During my visit to Ireland I learnt a little bit about the potato famine of 1845 to 1852. During this time, an estimated 1 million people died of starvation. This was caused by blight that stopped the potatoes from growing.

Many people choose to emigate (that means move to a different country) to start a new life. Many of these people choose America as their new home.

The Dunbrody was one of the ships that were used to relocate people from Ireland to America. These ships were also known as coffin ships as many of the people who boarded the ships, died on the way. This was due to starvation or disease.

Living quarters on the ship were pretty poor, an area of six foot square was home for 4 people. They were only allowed on deck for 1 hour per day, unless they had a cabin ticket but only the very rich could afford these. There weren’t even any toilets on the boat and people had to use a bucket instead.