Doagh Famine Village, a popular open-air museum in County Donegal, Ireland, was engulfed in a massive fire on Saturday afternoon. The fire caused extensive damage to the historic site that has been connecting people to Irish history and culture for years. This is very sad news. But it is a matter of relief that no one was harmed.
As soon as the fire was reported at around 4 pm, the Irish police (Gardaí) and fire brigade reached the spot. The relief was that all the people present there came out safely and there is no news of anyone being injured.
The fire has been controlled and initial investigation has not found any signs of foul play.
The museum which was a story in itself
Doagh Famine Village was not an ordinary museum. It was a place where people could go and experience the life of Ireland from the 18th century to today. The huts here, farming equipment, traditional methods of fishing and the style of living – everything seemed to have stopped in time.
Founder’s pain spilled over
The founder of this museum, Mr. Pat Doherty, told that he and his family lived in the same hut till 1984, which is now a part of the museum.
He said,
“We used to show here how we lived, how we farmed, fished and lived our lives. All of that is gone now. It’s a disaster.”
Mr. Doherty started this project in 1997 and added something new to it every year. Today’s incident has destroyed his years of hard work.