Review: The Jeanie Johnston Famine Ship in Dublin
The Jeanie Johnston is a replica of a ship that brought Irish famine emigrants across the Atlantic from 1848.
The Jeanie is docked in Dublin in front of the EPIC Irish Emigration Museum and the combination tour of the two should be on every Irish Americans itinerary in Dublin.
Score 9/10
Is the Jeanie Johnston Worth Visiting?
Absolutely. It's one of the must visits in Dublin for me. Some museums are dry and you casually read a lot and look at something behind glass, but with the Jeanie, when you are on that ship, walking through, feeling the claustrophobic conditions. The day I visited was bitingly cold which enforced the feeling of hardship.
I left that ship with a stronger feeling than you do from most museums.
The Tour Experience
A group of about 15 met in front of the ship and our enthusiastic guide Kate started by telling us the history first of the original Jeanie and then this replica Jeanie.
The original Jeanie was built in Quebec as a cargo ship, but when the Famine happened in Ireland in 1845, Jeanie started taking passengers who were emigrating to the New World of Canada and the US.
Jeanie completed 16 sailings carrying 2500 passengers during her time. She famously never had a passenger die on board, something that was very rare on these types of ships, often called Coffin Ships.
The replica was started in 1997 with the goal of completion for the 2000 millennium, but it wasn't completed until 2002. Its €5M budget ended up at €15M.
The Ship
We boarded the ship deck and heard more about the history of the Famine. It started in 1840 as a potato blight in Mexico that made its way over to Ireland on ships. The average Irish tenant farmer ate 25 potatoes a day. Not a typo. 2.7 Million of our 8 million population survived like this, until the blight arrived.
I loved seeing all the ropes and sails and imagining the work that went into this sailing, compared to modern vessels which are controlled with a button. Such a hard life for everyone on board.
Down Below
Once we went below deck, you were immediately hit with the conditions that these emigrants endured during the 6 week crossing across the wild Atlantic. This is history that you can feel.
The passengers slept 5 to a bunk! And they were only allowed on deck for a short time per day. Otherwise they were in darkness bouncing around on the huge Atlantic waves.
This part of the tour is what made it for me. You know when you get on a plane and there's no legroom, yeah, you won't complain about that again after this tour.
There are models of passengers and the captain in this tight space. The captain read the bible to the Irish speaking passengers to teach them English.
Back on Deck
I was grateful to get back on deck after my very brief time under it. I can't even imagine the relief of the passengers when they arrived on the other side of the Atlantic.
Get fresh air, coffee & a guided tour of Dublin with me.
Practical Information
Tickets: Cost from €16 at time of writing. The groups are small so book ahead to get your time.
I absolutely recommend getting the combo tour with the EPIC Irish Emigration Museum next to the Jeanie Johnston. Read my review of EPIC here.
Location: It's a short walk from the city centre. You'll be there in 10 minutes from Trinity College.
Duration: The tour took just under an hour.
Cafe: The building that EPIC is located in has a lot of cafes. Tír is my favorite sandwich spot. It serves quality Irish food.
Toilets: In the same building and there are lockers there too.
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