Famine walls

Famine walls were built throughout Ireland, especially in the west and south, in the mid-19th century, during the Great Famine. The walls were built as famine-relief works projects, sponsored by landlords and churches to provide work and income for unemployed peasants. As payment, workers received food or money, and many of the walls served little practical purpose other than giving work to the poor and clearing the land of stones.

The walls are generally around 8–10 feet high and 300 yards long. Along some of the walls are periodic holes built in to the structures, which records say were a way for two parties to stand on opposite sides of the wall and touch fingers through a hole, signifying making an agreement or contract.