The Jeanie Johnston Tall Ship

The original Jeanie Johnston was built in Quebec in 1847 by the Scottish shipbuilder John Munn and sailed for the Tralee merchants John Donovan and Sons. Between 1848 and 1855, under Captain James Attridge, she made 16 crossings to North America with up to 254 emigrants on board, returning to Ireland with timber. A typical voyage took about 47 days. She never lost a life, which is credited to careful loading and to the ship's doctor, Richard Blennerhassett.

The replica, a three-masted barque 47 metres long, was built between 1998 and 2002 at Blennerville near Tralee. She now serves as a living history museum and sail training ship.

The Emigrant Experience on board, which you can book on Tiqets, is a guided tour with interactive displays and the personal stories of real emigrants. It explains why so many people left Ireland during the Famine of the mid-19th century, what they faced on the crossing and how Irish communities shaped life in North America.