Table of contents
1. Introduction to the workhouse
2. Summary
3. Daily life in the workhouse
4. German Soldiers
5. Later years of the workhouse
6. Layout of the workhouse
7. Poor Law Union
8. Conclusion
9. Bibliography
1. Introduction to the Workhouse
The Workhouse was located in Oldcastle where Saint Bridget’s Terrace is now. It was built is 1842 on a 7 acre site. A school house and a dining area were included in the building. The workhouse was built for 600 people. Families were not allowed to mix and the regime was very strict. The workhouse was a place that people feared very much however it did provide the poorer unfortunate people of Oldcastle with an alternative to starvation, poverty and homelessness. The employees (Guardians) had no say in how the building was run or how strict the regime was.
The workhouse was also used during the Great War (1914-1918) it was used to house British soldiers and also used as a detention camp for German soldiers.
On March 6th 1920, the workhouse mysteriously burned down. The damage was estimated at £1,500. The building sadly could not be saved. In the late 1930’s
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Yes, the regime was strict but it provided people with food and shelter. There was also a lot of conflict within the walls of the workhouse not only involving the inmates. Conflict was also happening between a lot of the guardians a lot of the time. I feel this is an interesting time to look back on the history of Oldcastle because people do not realise the struggles that Irish people faced in these times of need. In relation to my aims of this project I feel I have effectively learned a lot about the workhouse in Oldcastle. I learned a lot of new things that I didn’t already know and I am happy with the work I did to find out all this