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Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Topic started by: Gerryk on Friday 08 September 23 18:09 BST (UK)

Title: Emigration route for Australia in 19th century
Post by: Gerryk on Friday 08 September 23 18:09 BST (UK)
Hi,
I'm wondering about the route that emigrants from the South of Ireland might have taken around 1880.
I know some relatives ended up in Australia and New Zealand. I'm wondering would their route have taken any of them through the USA at all.
Many thanks for any hel.

Gerry
Title: Re: Emigration route for Australia in 19th century
Post by: Wexflyer on Friday 08 September 23 22:46 BST (UK)
Hi,
I'm wondering about the route that emigrants from the South of Ireland might have taken around 1880.
I know some relatives ended up in Australia and New Zealand. I'm wondering would their route have taken any of them through the USA at all.
Many thanks for any hel.

Gerry

While not impossible, I don't think there was any established route via the US.
Title: Re: Emigration route for Australia in 19th century
Post by: shanreagh on Saturday 09 September 23 00:14 BST (UK)
The point is that immigrants from Ireland left from many different places especially in those times where they may have had access to immigration schemes and these were managed by people who had access to ships leaving from all round England and Ireland.

My Gt grandparents came out separately, he and 5 children came out leaving from Liverpool via the Canaries and around the Cape to Freemantle Hobart (just checked) and then to NZ.  My Gt grandmother and their 18mth old left from Plymouth the next year 1885, not sure what her stops were.  Just checked Plymouth, Teneriffe, Capetown, Auckland
I think there were fairly frequent shipping routes to the US and I have heard of some families who came on to NZ (& presumably Australia) later having travelled across the US to the West Coast and joined a ship there. 
Title: Re: Emigration route for Australia in 19th century
Post by: Cats1723 on Saturday 09 September 23 05:41 BST (UK)
the Suez canal opened on the   17 November 1869. So they probably went from Ireland, through the straights of Gilbralter, sailing across the Mediterranean   sea to Egypt on onto the red sea and then the Indian sea.
Before the Suez canal opened it was a very long voyage, the original 1st fleet, sailed from Portsmouth, to the canary islands then to Rio de Janeiro, to the cape of good hope, and  then Australia, this route avoided the much more dangerous Cape Horn.
Title: Re: Emigration route for Australia in 19th century
Post by: giblet on Saturday 09 September 23 06:31 BST (UK)
If you know the name of the ship and approx dates sometimes it gets a mention in Trove [newspapers] stating when and where the ship is.

EXAMPLE.. The Lusitania, Orient liner, arrived in Sydney on Saturday, 14lH January, from London via Suez Canal, and is announced to take her departure on the 20ib Jan.


https://trove.nla.gov.au/search/advanced/category/newspapers
Title: Re: Emigration route for Australia in 19th century
Post by: shanreagh on Saturday 09 September 23 06:51 BST (UK)
The point is that immigrants from Ireland left from many different places especially in those times where they may have had access to immigration schemes and these were managed by people who had access to ships leaving from all round England and Ireland.

My Gt grandparents came out separately, he and 5 children came out leaving from Liverpool via the Canaries and around the Cape to Freemantle and then to NZ.  My Gt grandmother and their 18mth old left from Plymouth, not sure what her stops were.

I think there were fairly frequent shipping routes to the US and I have heard of some families who came on to NZ (& presumably Australia) later having travelled across the US to the West Coast and joined a ship there.

I've just found a telegram from Reuters to NZ papers saying that the Ruapehu, that my Gt grandfather and children came out on, had just left Teneriffe, Oct 1885. There was a stop in Teneriffe and my gt grandfather went ashore and brought back oranges and it was the first time the children had seen them. 
Title: Re: Emigration route for Australia in 19th century
Post by: Elwyn Soutter on Saturday 09 September 23 07:15 BST (UK)
In my experience, though there were a few sailings to Australia from Ireland, most people bound for Australia or New Zealand joined ships in Plymouth, Tilbury or Southampton. There were regular sailings from Cork to Plymouth for example, which then continued on to London.  If emigrating, some shipping agents even threw in passage from Ireland to England as part of the overall ticket price.

I have come across people who travelled via the US but as far as I can tell they originally intended to settle in the US but for some reason changed their minds after a short stay there, and so travelled on. For them I don't think Australia was the intended destination when they left Ireland.  In most cases they would have had to cross America, which meant it was not a very convenient route.
Title: Re: Emigration route for Australia in 19th century
Post by: shanreagh on Saturday 09 September 23 07:27 BST (UK)
In my experience, though there were a few sailings to Australia from Ireland, most people bound for Australia or New Zealand joined ships in Plymouth, Tilbury or Southampton. There were regular sailings from Cork to Plymouth for example, which then continued on to London.  If emigrating, some shipping agents even threw in passage from Ireland to England as part of the overall ticket price.

......

Yes this has been my experience though perhaps OP has family who came out later, perhaps in early 20th Century.  The trip to Plymouth etc was looked on by the children at least as part of the big adventure!
Title: Re: Emigration route for Australia in 19th century
Post by: Kiltaglassan on Saturday 09 September 23 07:30 BST (UK)

Interesting article about the journey to Australia and especially the use of steam ships carrying immigrants in the 1880's.

https://museumsvictoria.com.au/immigrationmuseum/resources/journeys-to-australia/
Title: Re: Emigration route for Australia in 19th century
Post by: Maggsie on Saturday 09 September 23 09:48 BST (UK)
Leaving Liverpool, Plymouth Glasgow etc.
That is where the ship started it's journey. Then they drop off and pick up on their travel.
Mail, goods and people.
Last port of call would be Cork. This is where most people got on the ship.
Then as they go south from where the ship started it's journey Captains change and crew.
I did follow one group of people on their ship lists. They left Glasgow on the Flora MacDonald. They left from Cork. When they arrived in Australia it said it was on the Flora.
Going by the hand written information it was the same ship but had three Captains.
Usually going to USA and Canada they left from the West coast of Ireland, Galway, Westport, Donegal, Mayo etc.
Maggsie
Title: Re: Emigration route for Australia in 19th century
Post by: shanreagh on Sunday 10 September 23 00:53 BST (UK)
That may be so for some sailings but many, if they were sponsored or through an immigration scheme, had a passage to wherever the ship was leaving from included as part of the the package, in my case my gt grandmother and the toddler went to Plymouth from Co Londonderry.  Then a fast trip via Teneriffe and the Cape to NZ, sometimes they stopped at an Australian port.  These were the days in the 1880s where 'short' passage times were a point of difference and were avidly reported in the newspapers at the time.  The ship my gt grandmother came out on, the Ruapehu, regualarly broke sailing time records. 

I have had ancestors leave from the south or west of ireland, at this time,  but they were mainly going to the US. 
Title: Re: Emigration route for Australia in 19th century
Post by: Maggsie on Sunday 10 September 23 09:15 BST (UK)
All so true. That's why I said you have to follow the journey.
Maggsie