In Irish Foklore, ‘An Féar Gortach’ {The Hungry Grass} is a cursed patch of grass that causes an insatiable sense of hunger and weariness upon anyone who walks over it.
Thought to have originally arisen after the events of the Irish Famine between 1845 and 1851 in which a million died of poverty, starvation and agony with another 2 million fleeing the country.
The victims of the famine were thrown into mass graves. Over the top of these burial sites the grass grew and it was said to be cursed.
Some folks still carry a small piece of bread in their pockets when venturing into the countryside in case they step on the Hungry Grass.
Thought to have originally arisen after the events of the Irish Famine between 1845 and 1851 in which a million died of poverty, starvation and agony with another 2 million fleeing the country.
The victims of the famine were thrown into mass graves. Over the top of these burial sites the grass grew and it was said to be cursed.
Some folks still carry a small piece of bread in their pockets when venturing into the countryside in case they step on the Hungry Grass.
Adam Robert Martin is an Irish illustrator based on the Antrim coast with Scotland in view just over the water, working mainly within the realms of folklore and mythology. Find Adam on Instagram @art.of.lore
