Exhibition Statement:

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My mother is one of seven children in a large Irish Catholic family. All of them attended the same elementary school. In the seventh grade, my eldest aunt was assigned a project to write a research paper related to family history. She chose to write about the Irish Potato Famine. Over the next decade and a half, this teacher would continue to assign the same project. Seven times she would get handed the exact same essay titled “The Potato Famine” with a different Kelly child’s name attached to it. 

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In order to continue this tradition, I have elected to illuminate this paper in a style inspired by the Insular illuminated manuscripts of the medieval era. The writings originate from the 1970s and 1980s, the content tells of happenings in the 1840s, and the illustrations take influence from manuscripts beginning in the 700s as well as illustrations as contemporary as 2023. With this book, I hope to span the gaps between generations of family and honor the stories that have brought me and my loved ones into being.

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What follows is the Potato Famine Paper copied as it was originally written. There are many grammar, spelling, and factual errors as it was written by a seventh grader in the 1970s. However, in the spirit of the scribes of the traditional illuminated manuscripts, I have not made any changes and copied the errors faithfully to the best of my ability.