The History of Emigration from Ireland

The transport of emigrants from Ireland across the Atlantic has a curious history. During the eighteenth century emigration from Ireland was on a small scale, it is doubtful if the numbers exceeded 5 000 in any one season. The emigrants were Presbyterian small farmers of Scottish descent; they took some capital and experience with them and their motive was to better their lot. During this period emigration was not easy, all arrangements had to be made by the emigrant himself, who travelled to the port and bargained personally for his passage with the captain of the ship in which he wished to sail.

The business of transporting emigrants was known as the "passenger trade", and the ships which brought timber across the Atlantic began to go out loaded with emigrants. The traffic had the blessing of the British Government which was eager to develop British North America, while the expense to the owners of fitting a ship to take emigrants was too small to notice. Wooden berths (a sleeping place in a ship) were put up between decks, and in the early days no provisions were supplied—the emigrants brought their own food, the owners provided merely fuel and water. Fares were so low that it was possible to get to Quebec for as little as two to three pounds.

By 1845 the conveyance of emigrants had developed to the point where larger profits were being made by the passenger trade than by the carriage of timber or European goods. The passenger trade was described as "one of the great supports of commerce" and had the desirable result of enabling British North American timber to be sold at a low price.

As the trade developed, instead of the emigrant bargaining for his own ticket, "passage brokers" came into existence, and they or their agents were established in every town of any size in Ireland. The more important firms undertook to supply owners with a fixed number of emigrants on commission, others speculated, booking the whole or part of the space available and then selling passages for the highest price they could extract. Firms of brokers in Liverpool sent agents round the country districts in Ireland to sell passenger tickets; no control was exercised over their activities, and frauds were numerous. The Times, for example, described passage brokers as unprincipled, heartless adventurers. Nevertheless, through the brokers emigration was made familiar, and an idea was implanted in Ireland that if misery became intolerable the answer was emigration.