Dunbrody Famine Ship 2013

DUNBRODY FAMINE SHIP
The Potato Famine
The potato famine hit Ireland from 1846 to 1852. Many poor people grew potatoes for food. Potatoes
grew on poor soil, even in wet and cold conditions.
When a potato disease (blight) arrived, possibly in ships from America, it was a disaster. Potatoes
went rotten, and were not fit to eat. People went hungry. More than 1 million people starved to
death. Many more got sick. In Ireland, one in four people died or emigrated. The potato famine was
one of the most terrible events in Irish history.
'Coffin Ships'
To escape famine at home, many poor Irish emigrated to America and Canada. They went in ships.
Charities paid for tickets for some poor families.
The voyage across the Atlantic Ocean could be terrible. The ship might be at sea for a month. Food
was bad and the overcrowded conditions meant lots of people got sick and died.
Migrant ships were called 'Coffin Ships', because so many people died. It's thought that in 1846/1847
20,000 people died in migrant ships sailing to Canada alone!
Across 
1. bateau
4. surpeuplé
Down 
1. mourir de faim (au passé)
2. maladie
3. cercueil
5. pourri
6. humide
The Dunbrody in numbers:
Tous les
mots sont
en gras
dans le
texte !
*steerage : le
pont inférieur
d’un bâteau
*worst : pire
3.15 - 4 –5 - 8 – 176 – 313 – 1845 – 1851 – 2001
The Ship was built in __________ in Quebec by an Irish emigrant.
From ______ to _______, the Dunbrody Famine Ship carried Irish passengers to Canada
and the USA.
They escaped the Great Famine in Ireland. They were forced to emigrate.
There were two classes of passengers: the cabin passengers (who paid £___ - £___) and the
steerage* passengers (who paid £___ - £____)
The Dunbrody Famine Ship usually carried _____ people but in 1847 (the worst* year of the
Great Famine) she carried____!
The replica of the Dunbrody Famine ship was built in _______.
 Ecris ci-dessous (en français !) quelques lignes au sujet des conditions de
traversée des émigrants irlandais vers les Etats-Unis ou le Canada…
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