Exploring Ireland's Global Influence

On the third and final Wednesday of the trip, students spent the afternoon learning about the Irish diaspora. This included a visit to The Jeanie Johnston and EPIC - the Irish Emigration Museum. 

Our first stop was to The Jeanie Johnston, a replica of a historical 19th-century Irish emigrant ship. While touring the ship, students learned about the conditions that led one million people to leave their homes in Ireland and start anew in North America. At the time, many emigrant ships were known for inhumane conditions. The Jeanie Johnston, however, was known for maintaining relatively humane conditions. No one died over the course of its time transporting passengers across the Atlantic Ocean. 

The tour gave students a better idea of what it would have been like for the 2,500 Irish people that fled on the Jeanie Johnston during the famine. They even learned a bit about the people who were on board and their inspiring stories.  

Students then headed over to EPIC - The Irish Emigration Museum. It is an interactive museum that focuses on the history of Irish emigration and the influence of the Irish diaspora all over the world. Each student received a “passport” and received stamps as they moved through the museum. The comprehensive museum covered a wide range of topics such as leaving Ireland, arriving in new worlds, conflict, beliefs, the Irish global influence in areas such as arts, sports, and politics, and many more. The students were impressed by Irish culture’s wide reach around the world. 

Visiting both the Jeanie Johnston and EPIC museum allowed students to better understand that what it means to be Irish expands far beyond the borders of Ireland.