DUNBRODY
FAMINE SHIP – NEW
ROSS
Irish Emigration Experience - Up Close and Personal
Many American families can trace their ancestral roots to Ireland
as a result of the famine of the 19th Century when the potato crops
on which so many relied as nearly their sole source of sustenance failed
from the blight, sending almost a million Irish to seek a new chance
at life in America. For a telling look at what that experience was
like, find your way to County Wexford in South East Ireland (see Kilkenny & Wexford). Resting
alongside the docks of New Ross, the Dunbrody Heritage Ship is a full
scale replica of an original three-masted barque built in1845 used
to transport immigrants from Ireland to America.
The Dunbrody “Famine Ship” recently underwent a refurbishment
of its hull. The present ship was reconstructed from
the keel up to the top of the main mast from original Dunbrody plans,
with her maiden voyage in 2005. The historic Dunbrody was built in
Quebec Canada, one of eight ships commission to carry cargo to America
and Canada, taking a short six months to complete. The ship were designed
and built by an Irishman from County Derry for William Graves, a merchant
from of New Ross. First carrying lumber and cotton, when the famine
stuck in 1845, and more money was to be made transporting people, the
ship was fitted with bunks and facilities for passengers, but mostly
the bare essentials. Many of the passengers were from the estates the
Fitzwilliams in Wicklow. Most of the Dunbrody’s passengers were
carried to Canada and the quarantine station at Grosse Île on
the St Lawrence River. The first Dunbrody returned to hauling timber
after the famine years in 1851, running aground on the shore of Labrador.
For visitors to
the Dunbrody, before boarding, a film presentation gives historical
background of the Great Famine and why so many found
no choice but to emigrate to America followed by documentary film of
the building of the replica ship and its launch as well as footage
of a visit by John F. Kennedy to Wexford from where the American President’s
own ancestors had emigrated. After the film, visitors to board the
ship at her moorings with a ticket replicated from the 1840’s.
Actors in costume portray actual characters who sailed on board taken
from the voyage records and diaries. They each tell of their own stories
of life aboard the ship and their individual circumstances to present
a personal understanding of life as it was in Ireland during the famine
years.
On board,
you’ll meet two women, one a protestant gentlewoman
who traveled in the cabin class, provided with food and service for
the voyage. And another from steerage, a Catholic tenant farmer’s
wife with her infant child, a steerage passenger who had to provide
for their own cooking in the cramped spaces below deck, who met a tragic
end aboard the ship. Despite the trials of a long voyage the mortality
rate on the Dunbrody was surprisingly low, mostly due to its Captain,
John Baldwin. Crew members will tell you their side of the journey
as well. Getting about the ship requires some steep ladders and narrow
passages, though the bulkheads which would have closed off the holds
on the original ship are removed on the replica, and theDunbrody is
fitted with something not found on a sailing ship of the 1800’s – steel
watertight doors, and an elevator for the disabled. If only they had
the foresight!
Visiting the Dunbrody Famine Heritage Ship
The Dunbrody
ship is located at the South Quay dock of New Ross, with a parking
lot
across the street. Admission price to the ship is €8.50
for adults, €7 Seniors, €5 Student and Children. A Family
Ticket is available for €23, for two adults and 2 children
under 16. The exhibit is open from 9am to 6pm daily with the last tour
at 5pm. The tour of lasts about an hour, with time to explore the decks
on your own. For a look at New Ross’ medieval past, a block down
the street from the dock is the Ross Tapestry project which tells the
colorful threeded story of the Normans from Wales and England who founded
the city (see Ros
Tapestry). © Bargain
Travel Europe
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Dunbrody Ship
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SEE ALSO:
FINDING
MY IRISH ANCESTORS
US PRESIDENTS IRISH ROOTS
