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Archiver > DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY > 2001-05 > 0988893716


From: Crawford MacKeand <>
Subject: Re: Scotland to Ireland -- WHY -- 1740
Date: Thu, 3 May 2001 08:41:56 -0400 (EDT)
In-Reply-To: <92.13f6f723.282225ce@aol.com>


There seem to have still been migrations to some Irish districts to take
up offers of farmable land much later than the main Scots-Irish
plantations of the middle 1600s. Famine was sometimes the driving force;
for example there was a severe grain shortage in Fife in 1720. Another
point is the age of the folk when they left. Younger sons almost always
moved to find agricultural work -- it was quite a mobile society, even if
it did have to walk to get to where it was going. Or if a farming family
just lost its lease, what else would they do? They weren't landowners --
almost nobody was. So it didn't take a major disruption to produce a
family move. Fife and Ulster were well connected due to the textile trade
and all it meant was that they had friends who told them of an opportunity
there across the water. And not that difficult a journey either, compared
with others. Sailing was easier than walking, and given the banditry in
some areas, not much more dangerous.

As for getting to Ireland, there was a fairly steady but quite irregular
(as in unplanned) trade in small sailing craft from the Clyde to Ireland
and I'd doubt that any of them could ever (well hardly ever) produce a
list of passengers, even at the time, on the day. The captain knew who had
paid him and that was that.

If you are in the States, compare it with a move from Pennsylvania to
Ohio. No more difficult, probably closer. The opportunity was what drew
people to a new spot, and no Indians to worry about in Ulster!!

Crawford.


On Wed, 2 May 2001 wrote:

> My ancestors moved from Fife, Scotland to County Down, Ireland in 1740.
> Why would they leave Scotland to go to Ireland? Were there major political or
> economic troubles in Scotland around this time.
>
> What would be the most likely port that they sailed from being that they were
> from Fife? Were there ship passenger list preserved from that time period for
> such a short journey?
> Thanks,
> Robert
>
>
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73 de Crawford WA3ZKZ, VP8CMY, ex G4ARR
"If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts;
but if he will be content to begin with doubts he shall
end in certainties." Francis Bacon

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