Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The location of the sculptures is also telling, for it was from this very point in 1846 that
one of the first 'coffin ships' (as they quickly came to be called) set sail for the United
States. Steerage fare on the
Perseverence
was £3 and 210 passengers made that first jour-
ney, landing in New York on 18 May 1846, with all passengers and crew intact.
In June 2007, a second series of Famine sculptures by Rowan Gillespie was unveiled on
the quayside in Toronto's Ireland Park by Irish president Mary McAleese to commemor-
ate the arrival of Famine refugees in the New World.
JEANIE JOHNSTON
MUSEUM, SHIP
(
www.jeaniejohnston.ie
; Custom House Quay; adult/child €8.50/4.50; tours 11am, noon & hourly 2-4pm; all
city centre)
One of the city's most original tourist attractions is an exact working replica of a
19th-century coffin ship, as the sailing boats that transported starving emigrants away
from Ireland during the Famine were gruesomely known. A small on-board museum de-
tails the harrowing plight of a typical journey, which usually took around 47 days.
This particular ship, a three-masted barque originally built in Québec in 1847, made 16
transatlantic voyages, carrying more than 2500 people, and never suffered a single death.
The ship also operates as a Sail Training vessel, with journeys taking place from May to
September. If you are visiting during these times, check the website for details of when it
will be in dock.
NATIONAL PRINT MUSEUM
MUSEUM
(
01-660 3770;
www.nationalprintmuseum.ie
; Haddington Rd, Garrison Chapel, Beggar's Bush; adult/concession
€3.50/2; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 2-5pm Sat & Sun; 7, 8 or 45 from city centre, DART to Grand Canal Dock)
You don't have to be into printing to enjoy this quirky little museum, where personalised
guided tours are offered in a delightfully casual and compelling way. A video looks at the
history of printing in Ireland and then you wander through the various (still working) an-
tique presses amid the smell of ink and metal.
The guides are excellent and can tailor the tours to suit your special interests - for ex-
ample, anyone interested in history can get a detailed account of the difficulties en-
countered by the rebels of 1916 when they tried to get the proclamation printed. Upstairs,
there are lots of old newspaper pages recording important episodes in Irish history over
the last century.
WATERWAYS VISITOR CENTRE
MUSEUM
