The Famine Ships: The Irish Exodus to America

Great read

Used it for class and was a hit with students.

This book is compelling and gives you a glimpse of what it was like for those who left Ireland during the famine and came to the United States. I have three great, great grandparents who came during this time and one even came on one of the ships mentioned in the book. It told a story that I had never heard before of the suffering and desperation our ancestors lived and how relieved they must have been to have even survived the trip over the ocean. I could hardly put the book down and was sorry when it ended.

This book has given me a feel for the sacrifices that Irish emigrants made to cross the Atlantic to North America. Great aspect is his focus on the people involved, particular emigrants, captains, and even c-men trying to fleece new arrivals. Now I know something about most of Irish ancestors left during or just after the Famine.Paul (McCarthy) Schweizer, O.Carm.

I had no idea what the Irish emigrants endured during their horrific passage to the US and Canada during the mix 1800s. If you are a descendant of an Irish immigrant this is a must read.

I really enjoyed this read, a lot of facts and told in an engaging way. If you are a history buff you'll definitely enjoy

Enjoyed reading this book since my ancestors are from Ireland. I have been doing genealogy on both my husband's families and this gives a clear view of what the Irish people endured prior to the famine and the exodus to American. Sad, but heartwarming.

Interesting history/topic but very, very dryly written with much redundancy and minute details that distract from the history. There is a tendency to go back and forth from one period to another and not stay on task chronologically, which I found distracting. Some of the writing itself seemed immature with a lot of of trite phrasing (i.e., "watery grave" over and over) with an attempt to be profound; there were times when I felt I was reading someone's Master's thesis or doctoral dissertation, rather than an historic book written for the general public. It was so dry and laborious that I finally stopped reading it about three-quarters of the way through and picked up two other books to read. I would have liked much more detail about the famine itself and its impact on the families and/or details of the poorhouses from which many of the emigrants came and specifically what they were escaping. The destitution and impact of the famine wasn't detailed enough nor were the actual shipboard situations; the details involved the shipping companies and such, with only cursory details of the actual events on board, etc. Obviously, I was very disappointed in this book.

Excellent readable book which gives an excellent overview into this emotive era of Irish history. Often referred to as the coffin ships this book describes the horrible conditions as to how the incumbrents were treated.

Interesting read.

One off a few purchased for my husband who is delighted with it. A nice read

very detailed narratives with names, dates and where possible quotes from letters and ship journals. very helpful in understanding the overall and individual consequences to Englands apartheid policy in Ireland for generations.

A good second hand copy. Very pleased