NOT A FAMINE VILLAGE

This blog post is by way of an apology to the relatives and friends of those who hailed from the stunning location of An Port on the western coast of County Donegal.

When we first heard about it we were told that there was a village with abandoned cottages and of course our interest was piqued.  Naturally we asked why it was abandoned and the man told us that he thought it was during an Gorta Mór (the Great Hunger or Irish Famine as some know it).

Once we got to it we were amazed and the beautiful old remains there and the stunning views out on to the wild Atlantic Ocean.  

An Port is not a Famine Village

It was added in good faith to our site under the name Famine/Ghost Village.  

And this name comes up first on page one of google for our site a lot of times so we take culpability in part for it becoming, wrongly, known as a 'Famine Village.

We removed this name once notified and after reading a lengthy facebook post from people who knew about the place first hand.

However the name as ascribed by our site was still coming up on page 1 No.1 slot of google so we have left the page name and directed visitors from there to the now updated page entitled AN PORT.​ (Click that link to go to it and view more photographs and information on An Port and directions to it).

COMMENTS ON FACEBOOK ...

Here are some of the comments we read on that facebook post (25th August 2023) which very clearly evidences the fact that An Port is not and never was abandoned during an Gorta Mór (aka The Famine).

“...it was never a famine village it was a thriving fishing community, lived in until at least late 50s. Younger generation just moved or emigrated. Sick and tired of this false image of ghost , famine village.”

“...My next door neighbour was from Port . She went every Sunday evening to visit her relations in Port and that was in the 1960s.”

“It's not a 'post famine village' ... there were fishing families living here in these houses until the 1950s.  People then began to emigrate to England and Scotland to seek work in the post war boom in construction there.”

“Not a "Famine Village", so can people please stop that nonsense. Emigration and the need to be closer to schools, jobs and public services meant that people left these remote townlands for villages like Cashel.”

“Port is not and never was a gost Famine village I visited there often in the fifties.”

“Not a famine village my grandmother lived there.”

To further make amends we have arranged to speak personally with a person who has a great knowledge of the old place and we will be posting about that in the near future.

In the meantime, our unreserved apologies to anyone we upset.