New Ross is in County
Wexford and is a port that was used during the time of the Great Famine to send
emigrants from Ireland to other parts of the world including Canada and the
United States. It is my belief that New Ross may also be the same port that my
great-great-great-grandfather, John Jackman, came through to board the ship
named Ann to sail to Canada to start a new life. I don’t know why he decided to
do this but he did.
New Ross has a tourist
site that is not usually seen in most Irish ports, a replica of a famine ship.
The original ship had the name of Dunbrody and has been replicated well in most
respects. I believe that the replica was built in the same shipyard in Quebec
as the original ship.
The original ship was
built to bring lumber, furs, and other natural resources from Canada to
Ireland. As it was going to be sailing back to Canada with no cargo, the Dunbrody
was outfitted with bunks and took famine victims with them. The bunks were
removable so that they could continue to carry cargo on their way back to
Ireland.
There were two types
of passengers, passengers who could pay more and have a cabin and passengers
who paid less, or whose landlords paid passage for them and looked after their
own needs while onboard ship. Once arriving in Quebec, they often had to wait
onboard before disembarking at Gross Iles for medical inspections. Most of the
emigrant ships did not prepare well for their passengers, some of them running
out of fresh drinking water before their turn to disembark their passengers,
but the Dunbrody had a couple of captains who were humane and made sure that
there was enough water for consumption as well as cleanliness. They had very
little loss of passengers and their passengers wrote back to Ireland praising
the two captains.
There were also some actors who helped to bring about the vision of what life was like on the
famine ship while enroute to Canada. The people portrayed were real people and
the program was an interactive presentation. I am sure that I have a better
understanding of what happened to the people of that time. I don’t know if any
of my ancestors experienced this as most of my Irish ancestors came to Canada
in the early 19th century.
New Ross is a port
that is located on the River Barrow and is near the border with County
Kilkenny. It is about 20 miles north east of Waterford which is another port. It
is about 23 miles west north west of Wexford, the county seat for County
Wexford. New Ross is the third largest community in County Wexford. The day that
we were there, there was a cool breeze and it did rain while we were visiting
the Dunbrody.
New Ross looks as if
it is a clean town. We were at the waterfront and did not have much of a chance
to see the rest of the town. Once we were finished at the Dunbrody exhibit, we
were on our way back to Waterford, for a walking tour, dinner, and a night’s
rest.
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