Experiencing The Irish Famine

As part of our Literacy we are reading the Famine Trilogy by Marita Conlon McKenna.  We are learning more about life in Ireland in famine times through World Around Us.  We visited the Ulster American Folk Park to bring our studies to life.  Our visit enabled us to experience the life of Eily, Peggy and Michael in the 19th century.  We tasted famine foods and learned how difficult life in Ireland was.  Emigration was one option at that time for many Irish to avoid the hardship of life in a workhouse or the reality of starvation. In the Folk Park we boarded a "Coffin Ship" bound for the "New World" America.  This was in no way luxurious, the conditions onboard these ships were dreadful and many didn't survive to see the New World.