Where did Irish emigrants sail from, and where did they land?
From almost every Irish port with a quay, but Cobh, then called Queenstown, in County Cork was the great southern gateway, and Derry, Belfast, Dublin, Waterford and Galway all ran emigrant traffic. Many more crossed first to Liverpool and sailed from there on the larger, cheaper ships, which is why some families' records name Liverpool as the port of departure. On the American side, New York took the large majority: Castle Garden first, then Ellis Island. Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore and New Orleans each had a real Irish trade; New Orleans' Irish Channel neighbourhood is named for it. In Canada, Quebec, through the Grosse Île quarantine station, and Saint John took the Famine's cheapest fares.
Useful pages: Irish in USA · The Irish surnames map · Trace your Irish roots · Coming home · Irish around the world
Sources
- National Park Service: Ellis Island, Castle Garden and tracing immigrant ancestors, nps.gov
- Parks Canada: Grosse Ile and the Irish Memorial National Historic Site, pc.gc.ca
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