GRANDMOTHER'S DREAM ABOUT THE FAMINE
By Mother, Julia Folan Costello
As told to me, Sarah Costello

Grandmother Folan (Foley)'s maiden name was Julia Lydon. The Lydon family was supposed to have psychic senses, and Grandmother evidently had some of it according to the many stories told of her psychic powers.

The Irish people generally claimed that their psychic gift was given to their ancestors by the Irish Saint, Columkille, himself a great prophet, and some few people claim to inherit it.

In the dream, which Grandmother had three years before the famine, she was warned of the terrible times to come. She was awakened, as her story goes, in the middle of the night and was surprised to feel the presence of someone in the room, presumably standing in the flickering shadows of the dying fire of the hearth, although upon investigation no one was there. However, the voice told her that he was sent to warn her of the terrible times that were to befall Ireland. He said that within three years, a blight would fall upon their crops in midsummer and Ireland would starve. The Voice told her to tell her husband not to sell any more of his grain or stock than he could possibly spare. Her husband did not sell as much of the stock and grain, as he otherwise would have done, more to please her than that he had much faith in her dream.

Some of the town’s people felt she had been forewarned; others paid little attention to it.

Grandmother's dream not only saved the lives of her family from starvation, but also the lives of many of the villagers.

This little episode was written up in a London paper about fifty years ago, at the time of Martin Foley's death. Martin was the grandson of Julia Lydon Foley and was a prominent man in the London community.

Sarah Costello wrote this about the year 1959. Sarah's mother was the daughter of John Foley who was the son of the psychic, Julia Lydon Foley. Martin was the son of John, and brother of Sarah's mother, who was also named Julia.