The Coffin Ship: Life and Death at Sea during the Great Irish Famine

by Cian T. McMahon

A vivid, new portrait of Irish migration through the letters and diaries of those who fled their homeland during the Great Famine



The standard story of the exodus during Ireland's Great Famine is one of tired clich�s, half-truths, and dry statistics. In The Coffin Ship, a groundbreaking work of transnational history, Cian T. McMahon offers a vibrant, fresh perspective on an oft-ignored but vital component of the migration experience: the journey itself.

Between 1845 and 1855, over two million people fled Ireland to escape the Great Famine and begin new lives abroad. The so-called "coffin ships" they embarked on have since become infamous icons of nineteenth-century migration. The crews were brutal, the captains were heartless, and the weather was ferocious. Yet the personal experiences of the emigrants aboard these vessels offer us a much more complex understanding of this pivotal moment in modern history. Based on archival research on three continents and written in clear, crisp prose, The Coffin Ship analyzes the emigrants' own letters and diaries to unpack the dynamic social networks that the Irish built while voyaging overseas. At every stage of the journey--including the treacherous weeks at sea--these migrants created new threads in the worldwide web of the Irish diaspora.

Colored by the long-lost voices of the emigrants themselves, this is an original portrait of a process that left an indelible mark on Irish life at home and abroad. An indispensable read, The Coffin Ship makes an ambitious argument for placing the sailing ship alongside the tenement and the factory floor as a central, dynamic element of migration history.

Genres: History, Ireland, Nonfiction, Irish Literature

328 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2021

Reviews

[Michael -- Justice for Renee & Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horror and desperation drove millions of Irish to flee their homeland, many on the infamous coffin ships sailing to North America and Australia. In his book "The Coffin Ship - Life and Death at Sea during the Great Irish Famine," Cian T. McMahon shines a light on these journeys. He shows the social forces at work when arranging for the voyage, the community life inside the ships, and what awaited the passengers once they arrived.

Landlords often paid for the emigrants' trips-- a convenient way to ship off evictees once their homes were torn down. It was also an economical way to eliminate the costs of supporting convicts and the wretched poor house workers, too. Sometimes relatives in the new world were able to send enough to cover the trip and expenses, along with valuable advice on how to survive.

McMahon shows evidence disputing the sometimes quoted 20 per cent mortality rate. Some ships did go down at sea, sometimes disease ravaged passengers, but passengers who embarked in compromised health conditions occasionally found themselves in better shape on arrival. We see written documentation on how the passengers would band together as a community while on board. Additionally, there was some pressure on captains and crews to deliver their passengers in acceptable condition or be reported in the Irish press outlets on both sides of the Atlantic.

McMahon brings the voyage alive, not just a miserable gap to survive between Ireland and the new world. This is not easy reading and it can get repetitive and long at times. I have to confess I was extremely interested in the subject before reading, my ancestors having been part of this migration. I rate it a 4 of 5 because of the insight it delivered to me.

I would sincerely like to thank NYU Press, NetGalley, and Cian T. McMahon for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thousands are sailing across the Western Ocean
Where the hand of opportunity draws tickets in a lottery
Where e'er we go, we celebrate the land that makes us refugees
-- Philip Chevron, Pogues

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

McMahon does some excellent work here, bringing the journey from homeland into the story of diaspora in new ways. Much scholarship writes these journeys off as mere blips in between point A and point B, without considering their role in the transformation of both the individual and their communities. Using a variety of sources and scholarship, McMahon weaves individual accounts into a story of the creation of new ties and new people in the process of leaving one's hometown and arriving at one's final destination. This work is crucial not only to Irish Studies, but also to any kind of diaspora studies, migration, etc.

