‘Earl Grey orphan’ descendant travels from Australia to Ballinrobe workhouse

A WOMAN whose ancestors emigrated from Ballinrobe to Australia during The Great Famine has paid a poignant visit to the town’s former workhouse.

Lyn Nash’s great-great-great-grandmother Catherine Joyce was among 26 orphan girls who travelled from Ballinrobe workhouse to Australia on the Panama ship on October 6, 1849.

She is also related to Ann Honor Solan, who married Ms Nash’s other great-great-great-grandfather before he started a family from whom Ms Nash is descended. 

From 1848 to 1850, 4,114 orphan girls were transported from Irish workhouses to Australia under what became known as the Earl Grey programme. The scheme was created to relieve financial pressure on the country’s over-crowded workhouses and to supply the colony with domestic labour and young women.

After arriving, the girls typically became domestic servants before marrying into Australia’s disproportionally male-dominated population.

Less than 1 percent of the orphans transported to Australia perished along the journey – far less than the proportion who died on so-called ‘coffin ships’ that sailed from Ireland to America during the same period.

To this day, up to 30 percent of Australians claim Irish ancestry.

Emotional visit

LAST Friday, Ms Nash made an emotional visit to the place where her descendants spent much of their youth.

According to her research, Catherine Joyce and Ann Honor Solan – who were 19 and 18, respectively, when they were transported – were not related, but they were still listed as sisters.

Ms Nash first contacted local historian Averil Staunton in 2017, starting the conversation about her Ballinrobe connections.

“The intensity of that experience had identified those girls, who were not blood-related, as being sisters. That’s how strong that experience was to those girls,” said Ms Nash, who described her visit to Ballinrobe workhouse as ‘a great honour’.

“I’m happy to be there, I’m happy to be part of it and I’m happy to share my story and to view your stories and to make that connection with people,” she told The Mayo News.

Speaking at an event in Ballinrobe library to mark Ms Nash’s visit, which was organised by Averil Staunton, who is also an active member of Ballinrobe Writers’ Group.

Bernadette Moran from Ballinrobe Writers’ Group described Ms Nash’s homecoming as ‘a proud day for Ballinrobe’.

“Sitting right in front of us is a proud descendant of that harsh regime of 19th-century Ireland, when famine stalked the land and fear enveloped the core of their beings. What a proud day for Ballinrobe as we welcome home one of our own. Céad míle fáilte. One-hundred-thousand welcomes.”

Fellow group member Imelda Hughes then read a poem called ‘Flight of The Orphans’, which she dedicated to the memory of Catherine Joyce.

The gathering was also addressed by songwriter Brendan Graham, who composed ‘Orphan Girl’ in honour of the Earl Grey Orphans.

Ms Nash then formally presented two volumes of her family history to Austin Vaughan of Mayo County Library.

Private moment

MEMBERS of Ballinrobe Writers’ Group accompanied Ms Nash to the last intact part of Ballinrobe workhouse, which is now used as a commercial premises.

After arriving, she spent a private moment in the very room where men and boys were separated from their families upon arrival at the workhouse.

She was then joined by the rest of the group, who were then given a talk from Averil Staunton on the history of the building.

The afternoon concluded with a visit to the workhouse burial grounds, where Ballinrobe Writers Group have recently installed a memorial corner to remember those buried there.

MORE For more on Lyn Nash’s fascinating story, see the Living section of next week’s Mayo News.

Oisín McGovern

A WOMAN whose ancestors emigrated from Ballinrobe to Australia during The Great Famine has paid a poignant visit to the town’s former workhouse.

Lynn Nash’s great-great-great-grandmother Catherine Joyce was among 26 orphan girls who travelled from Ballinrobe workhouse to Australia on the Panama ship on October 6, 1849.

She is also a descendant of Ann Honor Solan, who became the mistress of Ms Nash’s other great-great-great-grandfather.

From 1848 to 1850, 4,114 orphan girls were transported from Irish workhouses to Australia under what became known as the Earl Grey programme. The scheme was created to relieve financial pressure on the country’s over-crowded workhouses and to supply the colony with domestic labour and young women.

After arriving, the girls typically became domestic servants before marrying into Australia’s disproportionally male-dominated population.

Less than 1 percent of the orphans transported to Australia perished along the journey – far less than the proportion who died on so-called ‘coffin ships’ that sailed from Ireland to America during the same period.

To this day, up to 30 percent of Australians claim Irish ancestry.

Emotional visit

LAST Friday, Ms Nash made an emotional visit to the place where her descendants spent much of their youth.

According to her research, Catherine Joyce and Ann Honor Solan – who were 19 and 18, respectively, when they were transported – were not related, but they were still listed as sisters.

Ms Nash first contacted local historian Averil Staunton in 2017, starting the conversation about her Ballinrobe connections.

“The intensity of that experience had identified those girls, who were not blood-related, as being sisters. That’s how strong that experience was to those girls,” said Ms Nash, who described her visit to Ballinrobe workhouse as ‘a great honour’.

“I’m happy to be there, I’m happy to be part of it and I’m happy to share my story and to view your stories and to make that connection with people,” she told The Mayo News.

Speaking at an event in Ballinrobe library to mark Ms Nash’s visit, which was organised by Averil Staunton, who is also an active member of Ballinrobe Writers’ Group.

Bernadette Moran from Ballinrobe Writers’ Group described Ms Nash’s homecoming as ‘a proud day for Ballinrobe’.

“Sitting right in front of us is a proud descendant of that harsh regime of 19th-century Ireland, when famine stalked the land and fear enveloped the core of their beings. What a proud day for Ballinrobe as we welcome home one of our own. Céad míle fáilte. One-hundred-thousand welcomes.”

Fellow group member Imelda Hughes then read a poem called ‘Flight of The Orphans’, which she dedicated to the memory of Catherine Joyce.

The gathering was also addressed by songwriter Brendan Graham, who composed ‘Orphan Girl’ in honour of the Earl Grey Orphans.

Ms Nash then formally presented two volumes of her family history to Austin Vaughan of Mayo County Library.

Private moment

MEMBERS of Ballinrobe Writers’ Group accompanied Ms Cash to the last intact part of Ballinrobe workhouse, which is now used as a commercial premises.

After arriving, she spent a private moment in the very room where men and boys were separated from their families upon arrival at the workhouse.

She was then joined by the rest of the group, who were then given a talk from Averil Staunton on the history of the building.

The afternoon concluded with a visit to the workhouse burial grounds, where Ballinrobe Writers Group have recently installed a memorial corner to remember those buried there.

MORE For more on Lyn Nash’s fascinating story, see the Living section of next week’s Mayo News.