The Famine Roads of Ireland: Pathways to Nowhere

Across the rolling hills and rugged landscapes of western Ireland, one can find peculiar relics of a dark chapter in the island’s history. These are the Famine Roads—routes that climb into the hills, twist through valleys, and often end abruptly, leading nowhere. Their haunting presence is a testament to the desperation and suffering endured by countless Irish peasants during the Great Famine of 1845–1852.

"One of the many roads to nowhere built during the Famine" (Image via sboins on Reddit)

The Great Famine, or Án Gorta Mór, was a catastrophic period in Ireland’s history, marked by mass starvation, disease, and emigration. Over one million people perished, and another two million fled the country, profoundly altering Ireland’s demographic and cultural landscape. In an era dominated by the rigid doctrines of laissez-faire economics, relief efforts were minimal, and assistance often came with cruel conditions.

Under the Poor Law and its amendments, relief programs were established to aid the starving populace. One such measure was the construction of public works—projects like roads, bridges, and other infrastructure—where impoverished laborers could earn meager wages or food. While the idea, creating work to improve the economy and infrastructure, could have been a sound one, ultimately, many of these projects were ill-conceived, and would not produce lasting value over time, nor would they really aid in providing help to starving people within Ireland. 

The Famine Roads, however, were often emblematic of the inefficiency and callousness of these schemes. Many of these roads served no practical purpose; they were planned without regard for utility or connectedness, resulting in roads that led nowhere and terminated abruptly in the countryside. The fact that many of the workers were already starving and malnourished certainly did not help their utility, and many of those who arrived quickly found that the harsh conditions and exposure to the elements were no better than back home. (Hillwalk Tours)

A particularly jarring famine road carved along a hill, which I can't imagine anyone ever thinking would lead anywhere. (W&L University)

The above picture reminds me of something I read in Bullshit Jobs about what Fyodor Dostoyevsky once thought could be the worst form of torture when it came to labor: "It once came into my head that if it were desired to reduce a man to nothing—to punish him atrociously, to crush him in such a manner that the most hardened murderer would tremble before such a punishment, and take fright beforehand—it would be necessary to give to his work a character of complete uselessness, even to absurdity.

Hard labor, as it is now carried on, presents no interest to the convict; but it has its utility. The convict makes bricks, digs the earth, builds; and all his occupations have a meaning and an end. Sometimes, even the prisoner takes an interest in what he is doing. He then wishes to work more skillfully, more advantageously. But let him be constrained to pour water from one vessel into another, or to transport a quantity of earth from one place to another, in order to perform the contrary operation immediately afterwards, then I am persuaded that at the end of a few days the prisoner would strangle himself or commit a thousand crimes, punishable with death, rather than live in such an abject condition and endure such torments. It is evident that such punishment would be rather a torture, an atrocious vengeance, than a correction. It would be absurd, for it would have no natural end." (The House of the Dead, Ch. 3)

I wonder if Dostoyevsky had any inspiration for this theory from the Irish plight, as the House of the Dead was first released in 1862.

"A Public works Road in Clare from 1847. Famine roads, start nowhere and lead nowhere’. The public works acted as a test of destitution with 12 hours a day of intense labor. Initially only for men, women and children eventually joined. Demand was so great that cases emerged of people waiting at the edge of the road for someone to die so they could take their place." Taken from The Truth Behind The Irish Famine by Jerry Mulvhill

While these projects were largely an added insult to the Irish people to their injuries, it should be noted that not all of these roads were useless and lacked connection to the rest of the Irish road network, however. For example, R574, originally called the Kerry Pass, was cut during the Great Famine as a poor relief public works project. It was renamed for Timothy Michael Healy, former Governor-General of the Irish Free State, who died in 1931 shortly after the road was improved.

R574 Cork side of Healy Pass. By John Webster, CC BY-SA 2.0

Nonetheless, the labor conditions were brutal. Men, women, and children worked long hours in harsh weather, inadequately clothed and fed. Malnourished and weakened by hunger, they toiled with rudimentary tools, breaking through rocky terrain. Tragically, many died at the very worksites meant to save them, their bodies unable to endure the strain.

This map accompanied a proposal to construct a road from Kilcolgan to Dunkellin, Co. Galway 'and which may be extended to Craughwell' that was forwarded to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in March 1846 as part of the British government's public works scheme. (RTE.ie)

Efforts like the Famine Way project, which retraces the path of 1,490 tenants forced to walk from Strokestown in County Roscommon to Dublin’s docks during the famine, offer an opportunity to engage with this history in a profound way. By following the 165-kilometer route, visitors can connect with the stories of resilience and loss, gaining a deeper understanding of the famine’s impact on Ireland. Projects like this serve not only to commemorate the past but also to inspire reflection and remembrance for generations to come.

Today, the Famine Roads remain as poignant reminders of the Famine era. They are scars on the Irish landscape, marking places where history’s heavy hand fell hardest. For many, they symbolize the failure of a system that prioritized economic orthodoxy over human lives, something that continues in many cases, and in many places, to this day. 

These roads stand as silent witnesses to a period of immense suffering and resilience, their incomplete paths winding through the hills as though searching for a future that was cruelly denied to so many. The Famine Roads are not merely relics of a bygone era but enduring reminders of the consequences of neglect and indifference in the face of human suffering. They challenge us to confront the injustices of the past and ensure that such tragedies are never repeated. There are some famine roads which were later incorporated into hiking trails in Ireland, such as Burren Way, Dingle Way, the West of Ireland route in Connemara and Mayo, and the Kerry Way, which you can hike and get a sense of the injustice that is paved below your feet.

Thanks as always for reading!