Famine Walls of Ireland

A network of crisscrossed walls can be seen in the background, climbing up an Irish hill along a scenic route in county Clare.

I traveled to Ireland in October to visit my daughter at the Burren School of Art. The Burren’s rugged, unfarmable landscape is crisscrossed with stone walls, which captured my interest. These walls, dating back to the Great Irish Famine (1845–1852), were built by impoverished laborers in exchange for meager sustenance. They stretch across the Burren’s moon-like terrain, marking lands of little arable value yet as enduring symbols of hardship and resilience.

The region’s geology is distinct, with light limestone in the north and darker siltstones and sandstones in the southwest, forming the Cliffs of Moher. My work will document these famine stone walls, preserving a visual history often overshadowed by Ireland’s scenic beauty. Enclosed are images from my initial exploration, with plans for a deeper study to further chronicle the impact of famine and occupation of Ireland’s western landscape.

During my initial trip to Ireland this past October, my focus was social and as a tourist. Yet the abundance of stone walls everywhere in western Ireland, making random landscape squares, struck me as odd until I asked my daughter about their significance. The grant money will help fund my travel costs and the costs associated with printing and presenting the work as a finished photo documentary of this challenging and impactful period.

A farm near the outskirts of Dingle, Ireland. Stone walls crisscross along hills and valleys, throughout almost all of the landscape of western Ireland.

Dormitory housing where tenant farmers lived building stone walls or farming during Englands occupation.

Stone walls dating back to the Great Irish Famine (1845–1852), were built by impoverished laborers in exchange for meager sustenance or a penny a day. These walls stretch across nearly all of Irelands western landscape. Criss-crossing the rugged and scenic landscape, marking lands of little arable value yet as enduring symbols of hardship and resilience of Ireland’s past.