In response to some of the other reviews - I will warn that The Coffin Ship is very much an academic work. For those not used to these historical works, they can become a bit repetitive and including lots of detail. They present an argument that is an interpretation of historical facts and evidence. If you're looking for first hand accounts, then this book will not be what you are looking for. McMahon had access to these first hand accounts and uses them as evidence to support his point and explain his interpretation - the work of a historian. For those new to these types of works, I recommend breaking up the reading a bit instead of going straight through.

Thank you to Cian T. McMahon, NYU Press, and Netgalley for the advanced ecopy in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Coffin Ship is a layman accessible academic look at the years of the Great Irish Famine written and presented by Dr. Cian T. McMahon. Released 1st June 2021 by NYU Press, it's 328 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats. This is the second book in the Glucksman Irish Diaspora Series.

This is a well written academic treatise, both harrowing and moving, of the Irish diaspora during the great famine of 1841-1851. This book, while academically rigorous and prodigiously annotated throughout is mostly accessible to non-academics. The language is understandable and readable and the author allows the subjects to speak eloquently for themselves, with many contemporaneous excerpts from diarists, historians, and the emigrants themselves.

The language is precise and academic, but not overly obfuscating or difficult. My own family history is closely tied to these trans-Atlantic emigrations, since the majority of both side of my family survived the crossings during and after the famines in Ireland. It was interesting to read a more balanced view of the transport ships and the experiences of people who lived through their own words and the data collected from the historical records left behind.

The book is arranged thematically by aspects of the journey: preparation, embarkation, life, death, and arrival. There are numerous useful appendices including an in-depth explanation of data, source, and methodology which give readers a helpful lesson in winnowing information and judging sources. The book is meticulously annotated throughout and the chapter notes and bibliography will provide readers with many (many!) hours of further reading.

This would be a useful and resource rich choice for public and school libraries, hobby genealogists, historians, and readers interested in allied subjects. I found the writing slightly academic and precise for a "pleasure" read, but appreciated the academic rigor and accuracy.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Annette Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Coffin Ship by Cian T McMahon is a well researched book written with rather an academic style which might some readers might find off putting, but which is entirely appropriate given the subject matter and its seriousness. Every school child in Ireland learns at an early age of the dreaded " Coffin Ships", overcrowded, often barely seaworthy vessels that carried millions of Irish emigrants to the USA, Canada and Australia during the years of the Great Hunger ( the potato famine) and the decade after. What the author has done here is looked beyond the sensationalism and dug deep into sources including official reports from the time, newspaper articles and personal accounts and letters to give a more nuanced and accurate portrayal of what the emigration experience was really like. He has divided his book into several sections looking at the different stages of the journey , from preparation to emigrate and finding the funds to do so, to life and death on board the ship and the immediate experiences of the emigrants when they first arrived at their destination. It was interesting to compare the experiences of emigrants who travelled to different continents, I was much less familiar with the idea of ships travelling to Australia or Canada, so I appreciated their inclusion here. The information provided felt quite detailed which meant there was a lot to take in while reading the book but it is clear that the author did a lot of research and knows his subject well, so the writing is clear and informative.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

[Bob Melia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really appreciated the way he organized the book. A journey from start to finish. It is always impressive when an author intersperses primary source documents (letters from emigrants) with established history. I was fascinated by his work and continue to have a deeper appreciation of how my ancestors arrived in New York. Wonderful book documenting one of the worst tragedies of the world at that time.

[Thomas Cafe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exceptional piece of transnational and intimate history tracing experiences of emigration during Ireland’s Great Famine. Specifically, the text centers on firsthand accounts on all aspects of the journey, i.e. preparation, embarkation, travel to, and arrival, and how those making the journey made sense of and navigated these processes. My reason for giving four stars is likely influenced by the context in which I read the book… which was tracing the influence of intimate and transnational history in the broader trend of a decolonising Irish historiography. In this sense, i felt a notable lack of sustained and detailed reference to colonial nature of the destination in the emigrant journey. This could have been a methodological exclusion, since the stated aim of the work is to foreground the voices, through diaries and letters, of those making the journey from Ireland to wherever they may be going and this may not have been something these emigrants were necessarily cognizant of… Could also be whattaboutism on my behalf. Regardless, a succinct and exceptionally readable work (unlike this review) of academic history with, I think, great popular and much to say on popular representations of ‘the coffin ship’.

[Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is based on the actual letters exchanged between those who immigrated to the United States from Ireland during the great famine from 1845 – 1855. The author does a good job of presentation of the various stories and each of the five chapters focuses on a particular subject. The downside is that the writing style reads as more of textbook than a look into what actually happened leading up to, during and after the voyage across the Atlantic. That said, this book will be of interest to those who are interested in Irish history.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook page.

[Lesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Irish potato famine, which lasted for ten years, is generally familiar to many people, especially Irish Americans, but the specifics often get lost. There are several, if not many, excellent books on the subject that are based on careful scholarly research. A part of the emigration story that is not as well-represented in historical literature is the passage from Ireland to America by those who were fleeing annihilation. Cian McMahon's excellent book helps fill this gap with a historical work that relies on primary sources. The segments of the saga are broken into chapters, beginning with raising the money necessary for the voyage by already impoverished, desperate people. Following chapters clearly describe the terrible trip itself with the attendant contagious diseases, frightening storms, abuse by crews and captains, deaths, and, finally, the arrival in America. That, too, is a story that McMahon tells vividly, following the fates of specific immigrants. It's unlikely that prospective readers would mistake this book for a breezy beach read; but those who are serious about the experiences of Irish immigrants in the last half of the nineteenth century will find this product of long, hard work by the author to be wonderfully rewarding.

[Carl Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exploration of the migration from Ireland--voluntary, forced, and supported--during the second half of the 19th century.

There was various support from charities and limited government support in the diaspora "...whether landing, in Canada, the United States or Australia many thousands of Ireland's Famine-era migrants received help from various types of authorities and 'social betters'" (p212))With the support and advise of already relocated family and friends, (''and bring no knee britches for you would be laughed at here with knee britches'." (p 227))

And, of course, inevitable hardship and suffering. "Paying attention the words of the emigrants themselves...offers a new and deeper understanding of what to mortality meant to these people at this time." (p 193).

A kind of classic history-very well researched with both primary and secondary sources, without speculation and with a minimum of the kind of personalization often seen in popular history these days. Highly recommended to history geeks like myself as well as students doing research papers in this area.

[Aoine Ni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGally and NYU Press to the opportunity to read this book.

This book looks at Irish immigration through letters and diary entry's of the people who left Ireland during the famine. It looks at the journey its self and through doing so will work to clear up the cliche , half truths and give more accurate statistics. Between the years of 1845-1855 about two million people left Ireland and the so called Coffin Ships.. It looks at the crew and what the were like how the weather could affect the journey and just the over all exuberance of some one immigrating to the colony's, America or England.

I noticed that the blurb of the book was misleading as the letters and diary entry's are actually just re worded extracts.. Also the author gives the costs of things like tickets, clothes and previsions in pounds shilling and pence but no way to work out the costs in today's money so the reader can see and understand why it cost so and took so long for family members to send it home, for example how much was the average Irish immigrant earning at the time.

I did find the information in this book very interesting and did enjoy learning the experiences of these people, but at times I found that the author seemed to be repeating themselves and this made the book feel slow and chunky.

I would recomend this book to someone who was studing the time peroid and to go along withit a visit to the Dunbrody Famine Ship in New Ross County Wexford.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

C. McMahon did exactly what he set out to do - show what the journey was like for people fleeing Ireland in the great famine. He does a good job of painting a scene - the circumstances, environment, and players - and how they influenced those involved.

The book takes you from preparing for the journey through to either destination or death. Each chapter reads like a mini essay, with an intro and conclusion at the end. This style and layout of writing reminded me of reading a textbook. It also made it seem more repetitive at times - like re-reading a thesis statement.

