Coffin Ships
![Picture](/uploads/1/1/7/8/11788117/546557406.gif)
During the Famine period, an estimated half-million Irish were evicted from their cottages. Some people'sonly option was going to the workhouses, but others chose to emigrate to America. The Irish travelled to America on large ships called coffin ships. They were called this because a lot of people died on them. The condition of the ships in which tens of thousands of people emigrated were appaling as they were very overcrowded because they carried more people then they should. The people had a lack of fresh food and water and barely got to go up on top of the deck for some fresh air.
Results of The Irish Famine
The population was drastically reduced — an island of 8.2 million people was reduced to 6 million. At least 1 million of those people had died. The rest fled the country, hoping for a new life in other land. Many more farms consisted of 30 acres or more. Fathers stopped dividing their
acreage among all their sons and instead passed the entire farm to just one of
them. This made it easier for a farmer to support his own family but caused
problems for the children who didn't inherit.
acreage among all their sons and instead passed the entire farm to just one of
them. This made it easier for a farmer to support his own family but caused
problems for the children who didn't inherit.