Our 2 Colmcille History students recently visited the Kilkenny Famine Experience at MacDonagh Junction as part of their study of the Great Famine. A key focus of their visit was the Orphan Girl Travel Box exhibit, which tells the story of young girls from Kilkenny Workhouse sent to Australia under the Earl Grey Assisted Emigration Scheme.
This handcrafted chest is dedicated to Mary Theresa Slattery, who left Kilkenny Workhouse on the Eliza Caroline in 1850. It symbolises the simple wooden boxes given to emigrant girls, containing essential items for their new lives, such as a Bible, a hairbrush, and clothing. The exhibit lists the names of the 59 girls from Kilkenny Workhouse and 20 from Callan who made the difficult journey.
Students reflected on the hardship these girls faced and the loss of home and family. Seeing their names and stories inscribed on the exhibit made the history real, deepening their understanding of the human impact of the Famine.
Many thanks to the team at the Kilkenny Famine Experience for sharing these powerful stories with our students.
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