I think those of you interested in this should take time out to read the Scottish Highland Clearances.........that will answer you a lot of questions, and certainly a google placing in Scottish Highland Clearances will produce many http://www.theclearances.org/clearances/main.php Persecution of their religion was another reason and that went both ways as well Scottish and Irish Many Irish also left Ireland because they wished to follow their faiths. Now in Co Wicklow the desire to build a catholic parish in America was the reasoning behind the Father Hore movement, plus the onset of the famine or whatever destruction it has left behind, increased the desire to leave Ireland, but what you have to also remember dirt poor they might have been, lack of courage plenty of, and they were given assisted passage from the Coolaten estate and if my memory is surving me correctly, they were aided by a man called (Wyndham) from the Northern part of Ireland. So my feelings are that their was many landed people who aided the course of people leaving their land to go to America, Australia and Canada and many other parts of the globe. You also need to look at the law that covered the closing of the poor houses or Orphanges in such times as they did not want the orphans or half orphans to remain a drag on the parishe so they picked them and sent them on to other countries. The promise of work on the Railway in America did not become a fullfilment for many and they once again found themselves with no job and no income in a new country, what happened to those good folk sent with the promise of work that was not there? Now a classic example of the orphans are the scottish girls transplanted from Ireland sent aboard the Diadem to Australia there average age is between 14 and 16 years, I also feel that orphans would have been sent to America as well, indeed on reading passenger list for 1803 I see children as young as 8 without parents and you would have to also take into accoung a child of 12 years was classed as a working man/woman in those times. I wonder what happened to those orphans be that they arrived in America, Canada or Australia ? Cheers Cara

Agree - I found my Ardnamurchan Smith family on P Maddern's list. It showed they came out on the George Fife which is one of the ships listed on the Clearance site Cara has listed below. If you look at the information on that site about Ardnamurchan it says: "The 1845 Statistical account is clear 'After the discomfiture of the Highland army at Culloden, these districts were laid waste with fire and sword, and subjected to the fullest measure of vengeance which, although perpetrated by the army of civilized Britain, rivalled the savage cruelty of the most barbarous age' " If you then go to the poulation statistics, in 1831 Ardnamurchan had 5,669 people and by 1881 that was reduced to 4,105 - a significant decrease. If you look at the Destinations tab on the site the majority of destinations appear to be Canadian, Ontario or Nova Scotia. As Cara has suggested a google of "highland clearances" will turn up a wealth of information about reasons for leaving Scotland. One of the more unusual is at: http://www.deakin.edu.au/buslaw/aef/confs/deakinconf/ahico30.pdf which talks about the role of accountants in the clearances. Other sites are: http://www.highlanderweb.co.uk/clearanc.htm http://www.ehs.org.uk/society/pdfs/Devine%204b.pdf by Dr Tom Devine, Reader in Scottish History http://members.aol.com/Skyewrites/menu9.html (includes a clearance time line) Anne ----- Original Message ----- From: "Cara_Links" <cracker@hotkey.net.au> To: <IRELAND-ROOTS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, October 06, 2005 10:07 PM Subject: [Irish-Roots] WHY THE SCOTISH CAME TO IRELAND >I think those of you interested in this should take time out to read the >Scottish Highland Clearances.........that will answer you a lot of >questions, and certainly a google placing in Scottish Highland Clearances >will produce many > > http://www.theclearances.org/clearances/main.php > ==== IRELAND-ROOTS Mailing List ==== > Plant your Irish roots here! > > ============================== > Jumpstart your genealogy with OneWorldTree. Search not only for > ancestors, but entire generations. Learn more: > http://www.ancestry.com/s13972/rd.ashx >

Many Scots came to the north of Ireland to work in the weaver's industry. When the English closed the factories and disbanded thecottage weaving industry in Ireland, the Scots left, as well as many Irish. There is no one, single reason why any group of people left their native land. To understand the desperation that drove people to sell their belongings, leave family and friends and take a perilous voyage on a sailing vessel of that time period, only one thing will give you what you need...historical facts. There is no way to avoid looking up information about the years your ancestors left, and the history before and after their departure as well. Computers make it easy. Pat D