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Walking and remembering

Time of past OR future Camino
2015 Cycled from Clonmacnoise in Ireland, France, Camino Frances, Camino Finisterre.
I’m back after the great 6-day famine walk from Strokestown in Roscommon along the Royal canal to the quays in Dublin. This is to commemorate the 1490 people (over 1000 children among them) who walked this way to the emigrant ships after being evicted in May 1847. http://nationalfamineway.ie/

All along the way I thought about how close this story is to that of my refugee friends, the people I work with every day.

On Friday night about twenty of us went to the ‘Canadian Wake’ the farewell party in Strokestown. People were nervous at first. Then, as the stories were told of the 1490, they started to see themselves and their story.

In the morning the bailiff banged his stick on the door and ordered us out of the house. Only one man put up a fight, the rest of us shambled out, defeated, to put our pitiful few bags on the cart and to start off, who knows where. One thing is certain, we won’t see our homes again.

My feet hurt and I’ve massive blisters on both feet. It’s hard to keep walking. And I’ve good shoes and I’m not carrying a child or baby. I’m not weakened by two years of food shortage.

Here and there there are little memorial stones along the way. If you go to a website on your mobile phone it tells you a story about this place. The stories are told through the voice of Daniel Tighe, a twelve-year-old boy who walked this road with his mother, sisters and uncle in 1847.

Some volunteers and residents came to Mullingar to walk a little of the road with us. The New Horizon people were welcomed with cheers when they arrived. The piper came out at Piper’s boreen and played some tunes of farewell for us. The last sounds of home died out as we trudged on the neverending path.
58399



The Strokestown archieve is terrifying. There you can see the letters containing the calculations of death and exile. How many tenents and sub-tenants, how much money would be made by having cattle and sheep on the land instead. How many tenants are to be displaced, how much it would cost to keep them in Roscommon workhouse. Steerage fares to New York were six pounds, steerage fares to Quebec were three pounds and ten shillings. And today banks and moneylenders and political leaders make the same calculations and produce the same misery.

On the way I thought about how many of the 1490 walkers would qualify for refugee protection today. “Being outside their country of origin and unable to return due to well-founded fear of persecution” Answer: Almost none, these were the despised “economic migrants” of today. It’s easier to get protection if you are fleeing the KGB or the Gestapo, almost impossible if it’s just hunger and fever.

We walked into the docklands of Dublin through the canyons of office blocks and financial institutions. The rich, well-dressed population looked up from their phones for a moment and then rapidly looked away. There were no journalists out to record the arrival of the 1490 Strokestown people either.

We walked through the famine statues on the quay and suddenly were surrounded by ghosts.
58398


At the reception Declan O Rourke presents the anthem of the famine way, ending with the words, Remember, Remember, Remember.

Go Domhain i do Chuimhne
 
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The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
I’m back after the great 6-day famine walk from Strokestown in Roscommon along the Royal canal to the quays in Dublin. This is to commemorate the 1490 people (over 1000 children among them) who walked this way to the emigrant ships after being evicted in May 1847. http://nationalfamineway.ie/

All along the way I thought about how close this story is to that of my refugee friends, the people I work with every day.

On Friday night about twenty of us went to the ‘Canadian Wake’ the farewell party in Strokestown. People were nervous at first. Then, as the stories were told of the 1490, they started to see themselves and their story.

In the morning the bailiff banged his stick on the door and ordered us out of the house. Only one man put up a fight, the rest of us shambled out, defeated, to put our pitiful few bags on the cart and to start off, who knows where. One thing is certain, we won’t see our homes again.

My feet hurt and I’ve massive blisters on both feet. It’s hard to keep walking. And I’ve good shoes and I’m not carrying a child or baby. I’m not weakened by two years of food shortage.

Here and there there are little memorial stones along the way. If you go to a website on your mobile phone it tells you a story about this place. The stories are told through the voice of Daniel Tighe, a twelve-year-old boy who walked this road with his mother, sisters and uncle in 1847.

