From Ireland To The United States A Century and A Half Later

The story of the Jeanie Johnston is the story of one of the most momentous periods in Irish history - the era of the Great Famine that swept the country in the middle of the lsth century. It is also a tale of great humanity, remarkable courage and pioneering spirit on the part of Irish people fleeing the dreaded famine, which decimated the population of Ireland in a few short years. It can be truly said that the Jeanie Johnston - and the many similar emigrant ships of the 19th century which it eloquently represents - paved the way for Irish people to play a leading and distinguished role all over the world in the intervening years.

When disease hit the potato crop - the staple diet of the Irish people - during consecutive seasons from 1845 to 1848, disaster struck. Every family in the country was touched in one way or another. For many people, it came down to a stark choice between risking the fearful transatlantic voyage on an emigrant ship or remaining in Ireland to starve. This is where the famed Jeanie Johnston entered the picture to dramatic effect.

A square-sterned, three-masted barque, constructed of Quebec oak and pine, the 408 tonne ship was built in Quebec, Canada by noted Scottish-born shipbuilder, John Munn in 1847. A year later, the prominent Tralee, Co. Kerry hardware merchant, JEANIE Nicholas Donovan, purchased the ship in Liverpool and originally intended to use it on the North Atlantic route as a cargo vessel.

The dire circumstances of the starying Irish soon altered his plans and the ship made its maiden voyage to Quebec on April 24, 1848, with 193 emigrants on board who were searching for a new life as the effects of the Famine ravaged the land. Over the next seven years, the sturdy wooden sailing vessel made 16 heroic voyages in all to North America, sailing to Quebec, Baltimore and New York. From 1848 - 1855, the ship carried over 2,500 Irish people across the Atlantic on the first step in a brave new adventure.

In the process, the Jeanie Johnston accomplished a remarkable feat. Under the direction of its kind-hearted owner, Nicholas Donovan, its caring captain, Captain James Amidge and a highly experienced resident medical doctor, Dr. Richard Blennerhassett, no lives were lost on board. The doctor would ensure that hatches were open every day when possible, that the bedding was aired, the accommodation below deck was kept as clean as possible and that everyone would be encouraged to take a walk on the deck each day unless the weather was too rough.

The Jeanie Johnston boasted just a single main deck and a poop deck, housing its travelers in very cramped bunks. It offered few comforts on the hazardous journey, which usually lasted about two months, but it was also far removed from the infamous 'coffin ships' most notably associated with the thousands of emigrants who perished on the transatlantic voyages in 1847.

The emigrants on the Jeanie Johnston were berthed below deck in the steerage area, where temporary accommodation was rigged up for them, and they were expected to provide their own bedding. They were pressed tightly together in tiny spaces four to a six foot-square bunk, with two children counting as one adult! It is difficult to Visualize that, on one trip, the stalwart ship carried a total of 254 passengers.

Who were these brave Irish people who paid the fare of E3.10 shillings to make the heroic journey to the 'New World'! Although the passenger lists to Quebec remain undiscovered, a complete list for the voyage to Baltimore offers some dues to the profile of those on board the voyages. Farmers and laborers figure prominently, and many were family groups. The largest group, however, were single women, the majority between the ages of 16 and 30.

The ship met its final end in 1856, she was sold as a cargo ship to William Johnson of North Shields in England and, two years later when en route from Quebec to Hull with timber, she ran into trouble in mid-atlantic. Overloaded and waterlogged she sank, but not before all aboard were rescued by a passing Dutch ship, the Sophie Elizabeth - preserving her unblemished safety record.

Building a replica of the Jeanie Johnston one that would safely navigate the North Atlantic today as well as authentically call to mind the remarkable lsth century vessel represented a significant challenge.

The project involved not only assembling the required materials and painstakingly building a high quality vessel but also constructing a special shipyard and making many of the tools used in the ship's reconstruction.

The ship was designed by Fred M. Walker, Chief Naval Architect with the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich who was the supervising architect for the recreation of the Isth century Captain Cook Endeavour II ship. The recreation project was modeled closely on the restoration of the 17th century Dutch East India ship, The Batavia, in Lelystad, Holland.

As a seagoing vessel and to comply with current Irish and international maritime regulations, some concessions had to be made to modernity. The recreation, therefore, marries traditional materials and skills with features such as steel bulkheads and the necessary modern technology to sail the Atlantic safely.

The shipyard team included a group of 300 young people from the US, Canada and many other parts of the world. They were trained in the delicate skill of shipwrighting by experienced craftspeople. Included in the group were young people from both unionist and nationalist traditions in Belfast, and from Dublin and Kerry.

The Jeanie Johnston project is a powerful symbol of Ireland North- South and transatlantic co-operation.

For more details on the voyage of the Jeanie Johnston to the United States and dates of its visits to various ports on the eastern seaboard go to www.jeaniejohnston.ie