Jean, I have come to look forward to your posts. I was really fascinated by your post regarding the "famine ships", which left Ireland during the potato famine. I was horrified by the conditions that the people had to endure, but endure they did and I am proud of that! It very much tallies with the book, "The Great Hunger" by Cecil Woodham-Smith; a "MUST" read for anyone researching Irish history. Now I wonder if and when conditions began improve. My ggrandparents left Ireland in 1868. Did they find similar conditions when they crossed? Where might I look for such information? I am interested in putting "meat on the bones" of my ancestors and adding a little history to their travels will accomplish some of that. Thank you, Margaret in NV USA