Eviction of the 1490 from the Mahon estate at Strokestown

1st May 1847

IrelandXO Bumlin (Roscommon) Elphin (Roscommon) Cloonfinlough (Roscommon)

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In May 1847 or ‘Black 47’, one of the worst years of suffering of the Great Irish Famine, 1490 tenants from the Mahon estate at Strokestown Park, Co. Roscommon were escorted on foot by Bailiff Robinson to Dublin to ensure they boarded their ship and did not return home.

READ MORE Strokestown House

The story of the tenants’ fate after they left Dublin is a harrowing one. They travelled on open deck packet steamers to Liverpool where they waited in the cellars of quayside buildings at Liverpool docks to board their ships to Canada. The four ships they boarded – Erin’s Queen, Naomi, The Virginius and The John Munn – were badly fitted out and poorly provisioned. Almost half of those who embarked died aboard the ship or in the ‘fever sheds’ at Grosse Isle when they arrived in Quebec. Of course, this was not known to them as they walked along the Royal Canal to Dublin, away from hunger and hoping for a better life.

In 2019, the Strokestown Famine walkers followed in their footsteps (172 years after their original journey) blazing a new National Famine Way walking trail along the Royal Canal between Strokestown and Dublin. Watch their chilling reenactment of the eviction of the 1,490 from Denis Mahon’s estate at Strokestown Park in May 1847...

VISIT: The National Famine Way

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My 4 x Great Grandfather (James Ward Kelly) and his family, along with my 3 x Great Grandfather (Patrick Kelly) and his family were victims of the mass eviction 1847 from the Mahon yard. After arriving in England my Patrick Kelly set up a Bootmaker's shop in North Tyneside and went on to own a 2nd shop. I am incredibly prous of my Kelly lineage and how they overcame the worst of times to ensure future generations would not know such hardhip.

Beanysbird09

Sunday 30th May 2021 10:55PM

Very interesting - they were tough and brave people in the face of adversity for sure.

Do you happen to know the Townlands they were from ?

Strokestown Park

Monday 31st May 2021 10:09AM

townland was called Ballykillclyne. good book by Robert James Scally.

Trudy

Monday 31st May 2021 07:27PM

Does anyone know if there is a list of the tenants who were evicted and taken to these ships in Dublin?

Thursday 3rd June 2021 05:17PM

I'm wondering why my ancestors weren't shipped off.. they were evicted from the Mahon yard in 1847 but I wonder why they weren't loaded onto a ship.. I'm glad they weren't as it's made my research so much easier but I'm told they went to Scotland then made their way into Northumberland (North Tyneside).. I can find no record of them being in Scotland but loads of records for North Tyneside! Still leaves me wondering why they weren't shipped out with all the others, though - any clues, anyone? Thanks in advance :)

Beanysbird09

Thursday 3rd June 2021 07:51PM

Beanysbird09

Thursday 3rd June 2021 07:51PM

Some of the Ballykilcline names of evicted are - Connor, Reilly, geelan, Maguire, Farrell, Stewart, Magan, Coyle, Fallon, mulligan, Toolin, costello. Padian McDermott, Nary&reynolds there are more

Trudy

Thursday 3rd June 2021 08:26PM

I completed the walk yesterday from Strokestown to Dublin. It was horrendous. I left the park at 10.00am on Thursday and came into Dublin at 3pm yesterday. I am a broken man. I was walking approx 25 miles per day and all I could think of was these children were being forced down this road. I knew where I was going, these poor people knew nothing. My journey ended in Dublin, the journey for them was just beginning. I have tried to highlight their plight to North Antrim. Of course Strokestown wasnt unique. Glenveagh in Donegal and many others would suffer the same fate. Greed and oppurtunity!! Love live the memory of the 1490!

Monday 28th June 2021 02:18PM