Rosbercon

“For each of them it was a one-way ticket to a new life. For the Dunbrody, Captain Williams and his crew, it was business as usual.”

Over lunch in Graiguenamanagh, we jiggled our sightseeing plans. Instead of heading north to Borris — and back to Kilkenny from there — we went south to New Ross. Thus, we got to dip our toes into County Wexford.

Our destination in New Ross was the Dunbrody Famine Ship & Irish Emigrant Experience. Here, visitors learn the story of one of the many so-called “coffin ships” that carried Irish emigrants fleeing the Great Famine of 1845-1851 ... aka the Great Potato Famine.

The three-part experience gave us free time in the exhibit room to read about a disastrous period in Irish history; showed us a video in which emigrants-to-be talked about leaving their home country to seek a better life elsewhere ... predominantly, the Americas; and took us aboard the “replica” Dunbrody, where docents playing the role of emigrants told us of the hardships endured during the 6-8 week Atlantic crossing.Read more