Links to Ireland

The Potato Famine of the 1840’s caused an unfathomably enormous loss of life in Ireland. The famine was also the cause of a huge wave of Irish immigration to many countries but most particularly to the new world. The statues of famine victims on the shores of the river Liffy as shown in the image above are a commemoration of this chapter of Irish history.

While the famine is the most famous episode in Irish history, it didn’t include my direct Irish ancestors who left Ireland before the 1840s. But the Irish have been leaving the country for generations. The exhibits in the Epic Irish Immigration Museum covered many more times in Irish history when people left in droves due to famines, wars or other momentous events. Perhaps some other historical event caused my ancestors to leave their native land.

I hoped that advice from the Family History Centre in the Epic building would get me further ahead in my search. Unfortunately not, although I was advised to book a consultation with an expert on London ancestry at the Society of Genealogist in London. I will have to see if I can get an appointment for the time that I am in London. I am determined to find out more about my Cavanagh line. We’ll see how that works out.