Some volunteers and residents came to Mullingar to walk a little of the road with us. The New Horizon people were welcomed with cheers when they arrived. The piper came out at Piper’s boreen and played some tunes of farewell for us. The last sounds of home died out as we trudged on the neverending path.
View attachment 58399

On the way I thought about how many of the 1490 walkers would qualify for refugee protection today. “Being outside their country of origin and unable to return due to well-founded fear of persecution” Answer: Almost none, these were the despised “economic migrants” of today.

The Strokestown archieve is terrifying. There you can see the letters containing the calculations of death and exile. How many tenents and sub-tenants, how much money would be made by having cattle and sheep on the land instead. How many tenants are to be displaced, how much it would cost to keep them in Roscommon workhouse. Steerage fares to New York were six pounds, steerage fares to Quebec were three pounds and ten shillings. And today banks and moneylenders and political leaders make the same calculations and produce the same misery.

On the way I thought about how many of the 1490 walkers would qualify for refugee protection today. “Being outside their country of origin and unable to return due to well-founded fear of persecution” Answer: Almost none, these were the despised “economic migrants” of today. It’s easier to get protection if you are fleeing the KGB or the Gestapo, almost impossible if it’s just hunger and fever.

We walked into the docklands of Dublin through the canyons of office blocks and financial institutions. The rich, well-dressed population looked up from their phones for a moment and then rapidly looked away. There were no journalists out to record the arrival of the 1490 Strokestown people either.

We walked through the famine statues on the quay and suddenly were surrounded by ghosts.
View attachment 58398


At the reception Declan O Rourke presents the anthem of the famine way, ending with the words, Remember, Remember, Remember.

Go Domhain i do Chuimhne
You all helped me and the others who were waiting for you to feel part of it when you walked along and round the Famine Statues, and on to the Jeanie Johnston... very moving. The reception and official launch was wonderful. You are so right: we cannot forget to afford the welcome to refugees that was given to our forebears in their time of exodus. I look forward to being able to walk in your footsteps - I did try to arrange a walk for a friend and myself last year but found it too awkward working out distances and lodgings, so we walked the Barrow Way instead!
Thanks for your inspiring post.
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
I’m back after the great 6-day famine walk from Strokestown in Roscommon along the Royal canal to the quays in Dublin. This is to commemorate the 1490 people (over 1000 children among them) who walked this way to the emigrant ships after being evicted in May 1847. http://nationalfamineway.ie/

All along the way I thought about how close this story is to that of my refugee friends, the people I work with every day.

On Friday night about twenty of us went to the ‘Canadian Wake’ the farewell party in Strokestown. People were nervous at first. Then, as the stories were told of the 1490, they started to see themselves and their story.

In the morning the bailiff banged his stick on the door and ordered us out of the house. Only one man put up a fight, the rest of us shambled out, defeated, to put our pitiful few bags on the cart and to start off, who knows where. One thing is certain, we won’t see our homes again.

My feet hurt and I’ve massive blisters on both feet. It’s hard to keep walking. And I’ve good shoes and I’m not carrying a child or baby. I’m not weakened by two years of food shortage.

Here and there there are little memorial stones along the way. If you go to a website on your mobile phone it tells you a story about this place. The stories are told through the voice of Daniel Tighe, a twelve-year-old boy who walked this road with his mother, sisters and uncle in 1847.

Some volunteers and residents came to Mullingar to walk a little of the road with us. The New Horizon people were welcomed with cheers when they arrived. The piper came out at Piper’s boreen and played some tunes of farewell for us. The last sounds of home died out as we trudged on the neverending path.
View attachment 58399

On the way I thought about how many of the 1490 walkers would qualify for refugee protection today. “Being outside their country of origin and unable to return due to well-founded fear of persecution” Answer: Almost none, these were the despised “economic migrants” of today.

