A project group is established for the purposes of tracing the descendants of the Orphan Girls that emigrated to Australia on the bride ship called the 'Palestine', from Mountbellew workhouse, Co Galway in 1853 along with about 30 orphan girls.
It will be on a two fold, one tracing the Orphan Girls descendants in Australia and second fold looking at possible descendants of relatives in the surrounding localities of Mountbellew, Caltra, Clonbrock, Castleblakeney, Moylough, Newbridge, to name a few. It is thought some of these young girls were in Ballinasloe workhouse before been transferred to Mountbellew.
