It has been widely assumed that the isladners of Árranmore did not suffer greatly during the Great Famine but there is evidence suggesting the contrary. It was generally assumed that the tenants of Árranmore supplemented their diet with fish and seafood most of the year, but this was not necessarily the case. Native fishermen had only the curach (a wicker boat sheathed with tarred canvas) available to them and in rough seas the curach could not be launched. Also fish runs were seasonal. In November and December 1846, Donegal was in the grip of a very sever winter. Snowfall had freached record amounts and incidences of typhus and pneumonia were beginning to emerge. In 1846 The Society of Friends became involved in famine relief in Donegal. In 1847 the infleuntial Presbyterian writer and commentator Anseth Nicholson arrived to visit Arranmore. Nicholson was appauled by the conditions she encountered and was in no doubt that the responsibility lay at the door of the Marquis of Conyngham. From the moment of her intial visit to the island and throughout the remainder of the famine, Anseth Nicholson used all of her influence to aid the poor of Árranmore. She liased regularly with the Society of Friends and petitioned various groups in her hometown of Belfast. The famine boiler seen below was used during the famine in the soup kitchens.