The Strokestown archieve is terrifying. There you can see the letters containing the calculations of death and exile. How many tenents and sub-tenants, how much money would be made by having cattle and sheep on the land instead. How many tenants are to be displaced, how much it would cost to keep them in Roscommon workhouse. Steerage fares to New York were six pounds, steerage fares to Quebec were three pounds and ten shillings. And today banks and moneylenders and political leaders make the same calculations and produce the same misery.

On the way I thought about how many of the 1490 walkers would qualify for refugee protection today. “Being outside their country of origin and unable to return due to well-founded fear of persecution” Answer: Almost none, these were the despised “economic migrants” of today. It’s easier to get protection if you are fleeing the KGB or the Gestapo, almost impossible if it’s just hunger and fever.

We walked into the docklands of Dublin through the canyons of office blocks and financial institutions. The rich, well-dressed population looked up from their phones for a moment and then rapidly looked away. There were no journalists out to record the arrival of the 1490 Strokestown people either.

We walked through the famine statues on the quay and suddenly were surrounded by ghosts.
View attachment 58398


At the reception Declan O Rourke presents the anthem of the famine way, ending with the words, Remember, Remember, Remember.

Go Domhain i do Chuimhne

Yes Gerry, thanks so much for that illuminating story and of its relevance today. I would like to point out that many of the Irish forced to seek a new life elsewhere (my great-grandparents on both sides) were treated like immigrants, but were in fact British Citizens moving to another part of the UK. The United Kingdom Of Great Britain and Ireland. was the political unit at that time. These Irish were fellow UK Citizens but were treated as being otherwise. Like The Highlanders in Scotland around that time. Sorry for bringing this up but it is a fact that is often overlooked. My great-grandparents were not immigrants and in the same sense neither are the Poles etc. of today. A moving story Gerry. Thank you.
 
Yes Gerry, thanks so much for that illuminating story and of its relevance today. I would like to point out that many of the Irish forced to seek a new life elsewhere (my great-grandparents on both sides) were treated like immigrants, but were in fact British Citizens moving to another part of the UK. The United Kingdom Of Great Britain and Ireland. was the political unit at that time. These Irish were fellow UK Citizens but were treated as being otherwise. Like The Highlanders in Scotland around that time. Sorry for bringing this up but it is a fact that is often overlooked. My great-grandparents were not immigrants and in the same sense neither are the Poles etc. of today. A moving story Gerry. Thank you.
Thanks Michael, you said a small bit of what I would have liked to say!! (But I had more, which may have been more contentious..... :eek:
 
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Yes Gerry, thanks so much for that illuminating story and of its relevance today. I would like to point out that many of the Irish forced to seek a new life elsewhere (my great-grandparents on both sides) were treated like immigrants, but were in fact British Citizens moving to another part of the UK. The United Kingdom Of Great Britain and Ireland. was the political unit at that time. These Irish were fellow UK Citizens but were treated as being otherwise. Like The Highlanders in Scotland around that time. Sorry for bringing this up but it is a fact that is often overlooked. My great-grandparents were not immigrants and in the same sense neither are the Poles etc. of today. A moving story Gerry. Thank you.

I am not too sure how things work on the the forum Timr so bear with me. My great-great grandparents from Longford, Co. Longford may have followed this same route about 10 years later on the way to Liverpool. Their son, my great-grandfather would be heading to Wishaw here in Scotland where he would die in utter poverty. I do not consider myself Irish but my great-grandfather’s story is close to me. I hope it influences my thinking to today’s situations. I wish it would be shared by others - but it is not.
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
I am not too sure how things work on the the forum Timr so bear with me. My great-great grandparents from Longford, Co. Longford may have followed this same route about 10 years later on the way to Liverpool. Their son, my great-grandfather would be heading to Wishaw here in Scotland where he would die in utter poverty. I do not consider myself Irish but my great-grandfather’s story is close to me. I hope it influences my thinking to today’s situations. I wish it would be shared by others - but it is not.
Thanks Michael, I was sort of half joking, but things which involve politics and religion and sometimes culture are in danger of descending into argument here. Sometimes.
My own grandparents came from Ireland to Liverpool and stayed there, although one had been on the way to USA when he arrived there. My own feeling is that these stories must be remembered. And they should help us towards a humane approach to those who undertake similar types of journeys today. Thanks again. Tim
 