However, the body of each chapter was filled with people's stories. The hardships, fears, hopes, and losses of those going through the migration. It brings to light the differences in social class, the reliance people have on others, and how varying each person's experience could be. These stories, and being able to picture the environment, kept me engaged and interested.

This would have been a 4, but the textbook vibe just wasn't for me.

[Cia Mcalarney · Rating 5 out of 5]

In-depth study of the Irish immigration in response to the famine that compelled you to rethink everything you know

[Cindy Vallar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emigration from Ireland began long before the nineteenth century and continued after its conclusion, but during the potato blight that caused the Great Famine, there was a mass exodus of people from the country. They sailed on vessels that became known as “coffin ships,” because one in three emigrants died during the journey. This label presents a history of only one dimension and fails to provide a true understanding of the emigration process that these Irish men, women, and children endured. McMahon employs this term for the book’s title to challenge the established concepts of this diaspora and open up new venues of discussion and research that enlighten and expand on our understanding. He does so by sharing what the emigrants thought of and experienced during their journeys using their letters and diaries, as well as newspapers, government documents, and guidebooks of the period.

To best comprehend the context of the Great Famine, McMahon sets the stage with a brief look at what Ireland was like before the blight. This was a time when the majority of landowners were Protestant who leased their lands to tenant farmers. Many were poor, but their lives were enriched by the social community in which they lived. The blight struck first in 1845 and the mass exodus of Irish because of the resultant famine ended a decade later. This is the timeframe that McMahon focuses on here. At the beginning, Ireland had a population of 8,500,000, one million of which would die during the Great Famine. Two million chose to escape the dire conditions, but there weren’t enough ships to carry; this led to delays, additional expenses, and problems that the emigrants had to confront. So how did they cope?

He divides his analysis of this question into five segments: Preparation, Embarkation, Life, Death, and Arrival. Chapter one focuses on how the Irish gathered the necessary resources to leave Ireland. This was but the first step as chapter two shows by examining how the emigrants traveled to their embarkation points. Both of these illustrate that an intricate network of relationships existed to help them to acquire the tickets and items they needed for the journey and get to the port – most often Liverpool, England – where they could board a ship that would take them to their new homelands.

Chapter three concerns the ocean voyage itself, while chapter four deals with death at sea. What life was like and how the emigrants adapted are key components here, as is how their shared experiences dissolved old bonds of the past to form new bonds to cope with life and death at sea. The final chapter discusses what happened once the ships docked at their destinations, the challenges the immigrants faced, and the revamping of relationships tying them to their new homes in addition to the one of their birth.

Part of the Glucksman Irish Diaspora Series, The Coffin Ship includes an essay that discusses the sources McMahon consulted and his methodology. Graphs and illustrations are interspersed throughout the narrative. Endnotes, a bibliography, and an index round out this study.

Most histories concern the emigrants who traveled to America, but McMahon includes those who sailed to other parts of the world – Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand – and includes the convict experience as well. Through the use of poetry and quotations from primary documents, he breathes life anew into these individuals so that readers experience their emotions, joys, and sufferings. He also shows how the migratory process worked and consisted of reciprocal means that extended far beyond the national boundaries of Ireland to reconnect Irish immigrants with those left behind. We often think that emigrating is a solitary experience, and to some degree it is, yet McMahon also shows how helping hands existed all along the way, allowing social bonds to dissolve, reform, and reconstitute themselves. Even though his study focuses on the Irish diaspora, he connects it to current issues concerning refugees. This is an invaluable addition for any collection dealing with the Great Famine, the Irish diaspora, and the refugee experience.

[Gwen Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important book in the literature about migration from Ireland during the Famine. It's one of a series - Glucksman Irish Diaspora - more for me to track down.

Cian McMahon in The Coffin Ship methodically describes and examines the period 1845 (outbreak of the potato Famine) to 1855 (end of Famine-induced exodus) of migration from Ireland through four stages: Preparation (the decision and arrangements), Embarkation (where, how), Life on board (not always horrendous), Death on board, and Arrival in the Antipodes, United States, and Canada.

