The Famine clearance in Toomevara, County Tipperary

Helen O'Brien

‘The Maynooth Studies in Local History series has made a magnificent contribution to the subject of local history … an astonishing ninety-three titles have been published to date, dealing with a broad range of topics and a profusion of places throughout Ireland … Helen O’Brien’s book is a significant contribution to the study of the Famine period in Co. Tipperary. Her account is solidly based on a wide range of original and secondary sources, and she is to be particularly commended for ferreting out a hitherto unknown and untapped source, the memoir of a schoolmaster named Thomas Treacy … [the book has] four well-balanced sections … [it is] an admirable book. It is written in a crisp and clear style, has an excellent narrative flow to it, and is balanced and judicious in its analysis of the issues involved. It is also well illustrated', Daniel Grace, Tipperary Historical Journal (April 2011).