Sitting in the River Liffey, along the quays in Dublin's Docklands, is the Jeanie Johnston. The Jeanie Johnston is a tall ship built in Quebec, Canada in 1847. The ship currently in Dublin is a replica of the original boat. It took ten years to recreate it, and it was finished in 2002. It was originally intended to carry cargo such as tea, rope, and textiles. It was first bought by a family business based in the south of Ireland. However, the boat went on to supply a much different service.
Between the years of 1845 and 1849, Ireland experienced a devastating famine. A blight caused the potato crop, which significant portions of the Irish populations relied on, to fail for multiple years. The political and social structures under British rule during this period made it such that many Irish were tenant farmers who grew cereal crops that were exported to Britain and grew potatoes for their families to live on. The British took a laissez-faire approach to the crisis and provided little aid. This generally took the form of loans for soup kitchens. On top of the failing potato crop, many Irish tenant farmers were evicted by the British landowners for whom they worked when they failed to pay their rent.