"The outpouring of people from Ireland during the Famine years stands as one of the greatest flash floods in the history of human migration." (p. 4) Estimates are that in that decade, 2 million died and 1 million migrated. Of those 300,000 went to Canada, about the same to the UK, 75,000 to Australia and New Zealand, and 1.5 million to the United States.

The term "coffin ship" was invented much later and mainly with reference to ships in 1847 with high incidence of typhoid and cholera. That was Ireland's worst year for emigrants who were starving and in poor health. Quebec received the brunt of that, and the Canadas were nearly overwhelmed by destitute Irish in 1847. Mortality rates are given in "Death". Records for Quebec show begween 1845 to 1855 of the 444,3777 passengers, 2.7 percent died. Remove the dreadful year 1847, the rate drops to .96 percent. Overall average mortality rates for Europeans crossing in late 1840s to early 1850s was 1 to 2.5 percent. (p.151)

Life on board ship during the 5 to 6-week voyage to the US or Canada and the 12-week to Australia was cramped, often miserable and sometimes horrendous due to storms, but many migrants wrote also of pleasant voyages for sea and sky - some even of good health. People helped each other and could be loath to part on reaching port.

Sources for the book are often first-hand accounts from letters, newspaper reports, diaries, ship and government records. The author describes his purpose and methods in the closing "Essay on Sources and Methodology" - a section that could beneficially be placed at the beginning.

One thing through this book - you learn to always capitalize this Famine.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

After visiting Ireland in 2019 and going through their emigration museum and touring a rebuilt 'coffin ship' this was a topic I was interested in reading about. Although this is definitely written by an academic, (so there are many endnotes and sources detailed), it is very readable. The author has spent a long time researching how the Irish emigrated during the famine years, basically 1845-1855 and tried to pin down the truth as to how they were able to emigrate and how many lost their lives doing so. Altho most of the emigrants went to North America, either the U.S. or Canada, a sizeable number also went to Australia. Many of those of course were 'invited' to leave as they went as convicts but this actually offered them a chance for a new life and other people including some of the convict's family members emigrated as well. Much of the author's research points out that except for 1847, most of the mortality rate during these years was nowhere near the often quoted 20% death rate of the so-called coffin ships. Still, most of the Irish who emigrated were very poor and altho the ships they went on were supposed to provide food, it was very difficult to survive on only that and bringing additional provisions was a must. The author detailed how early Irish emigrants helped their family also emigrate as well as a number of landlords who were eager to clear their overcrowded land (or other government authorities who found it more cost effective to assist people to emigrate rather than put them up in the poor house). This was a very interesting history.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to both NetGalley and NYU Press for an advanced copy of this new historical study.

People leave home for all reasons. Love, loss, hopes and dreams, but sadly most seem to leave for survival, from war, famine or just to have a chance to exist. Cian T. McMahon in The Coffin Ship: Life and Death at Sea during the Great Irish Famine, writes of the Irish famine and those who left looking for a better life overseas in both Australia and the Americas. The book dispels many myths about the crossings, and makes clearer some of the choices made and forced on those making the trek, and not taking away the courage that it took to attempt leaving all that they knew.

What I found most surprising was not the crossing itself, but the time and expenditure both in currency and mental and physical ways that preparation for leaving took on them. Selling and buying what was needed, walking to the coasts to find passage, waiting for passage, paying for passage. The book is broken into chapters that covers all the different stages of the migration, with a summary at the end. The book might be a little repetitive in facts and figures, and a little more academic than popular history but the tale is absorbing and the research is both fascinating and depressing.

History always seems to repeat itself, one days happy citizens could easily be the next days refugees. A very interesting history about a subject I did not know much about.

