In the early 1840's, the population of Ireland was almost 9 million - 3 million of whom were destitute, primarily due to evictions by absentee Anglo-Irish landlords. Carrickmacross Workhouse was one of 130 Workhouses built throughout Ireland between 1841 and 1843 to house the poor, hence the Irish name of Teach na mBocht - The Poorhouse.

The poor had to apply for admission to the Workhouse and successful applicants had to surrender any land before entering as ‘inmates’. Once admitted, they were subjected to a strict regime: families were segregated and forbidden from seeing each other without permission; their diet was meagre and unvarying; difficult, and often pointless, work had to be undertaken; there was little heat and no comfort. These deliberately harsh conditions meant that Workhouses quickly became known as the Poor Man’s Jail, and the poor only applied for admission as their last resort.

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In 1520, Catholics, both Irish and Anglo-Norman, owned 100% of the land. However, after 3 centuries of plantations, confiscations, evictions, Penal Laws and colonialism, approximately 90% of the land belonged to Anglo-Irish Protestant landlords, with the Catholics forced to become tenants of their own land. As tenants, they produced massive quantities of agricultural produce and livestock, which they had to sell to pay their rent, or face eviction. This left the majority of the native population solely dependent on potatoes for food, as they were cheap to purchase; could be grown in small plots of poor soil; and were high in nutrition.

Then, for 4 consecutive years, 1845 to 1848, blight destroyed the potato harvest across Europe. The British Government sent approximately 20,000 additional troops to Ireland to ensure people did not eat the thousands of tonnes of other crops, vegetables and animals being exported by landlords for profit.

This resulted in The Great Hunger, An Gorta Mór, and the poor begged for admission to the Workhouses. Carrickmacross Workhouse was built to house 500, however by 1851, nearly 2,000 men, women and children were crammed into the building.

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Due to the large numbers of children in Workhouses, many of whom were orphaned by The Great Hunger, the English Government’s Secretary of State for the Colonies, Earl Grey, devised the Pauper’s Emigration Scheme. Under this scheme, between 1848 and 1850, 4,114 girls between the ages of 14 and 18 were emigrated from Irish Workhouses to Australia as wives and servants of the settlers and convicts there.

This number included 38 girls from Carrickmacross Workhouse:

* 14 sailed on the ‘Roman Emperor’ to Adelaide

* 24 sailed on the ‘John Knox’ to Sydney

‘Roman Emperor’

* Departed Ireland 15th July 1848

* Arrived Adelaide 23rd October 1848

* Carried 14 girls from Carrickmacross Workhouse

* As per Minutes of Meeting of Workhouse Board of Guardians on 1st July 1848:

‘... list of female inmates selected... for emigration to Australia from Carrickmacross Workhouse [totals] 14 in number...’

* Shipping List does not identify girls from Carrickmacross Workhouse

‘John Knox’

* Departed Ireland 19th December 1849

* Arrived Sydney 29th April 1850

* Carried 24 girls from Carrickmacross Workhouse

* As per Minutes of Meeting of Workhouse Board of Guardians on 1st December 1849:

‘... 24 girls selected for emigration to Australia were announced to be ready for departure...’

* Shipping List records the names of 19 girls from Carrickmacross Workhouse; names of remaining 5 girls are currently unknown

19 girls from Carrickmacross Workhouse on ‘John Knox’ Shipping List

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Death starvation and emigration, whether voluntary or forced, gradually reduced numbers in the Workhouses until only the destitute, sick and elderly remained. At their first meeting on 21st January 1919, the newly formed Dáil Éireann ‘abolished the odious, degrading and foreign Workhouse System’. In 2008, an estimated 80 million people worldwide claimed Irish descent, and Ireland’s bond with her diaspora has been acknowledged since our second Constitution in 1937. Article 2 of Bunreacht na hÉireann states that, ‘the Irish nation cherishes its special affinity with people of Irish ancestry living abroad who share its cultural identity and heritage.’

An Gorta Mór, The Great Hunger, proved a watershed in Irish history, permanently changing our island’s demographic, political and cultural landscape. Within 20 years, 1841 to 1861, we lost half our population, with an estimated 1½ million people dead from starvation and disease, and a further 3 million emigrated, primarily to America, Australia, Canada and England.

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In 2008, an estimated 80 million people worldwide claimed Irish descent, and Ireland’s bond with her diaspora has been acknowledged since our second Constitution in 1937. Article 2 of Bunreacht na hÉireann states that, ‘the Irish nation cherishes its special affinity with people of Irish ancestry living abroad who share its cultural identity and heritage.’

Carrickmacross Workhouse is now restored into a Community Training, Resource and Heritage Centre.