Walking the Francigena in Italy in 2016 and again just now, I meet refugees almost every day. A pilgrimage gives me the time and place to talk with many of those I meet. Nearly all I have met speak good English. I have not met any who have told me the story of how they arrived in Italy nor about the conditions they left behind but they are happy to talk about their families left behind and their hopes. Many are worn down and preoccupied by bureaucracy and uncertainty. I don't ask questions since I sense they are ashamed of their living conditions and afraid of the individuals or gangs who exploit them.
They don't starve, they have health care and some can earn enough to send money back home as most long to do.
My grandparents came from Ireland to Glasgow to find work and have their family. My mum used to talk of her hungry times, even in Glasgow.
Walking the Camino we have the chance to know how little of all our means and possessions we need to survive but we usually return from Santiago and slip back into our immensely secure lives. Thank you man.grangeburn for this reminder.
 
Walking the Francigena in Italy in 2016 and again just now, I meet refugees almost every day. A pilgrimage gives me the time and place to talk with many of those I meet. Nearly all I have met speak good English. I have not met any who have told me the story of how they arrived in Italy nor about the conditions they left behind but they are happy to talk about their families left behind and their hopes. Many are worn down and preoccupied by bureaucracy and uncertainty. I don't ask questions since I sense they are ashamed of their living conditions and afraid of the individuals or gangs who exploit them.
They don't starve, they have health care and some can earn enough to send money back home as most long to do.
My grandparents came from Ireland to Glasgow to find work and have their family. My mum used to talk of her hungry times, even in Glasgow.
Walking the Camino we have the chance to know how little of all our means and possessions we need to survive but we usually return from Santiago and slip back into our immensely secure lives. Thank you man.grangeburn for this reminder.
Thanks @freescot Meeting refugees along the VF was very moving for me and as you say it is nearly every day: there are a lot of them! Some did tell me of their journeys which were often harrowing. They do have anxieties and fears, though I too found some others who were content.
I always get a little cheered up when I see a Decathlon store on the horizon, the odd time in France or Italy. The chance to check out something I don't need, but which is even lighter weight than what I already have.:oops: And then I think of people over the centuries up to the present day who have tramped across nations, not because they had an excess of leisure time, but because otherwise they might die or starve. And without carbon fibre poles or wicking clothing, or lightweight shoes.
And I feel a bit guilty........
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
I’m back after the great 6-day famine walk from Strokestown in Roscommon along the Royal canal to the quays in Dublin. This is to commemorate the 1490 people (over 1000 children among them) who walked this way to the emigrant ships after being evicted in May 1847. http://nationalfamineway.ie/

All along the way I thought about how close this story is to that of my refugee friends, the people I work with every day.

On Friday night about twenty of us went to the ‘Canadian Wake’ the farewell party in Strokestown. People were nervous at first. Then, as the stories were told of the 1490, they started to see themselves and their story.

In the morning the bailiff banged his stick on the door and ordered us out of the house. Only one man put up a fight, the rest of us shambled out, defeated, to put our pitiful few bags on the cart and to start off, who knows where. One thing is certain, we won’t see our homes again.

My feet hurt and I’ve massive blisters on both feet. It’s hard to keep walking. And I’ve good shoes and I’m not carrying a child or baby. I’m not weakened by two years of food shortage.

Here and there there are little memorial stones along the way. If you go to a website on your mobile phone it tells you a story about this place. The stories are told through the voice of Daniel Tighe, a twelve-year-old boy who walked this road with his mother, sisters and uncle in 1847.

