Irish America

Famine ships

Grosse Ile: Island of Sorrows

By Marianne O'Gallagher
Irish America’s April 1991 Magazine

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The name Grosse Ile (Big Island) is almost a generic term on the map of North America, it appears in so many places. But there is one island by that name that far outstrips the others for the drama and pathos that took place on its shores.  Grosse Ile in the Saint Lawrence River near Quebec City is the spot sometimes called "The Island Graveyard," or "L'Ile des Irlandais" (The … [Read more...] about Grosse Ile: Island of Sorrows

The Un-Quiet Ghosts of the Carricks

By Maggie Holland, Assistant Editor
August / September 2019

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Bones of Irish children were found 170 years after they died on a “coffin ship” en route to Canada in 1847. Vertebra and jaw bones were identified among the remains, believed to be of Irish children fleeing the Great Hunger, that were discovered in 2011 on Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula, about 500 miles from Montreal, in Canada. Canadian scientists have concluded that the bones that … [Read more...] about The Un-Quiet Ghosts of the Carricks

Jeanie Sets Sail for New World

By John Kernaghan, Contributor
April / May 2003

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After many false starts, the Jeanie Johnston famine ship replica is on its way to the United States. If there is a symbol of the trials and tribulations of getting the Irish replica famine ship Jeanie Johnston to sea on its homage to history, Tom Kindre is the poster boy. When Tom McCarthy, the captain of the ship, quizzed him on crewing across the Atlantic, the member of the … [Read more...] about Jeanie Sets Sail for New World

The Irish Arrive

By Irish America Staff
February / March 2001

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Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern was in New York last December to present of a sculpture to the United Nations. Entitled Arrival, the bronze piece was created by John Behan, Ireland's foremost sculptor, and was installed on the north lawn of the UN headquarters. Situated only yards from the East River, and standing 23 feet high, it depicts a nineteenth-century emigrant ship … [Read more...] about The Irish Arrive

Hibernia:
Recognize This Ship?

By Irish America Staff
October / November 2000

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It could be the same vessel that carried your ancestors to America. It is one of a collection of 11 paintings of the McCorkell Shipping Line in Derry. The McCorkell line was operated and owned by William McCorkell & Co., Ltd. from 1778 to 1897 for the principal purpose of carrying passengers to the Americas. Unlike the infamous "coffin ships," cargo vessels hastily … [Read more...] about Hibernia:
Recognize This Ship?