National Famine Memorial

The National Famine Memorial was created to commemorate the Great Famine of 1845 to 1849, arguably the single greatest disaster in Irish history. Renowned sculptor, John Behan, was commissioned by the Government to create a sculpture that would encompass the magnitude of the suffering and loss endured by the people of Ireland during the famine. The result was the Famine Ship, a bronze memorial, with skeletal figures symbolising the many people who died in the "Coffin Ships" that set sail from Ireland in desperate hope of escaping to a better life. (Murrisk, Ireland)