Voices from Black '47 - Irish Emigrants in Their Own Words | The Great Famine XI

Irish History Podcast

Fin Dwyer

Ireland, Irish History, Norman Invasion, Great Hunger, Vikings, Interviews, History, War Of Independence, Great Famine

4.7 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 24 July 2017

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

From January 1847 Irish people desperately trying to flee the famine began to leave the island in huge numbers.

220,000 left in that year alone and by 1853 more than one in six people who had lived in Ireland in 1845 had emigrated. While we know a lot about where they went and the horrendous conditions they faced, we know less about the lives they left behind. This show tells that story through the words of these Irish emigrants.

Research for this show took me into the archives of the National Library of Ireland. After sifting through what hundreds of letters from Famine emigrants this podcast publishes several for the first time since the 1840s. These never before heard accounts give a unique insight into the lives of Irish people in 1847 as they prepared to leave Ireland forever. Their stories are far more complex and all too often more tragic than we imagine.

This is only possible through the support of patrons - previously I would not have been able to devote the necessary time to one episode. If you want to become a patron today and get bonus content check out patreon.com/irishpodcast.

Thanks to Clare Ryan, Jamie Goldrick, Thom McDermott and Dave Lordan who narrate the letters.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is a passenger announcement. You can now book your train on Uber and get 10% back in credits to spend on Uber eats.
0:11.0	So you can order your own fries instead of eating everyone else's.
0:15.0	Trains, now on Uber. T's and C's apply.
0:19.0	Check the Uber app.
0:20.0	Since I've been out of work, I've applied for loads of jobs and not had a single response.
0:24.1	How do I even know what employers are looking for? A little time out is not my confidence big time.
0:29.2	Where do I turn to help me get that back? And with Home Life to Jungle,
0:32.5	how do I prepare for an interview when I do get one?
0:35.2	When you've got questions about getting back into work,
0:38.0	visit the Job Help website to find the answers you need.
0:41.2	Maybe if some CV help would be handy too. For help to make your skills
0:44.8	stand out and to take control of your job search, visit Gov.uk.uk.
0:49.2	job help. Hello and this is Finn Dwyer and this is Voices from Black 47,
1:07.0	famine emigrants in their own words, The Great Famine Part 11.
1:12.0	170 years ago, something tragic yet nonetheless phenomenal, began to take shape in Ireland.
1:18.0	Faced with what seemed to be, inevitable starvation and death. Huge numbers decided they could no longer survive in Ireland.
1:27.0	During the five years between 1846 and 1851, 1.25 million Irish people would pass through the English port of Liverpool alone.
1:38.0	Many of them on their way across the Atlantic Ocean to North America.
1:43.4	This podcast is the first of several throughout the series, which looks at the story of Irish
1:48.6	famine emigrants.
1:50.6	Using letters from 1847, this episode voices the experience of people preparing to leave Ireland, fleeing starvation and disease.
2:00.0	To make the episode, I spent several days in the archives of the National Library of Ireland, sifting through thousands of letters and for the first time since the great famine, you can hear the words of these famine immigrants. The letters are read by Claire Ryan,
	...

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