Regarding the poem - it may be based on an incident described in Father Peter O'Leary's book "Mo Sgeal Fein" (My Story). In a chapter he describes a man and wife who with their children were admitted to the workhouse. The children died and the parents out of their minds with grief left and visted the "grave" (in reality a hole where famine victims were thrown into). They then went back to their houme which had no heat and both were found dead in the morning. I'll search and give the exact report when I can find the book. Incidentally it was the Choctaw Indians who sent on the money and when Mary Robinson was the Irish president, she was made honorary chief during a visit to the States.