Crossing the Atlantic
For Irish emigrants, the jouney to America consisted of three phases, each bringing its own difficulties. First of all there was was the choice of a port of departure, initially Irish and later English ports, especially Liverpool. Then there was the actual crossing itself, which was often very traumatic, so much so that the phrase "coffin ship" has become part of the lexicon of the history of the Famine. Finally there was the arrival in america where immigrants were faced with the problems of finding shelter and eventually employment and generally adapting to life in a new country.
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