The Famine Sculptures

'Famine' (1997) was commissioned by Norma Smurfit and presented to the City of Dublin in 1997. The sculpture is a commemorative work dedicated to those Irish people forced to emigrate during the 19th century Irish Famine. The bronze sculptures were designed and crafted by Dublin sculptor Rowan Gillespie and are located on Custom House Quay in Dublin's Docklands. This location is a particularly appropriate and historic as one of the first voyages of the Famine period was on the 'Perserverance' which sailed from Custom House Quay on St. Patrick's Day 1846. The area is also home to two other attractions that chronicle this chapter in Irish history. The Jeanie Johnston Tall Ship & Famine Story is a replica famine-era ship and offers tours of the conditions famine migrants would have endured. EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum is a fully digital museum that tells the amazing story and history of Irish emigration, including that of the Great Famine period.