Since the
Dunbrody ship was originally meant for the transportation of timber, cotton, and
grain, the ship was not meant for the transportation of passengers. Since the ship
was meant only for the transportation of goods, the passengers were forced to
live in very cramped quarters for 2 months until they reached America. The 2nd
class passengers lived in one section of the ship, which held wide bunks that could
barely hold more than 3 people, but 7-8 people were forced to fit on the wide
bunks. The 2nd class
passengers, along with the captain and crew, took up about 90% of the ship's
population while the first class passengers took up only 10%. 1st
class passengers, being the minority, would live in “suites,” which would have
nice-sized bunks and a door for privacy; they also lived on the opposite side
from the 2nd class passengers. Since the 1st class
passengers were seen as being more important than 2nd class, they
were able to be on the tiny deck as often as they pleased. The crew had their own
sleeping quarters with stacked bunks, and was underneath the front of the ship
where they stored the animals at the wooden hull. The unfortunate
part about this for the crew was that when the animals were slaughtered for
food, the organs, blood, and other unpleasant parts would rain down on the crew
and the crew’s quarters. More than 15%
of the passengers, mainly the 2nd class passengers, would die on the
voyage due to lack of hygiene and nutrition that they would receive on the voyage.
The Dunbrody
ship itself was not meant for more than the crew and captain, so the bathroom
and cooking area for the passengers was not exactly ideal. They had little
wooden buckets on board for defecation, along with a fire pit on the deck for
cooking bread, which isn’t exactly the smartest idea if you ask me. The ship
was in service for around 30 years, but was very popular during the great Potato Famine. During the time when the ship was used for the transportation of
emigrants to the States, over 1 million Irish men, women, and children fled the
country to start a better life in America. This caused a population decrease in
Ireland and a significant increase of Irishmen and women in Canada and America. Many of
the Irish were bitter, and still are, towards the British government for not
helping the country of Ireland as much as they could during this time.
The group had numerous reactions of the Dunbrody site visit. Our first reaction was that the ship was very small, and not equipped to hold over 200 passengers. We were amazed that 200 passengers, along with the captain and crew, were able to fit on the ship. The ship looked as if it could hold only about 50 people. We were also amazed at the deplorable conditions on board the ship. The sanitation of the ship was indescribable, the limited deck time for the 2nd class passengers was outrageous, and the lack of nutrition was disgusting. The passengers would at times be living in their own fecal matter and have no opportunity to freshen up or have room to walk around and stretch their legs. It reminded us all of the Middle Passage slave ships, on which captured Africans were packed together like sardines and had no visible sunlight or anywhere to go to the bathroom. Needless to say, we were all very inspired by the hope the men and women displayed when they went on the Dunbrody ship to begin a new life in America. The people had no clue what would happen as soon as they stepped off the ship and entered into America, and they left everything they knew behind in order that their children and themselves might live. The Dunbrody ship is a very important part of Irish history, and so are the men and women who went on the ship to America.
the Dunbrody in its place at the harbor
examples of second-class bunks
bunking with an Irish family
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