The Famine Ships: The Irish Exodus to America - Hardcover

Laxton, Edward

  • 3.78 out of 5 stars
    363 ratings by Goodreads
 
9780805053135: The Famine Ships: The Irish Exodus to America

Synopsis

A readable popular history, complemented by color paintings, passenger lists, and other memorabilia, traces the history of the emigrants from Ireland's potato famine between 1846 and 1851, highlighting the compelling stories of individuals. 12,500 first printing.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Reviews

The defining moments of Irish history are studded with arrivals (St. Patrick, Oliver Cromwell) and departures (St. Columbanus, James Joyce). In the 1840s the great arrival was the Potato Blight, and the even greater departure was the multitude of ships carrying the nearly one million emigrants escaping the Irish famine to America. In this work, Laxton, a former newspaper editor, narrates the stories of these emigrants as they sailed for the the New World. The work is a fascinating compilation derived from family histories handed down through the generations; it describes both the horrible conditions aboard the ships and the emigrants' boundless optimism concerning the freedom of America. This well-written supplement to the various works on the Irish famine exodus finally draws attention to the people and the ships that defined a moment in Irish and American history.?John J. Doherty, Montana State Univ., Bozeman
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title