New film to examine tragic impact of famine on Laois town
Filming of historic locations in Abbeyleix to begin shortly
A new documentary highlighting the impacts the Great Famine had on a Laois town is set to begin filming this May.
Laois County Council's Heritage Office has commissioned filmmaker Oliver Fallen to produce this documentary, capturing the horrendous reality of the Famine's impact upon Abbeyleix.
Pictured: Abbeyleix Community Nursing Home, formerly Abbeyleix Workhouse
The documentary will cover the 'lazy bed' drills in Oldtown, Abbeyleix. These drills are the raised beds that potatoes were planted in during the famine, which can still be seen today. This way of planting potatoes so closely was catastrophic, causing the blight to spread fast and easily through the crops.
The film will also explore the mass grave that locals have called 'The Gate to Heaven'. This was an overflow burial site from Abbeyleix Workhouse, and is located on the Carlow road. Over 2,000 bodies are believed to have been buried in this mass grave.
A focal point of this film is the workhouse in Abbeyleix, the county's first workhouse. It was originally built to house 500 people in 1841. A fever hospital was later erected to the west of the Workhouse. The buildings are now Abbeyleix Community Nursing Home.
On the National Famine Commemoration Day, Sunday May 17, Mr Fallen will record Fr Paddy Byrne's mass in memory of famine victims.
Mr Noel Burke has driven a campaign for the 2027 National Famine Commemoration to take place in Abbeyleix. Having set up a petition, Mr Burke has since received over 1.100 signatures, from Laois locals here and abroad in places such as the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and more.
Meanwhile, the Abbeyleix Men’s Shed Group continues its remarkable work gathering materials to build a full replica of the Abbeyleix workhouse cart. This cart will lead a major re‑enactment parade on the third Sunday of May 2027, beginning in the town square.
"People in period dress will walk behind the horse‑drawn cart, recreating the heartbreaking journeys made by destitute men, women, and children to the Abbeyleix Workhouse site during the darkest years of the 1840's. This powerful scene will also be captured for the documentary," Mr Burke told the Leinster Express / Laois Live.
"A sincere thank you to the Laois County Councillors, who voted at their November 2025 meeting to support our campaign encouraging Minister Patrick O’Donovan to nominate Abbeyleix as the host town for the National Famine Commemoration in May 2027," he said.