Visitors to the Donaghmore Workhouse and Agricultural Museum may see the rooms of an Irish workhouse almost exactly as they appeared in the late 1800s. Donaghmore Workhouse was built to house the most desperate people of County Laois. Paid for by a tax on local property owners, the workhouse was deliberately made as unattractive as possible so that its only residents would be those who had lost all hope.
People who entered the workhouse suffered the ultimate shame. Once inside, they gave up their clothes and put on rough workhouse uniforms. Families were split apart as boys and girls went to their dormitories, while adults were sent to others. Living conditions were grim. Inmates slept on rough mattresses of straw, covered with rags. The only toilet facilities were large tubs in centre of dormitories. Inmates worked at tasks during the day, then ate their meals in total silence.
By the time the Donaghmore Workhouse opened in 1853, many of the poorest of the area had already perished or emigrated. The workhouse was probably only filled for a few years before it closed in 1886.
In the early 1920s, the British Army used the buildings as a barracks. Then, in 1927, the Donaghmore Co-Operative Society adapted the workhouse to serve local farmers. Part of the workhouse was donated to the community as a place to tell the history of the area. Today committed volunteers bring that history to life through the Donaghmore Workhouse and Agricultural Museum.
For opening hours phone 086 8296685 or e-mail info@donaghmoremuseum.com
The film clip above is a trailer for a longer film on the story of Donaghmore, created in 2016 as part of an Ireland’s Ancient East Project. The full film, with voice-over in English, Irish, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Mandarin, is available to view at the Workhouse itself.
