Secrets of the 1847 Irish Famine Victims Unearthed as Mysterious Remains Resurface on Canadian Shores After 150 Years
The 19th century voyage originating from Ireland’s County Sligo carried starving families who were ejected from the Irish estates of Lord Palmerston. According to Irish Central, Palmerston’s agents “chartered the ill-equipped boat to get rid of them.”
The 21 sets of human remains found on this Quebec beach, in other words, belonged to a few hopeful and desperate Irish people seeking a more fruitful place to live.
The Great Famine, also known as the Great Hunger, caused mass starvation and disease. One million people died between 1845 and 1849 — while another million took their chances and fled.
Scientists used both laboratory analyses and considered the location of the bones to establish a connection to the Carricks ship. The vessel was carrying 180 emigrants bound for the Port of Quebec when it sank off Cap-des-Rosiers’ coast in the mid-18th century.
Historical accounts have shown that 87 bodies were recovered from the wreckage and buried on the beach. Only 48 people survived the accident. According to Yahoo News, the bones recovered in the last few years were sent to Parks Canada offices in Ottawa, and then to Montreal University for thorough analysis.
“This is like the end of the story for people who were interested in this,” said Mathieu Côté, a resource conservation manager at Forillon National Park. “We were suspicious of where [the remains] were from, and we had a good idea where they were from, but now we have evidence that those people were from Ireland.”
