Walkers leaving Strokestown Co Roscommon

Credit: Andrew Downes

Global Irish Famine Way: the longest heritage trail in the world

The National Famine Way is a 165km trail, tracing the footsteps of 1,490 tenants from Strokestownpark, Roscommon to Dublin in 1847.

It was their last journey on Irish soil, against the backdrop of the Great Famine that ravaged Ireland throughout the 19th Century. For those who survived the ordeal, it was just one part of their journey to new lives as part of the Irish diaspora.

Expansion of the heritage walk

Launched in 2019, this heritage walk is still expanding. It now follows the journeys of Irish Famine emigrants around the world, including to the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, South Africa and Australia.

On the Jeannie Johnson, Dublin Docklands Credit Andrew Downes — On the Jeannie Johnson, in Dublin's Docklands

Starting at the National Famine Museum in Roscommon, the National Famine Way is marked by over 30 bronze shoes, cast from a pair of children’s shoes found bound together in the roof of a 19th century cottage.

Similar bronze shoes mark significant sites around the world, including where Famine emigrants landed and common or mass graves where they died on their journeys. QR codes tell the local story and connect to the National Famine Way online to offer more information.

One million men, women and children died as a direct result of the Famine, while up to 2 million Irish people are believed to have left Ireland during and in the immediate aftermath of the Famine.

Physical and digital living history

Creating a physical and digital living history of the millions of Irish Famine emigrants, the bronze shoes are connecting researchers, local historians, academics and community groups around the world, uncovering stories of the Famine emigrants as they made their epic global journey.

Caroilin Callery, National Famine Way, Ambassador McKee and Jim Callery, founder of National Famine Museum, Roscommon Credit Andrew Downes — Caroilin Callery, National Famine Way, Ambassador McKee and Jim Callery, founder of National Famine Museum, Roscommon

The Global Irish Famine Way launched in Canada on 1 May 2024, with a cargo of bronze shoes taken on board the Marine Institute of Ireland’s research vessel, RV Celtic Explorer in Galway.

The ship arrived to Pier 12, St John’s Newfoundland and Labrador on 8 May, and were carried by Eamonn McKee, Irish Ambassador to Canada, to The Rooms, a cultural space in Newfoundland, where they were exhibited for several days before continuing their travels to 15 locations around Canada, including Niagara and Toronto.

Bronze shoes were also walked from Roscommon to Dublin, joined by a group from Liverpool, who then took the shoes onwards to the United Kingdom. They will feature as part of the Liverpool Irish Festival in late 2024, and it is envisaged further bronze shoes sites will be established across the United Kingdom.

Emma Smith, Liverpool Irish Famine Trail

Bronze shoes were ceremoniously ‘handed over’ to New York through the Portal in Dublin, and it is similarly envisaged that bronze shoes sites will expand across the United States, including Boston, and Philadelphia. They will also journey to South Africa, Australia and South Africa.

Is it estimated by the time the bronze shoes make their way to all of their intended destinations, they will have travelled 40,000km, making the Global Irish Famine Way the largest heritage trail in the world.

Explore the journey of the bronze shoes around the world

Images courtesy of Andrew Downes, Greg Locke and Bob Tymczyszyn

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The original shoes at National Famine Museum, Roscommon
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Strokestown, Co Roscommon, Ireland
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Walking Group at Coolnahay Lock, Westmeath
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Walkers at EPIC in Dublin, Ireland after they finished their commemorative walk
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Dublin – New York Portal
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Caroilin Callery, Chair National Famine Way, handing over the Bronze Shoes to Captain Dennis Rowan to be carried across the Atlantic on the Celtic Explorer
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Bronze Shoes on display at The Basilica Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, St. John’s Newfoundland
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Bronze Shoes with Famine Way passport in Newfoundland
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Dr. John Fitzgerald, Chair of the Basilica Heritage Foundation, Professor Mark McGowan, University of St. Michael’s College, Caroilin Callery, Chair of the Famine Way, Ambassador Eamonn McKee
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Declan O’Sullivan, president of Irish Music Niagara; Patrick Treacy, chair of Irish Music Niagara; and Mark McGowan, professor of history at University of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto, in Niagra
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Mark McGowan, professor of history at University of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto handing over the Bronze Shoes to Eithne Heffernan for the Toronto site
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Anita Ormond, Michelle Kranjc and Laura Smith receiving the Bronze Shoes for the Hamilton Famine Way committee.
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The Bronze Shoes in Quebec