Help? My Scottish family is lost in Ireland 1851-1858

[Kaite]

   
I have a Scots family who moved to Ireland sometime around 1851. They lived there until about 1858 when they returned to their homeland of Perthshire, Scotland.

Can anyone tell me what would take a family from Scotland to Ireland at the tail-end of the potato famine?  Were there any special events at that time that would entice a family to go there to seek their fortune or perhaps to help rebuild Ireland?  Was there a "great migration" of Scots to Ireland at this time??

What part of Ireland might they have gone to??  This is a huge brick wall for me!! I don't even know where to begin.

They had a total of 13 children. The first two were born in Scotland. The next 5 were born in Ireland. And then the last 6 were born in Scotland.  All records I have found so far, (marriage, obits, death certs, etc.,) say the Irish births were in "Ireland".  I have no idea where in Ireland.

To compound the problem of finding them, their surname is RICHARD, which of course brings up a zillion search results due to the fact the Richard is a common forename as well.

Later family were protestant - if thats a clue??  The father and his older sons were all millwrights after the return to Scotland ... what they did before that, I'm not sure although three previous generations, were all weavers.

Can anyone help before this family drives me crazy?   

Thank you!!   

P.S. I've also posted this in the Ireland thread... trying to tackle this from both sides!
www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=525849.msg3806624

[Maggie1895]

Kaite, welcome to rootschat.
You say say children 3 - 8 were born in Ireland.   Do you know their names and approximate years of birth?     
There are sites that will let you do specific searches for births.  I did a similar search that gave me my great great grandmother, the eldest child of a family that immediately after that moved to Scotland.   I was able to search using both her christian name and surname.   Not absolutely sure if it will work for the years you mention, but worth a try.
If you can find the records for their births they will then give you a clue as to which county.      I suspect you'll get more detailed advice on the Irish thread, and it may make more sense to just keep to the one thread.
Post the details of the childrens name if you have them, but make it clear on one that you have posted the names on the other (if you can follow that) to save two sets of people trying to do the same search to help you.

[Kaite]

Thank you Maggie.  I have posted the names and dates of the children in the Irish thread and will just continue with that one instead of running people all over the place.  Sorry about that.

I appreciate your help!!

Kaite

[MonicaL]

Kaitie

I am going to lock this post now to let all responses go on to the Irish post that you have linked 

Monica