[Kelly Furniss · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book describes in greatly researched detail the journey of those fleeing Ireland in the great famine. We get to learn the often harrowing circumstances through each chapter. Full of a broad range of differing individual stories from actual letters, people from all different classes & what they are faced with, their circumstances, fears, loss, nervousness flipped with their ambition, hope and fight for survival through migration.
The stories see the individuals preparing for the journey and then we learn their fate good or bad.
Certainly a book to reflect upon and one that held my attention throughout.
My thanks go to the author, publisher and Netgalley in providing this arc in return for a honest review.

[Cat]

I had hoped the book covered earlier migrations from Ireland, but this one dealt mostly with the Famine years. I wasn't wholly disappointed, It was an interesting read. I enjoyed learning how the Irish emigrated to the US, Canada, and Austrailia. I hadn't really given too much thought as to how their passages were paid. Or how they managed upon arrival at their destinations. I do enjoy reading other immigrants tales. As a first generation in the US, it always fascinates me to read about other immigrants and their 1st generation children. So many similarities and yet, depending on cutures, so unique!
Well written and well researched.

I received a Kindle arc from Netgalley in ex
change for a fair review.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you wish to know about Irish relatives leaving Ireland in the mid to late 1800s, this book will tell you more than you really thought you wanted to learn. There is great depth here from the first thought of going to to Australia, Canada or the US to the securing of the passage, to the passage, to an explanation on how many deaths occurred, to the problems at the final destination. This is a story of immigrants who were not wanted in their new country, and how they survived and prospered. The real key was relationship building on both sides of the ocean and within the boats. Fascinating and much to learn about immigration today. It always astounds me how we just do not learn much from the past.

[Robin Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok so I did not realize that this was going to be quite literally a lengthy academic essay on how coffin ships strengthened transnational links for the Irish. Evidently not my favourite style of writing but it was clearly very well researched and it was added a great deal of context to my understanding of coffin ships and the role they played in Irish emigration. I loved the direct quotes and getting insight into the lived experience of those who came to the New World on the ships. Lowkey would have enjoyed this more if it were just a collection of diary entries and letters from the emigrants but alas.

Four stars because the work McMahon has done here is vitally important and while at times it was a bit of a slog I do feel slightly more intelligent having read it.

[Marg Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The "coffin" ship (so called as so many died en route) was the folkloric name for the ships that brought the famine Irish to America. This (understandably) emotive topic was central to famine lore, so it was crying out for a lucid contemporary analysis that could distinguish fact from fiction, and McMahon has done a great job in that regard. He also places the ships in the contexts of today's refugee boats, which is a nice widening out of the topic that brings the past into the present.

[Pat Loughery · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly well researched, academic, yet quite readable, deep dive into Irish emigration to North America and Australia during the 1800s potato famine era. Information dance without being boring. On my e-book, the end of the written text was 39% of the way in… 61% of the book is footnotes, bibliography, index, other information sources. Well worth reading for anybody interested in this part of history.

[Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

“My hope is that by understanding the experiences of Irish emigrants during the Great Famine, we can cut through these sound bites and statistics” Despite this quote, he uses sound bites and statistics. While there is a great deal of good primary source documents within the book, he ultimately minimizes the experiences of Irish immigrants by trying to prove the voyage was not as bad as people say. While the last bit may be true, to negate all suffering which he seems to do seems wrong.

[Tony O Neill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book very much, although a little "dry" in places this is a formal thesis of a huge historical event, I learnt a great deal about my fellow diaspora and the awful hardships and pain a lot of my countrymen and women went through for a better life for themselves and their families.

[Olivia Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great historic record, but very dense. Could be more concise.

[Morgan O’Malley · Rating 3 out of 5]

did i technically "finish" this book? no. but i read a lot of it and any book that puts me in the library past 12 deserves to count towards my reading challenge.

[Tim Morrissey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read. Particularly impressive in its humanism with regard to illuminating the colorful experiences of those aboard these ships.