Some volunteers and residents came to Mullingar to walk a little of the road with us. The New Horizon people were welcomed with cheers when they arrived. The piper came out at Piper’s boreen and played some tunes of farewell for us. The last sounds of home died out as we trudged on the neverending path.
View attachment 58399

On the way I thought about how many of the 1490 walkers would qualify for refugee protection today. “Being outside their country of origin and unable to return due to well-founded fear of persecution” Answer: Almost none, these were the despised “economic migrants” of today.

The Strokestown archieve is terrifying. There you can see the letters containing the calculations of death and exile. How many tenents and sub-tenants, how much money would be made by having cattle and sheep on the land instead. How many tenants are to be displaced, how much it would cost to keep them in Roscommon workhouse. Steerage fares to New York were six pounds, steerage fares to Quebec were three pounds and ten shillings. And today banks and moneylenders and political leaders make the same calculations and produce the same misery.

On the way I thought about how many of the 1490 walkers would qualify for refugee protection today. “Being outside their country of origin and unable to return due to well-founded fear of persecution” Answer: Almost none, these were the despised “economic migrants” of today. It’s easier to get protection if you are fleeing the KGB or the Gestapo, almost impossible if it’s just hunger and fever.

We walked into the docklands of Dublin through the canyons of office blocks and financial institutions. The rich, well-dressed population looked up from their phones for a moment and then rapidly looked away. There were no journalists out to record the arrival of the 1490 Strokestown people either.

We walked through the famine statues on the quay and suddenly were surrounded by ghosts.
View attachment 58398


At the reception Declan O Rourke presents the anthem of the famine way, ending with the words, Remember, Remember, Remember.

Go Domhain i do Chuimhne
How brave and such a moving account . Blessings to you and walkers
 
Thanks Michael, you said a small bit of what I would have liked to say!! (But I had more, which may have been more contentious..... :eek:

Yes Tim if you put your head above the parapet..... It is sad that a more measured appraisal of historical events is not in evidence. Scotland is riven by deep-rooted beliefs centring on these stories (and others going back even further) and today history is repeating itself. The targets have changed that is all. Divide and conquer (or control).
 
Walking the Francigena in Italy in 2016 and again just now, I meet refugees almost every day. A pilgrimage gives me the time and place to talk with many of those I meet. Nearly all I have met speak good English. I have not met any who have told me the story of how they arrived in Italy nor about the conditions they left behind but they are happy to talk about their families left behind and their hopes. Many are worn down and preoccupied by bureaucracy and uncertainty. I don't ask questions since I sense they are ashamed of their living conditions and afraid of the individuals or gangs who exploit them.
They don't starve, they have health care and some can earn enough to send money back home as most long to do.
My grandparents came from Ireland to Glasgow to find work and have their family. My mum used to talk of her hungry times, even in Glasgow.
Walking the Camino we have the chance to know how little of all our means and possessions we need to survive but we usually return from Santiago and slip back into our immensely secure lives. Thank you man.grangeburn for this reminder.

Yes FreeScot, my great-grandfather and his sad story was only a matter of a few generations ago. He applied for Poor Relief from Cambusnethan Parish one day (6/-) and was dead two days later. He lies somewhere in Common Ground in Cambusnethan Kirk Yard.
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
I was walking when this thread happened and am only now stumbling across it - and after visiting the Docklands famine statues with @kirkie and @Theatregal.
Ultimately, we are all immigrants from somewhere and the tragedy is that most of us have forgotten that.
Part of my family on my mum's side came to Canada from Ireland, so those statues went straight to the heart - as does this thread. Thank you for posting it, and for all your contributions.
 
This thread really touched my heart. I’m a proud Scot but my ancestry on both sides of the family is Irish and my surname is Irish. Sadly there is still so much injustice in the world that people are forced to leave their homes in order to survive.
 

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