Coffin & Convict Ships

From 1848 to 1950, over six million adults and children emigrated from Ireland – over 2.5 million of those departed from Cobh (then called Queenstown), making it the single most important port of emigration.

Learn about some of the emigrants who departed from Cobh, many in search of a new life in a land of opportunity, and many more who departed involuntarily as convicts to Australia or as forced labour to the colonies and the West Indies – known as the forgotten Irish.