Irish Workhouse Centre

Irish Workhouse Centre

Tour the Irish Workhouse in Portumna

Most people associate the workhouse or poorhouse only with the ‘Famine’ / ‘Great Hunger’ years. However, the story of the workhouse in Ireland spans a period of some 80 years. 163 workhouses operated in Ireland from the early 1840s until the 1920s, when the system was abolished after Ireland gained independence. The purpose of the workhouse was to support people who were too poor to support themselves. Here in return for work they received food. Entire families had to enter the workhouses together.

This was often a means for a landlord to clear land of poorer tenants unable to pay rent. One of the cruelest aspects of workhouse life was the splitting up of families. Family members were segregated in separate living quarters and yards, for men, women, boys and girls. Only children aged 2 years or less could remain with their mothers.

The workhouse was not a prison. People could leave, though they could not necessarily be permitted re-entry. Sometimes ‘Inmates’ committed crimes so as to be sent to prison where the regime was less harsh and the food better.

The workhouse system was brought to Ireland and mirrored on the English system, and the Irish were slow to enter workhouses. However, when the potato crop, on which people completely depended, was struck by blight, the starving masses flooded in. Gross overcrowding, death and disease was typical of workhouse life.

The workhouse system could not cope. The dead were buried in mass pits in the workhouse grounds. During this tragic period of Ireland’s history, some one million people died and about 2 million emigrated to the UK, Australia, Canada and America.

After the ‘famine years’, the workhouse became an institution for people that society provided little or no support for, such as orphans, single mothers, the old and the infirm.

While the system was abolished in the 1920s, the fear and stigma attached to the workhouse, remained in people’s minds for generations.

The Workhouse Museum film

Unique Visitor Centre Museum

The Irish Workhouse Centre in Portumna is the only centre in Ireland of its kind, and is dedicated to telling the story of the Irish Workhouse. The Centre is located in a real workhouse. While some other workhouses survive, few are as intact as Portumna. All seven main buildings survive on an 8 acre site.

Tour Ticket Prices

RatesDetailsPrice
Adults€12
SeniorsAged 65+€8
Students€8
Families2 adults & 2 kids (u12)€25
Under 12s€6
Under 7sFree

Opening times

Monday to Sunday (inclusive)
Tours: 10am, 12 noon, 2pm and 4pm.

Contact

📞 0909 75 9200
📧 [email protected]
💻 https://irishworkhousecentre.ie

Irish Workhouse Centre Map 🗺

Irish Workhouse Portumna FAQs

How long does the tour of the Irish Workhouse last?
The tour takes on average 1 hour and 20 minutes to complete.
Is the tour of the Irish Workhouse self-guided?
No, when you take the tour of the building, a tour guide will provide you with information about life in the workhouse.
Is it permitted to take photos or videos at the Irish Workhouse?
Yes, but only for personal use. You may not use the content without the prior written consent of the OPW on any commercial or other website.
What was life like in an Irish workhouse?
Family members were divided up into separate quarters upon entering the workhouse, occasionally never to see one another again. Young and elderly alike were expected to labor, with the exception of children under the age of two who might stay with their mothers. The ‘inmates’ received just enough food in exchange for work to survive.
What punishments were experienced at Irish Workhouses?
The master and the board might sentence someone to the refractory ward, discipline them with the rod for minor offenses, or summon them to the Petty Sessions and sentence them to time in jail for more serious offenses.

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