuchii ssp.fuchii, Common Spotted-orchid, Nuacht bhallach
Veronica chamaedrys, Germander Speedwell, Lus cré talun
I have included the Irish plant names to honour the people who lived and died here from the ancient warriors,the neolithic farmers who cultivated the land and raised cattle to the more recent people who survived famine and made it what it is today … a truely magical place to live
Medium: Watercolour
Size: A3 29.7cms x 42cms 11.7inches x 16.5 inches
Paper: St. Cuthberts Mill Bockingford 300gsm, hot pressed, acid free, archival paper