The Journey

The Orphan Emigration Scheme sent the first shipload of Irish orphan girls to Australia in June 1848, with the last ship arriving in Sydney in July 1850. In total, 20 ships carried 4,114 girls to the Australian ports of Sydney, Adelaide and Port Phillip (Melbourne). A listing of all the ships, initially compiled by Trevor McClaughlin, is available on the Irish Famine Memorial Sydney website here. 

A total of 137 Mayo orphan girls were sent to Australia on three ships:
  • The Lady Kennaway, departed Plymouth on 11 September, arrived Port Phillip (Melbourne) on 6 December 1848
  • The Inchinnan, departed Plymouth on 4 November 1848, arrived Sydney 13 February 1849
  • The Panama, departed Plymouth on 6 October 1849, arrived Sydney 12 January 1850

The Shipping Lists for each of these ships is digitally available online via the The State Records Authority of New South Wales 'Online' microfilm of shipping lists. Click on the the images to access the Shipping List for either the Lady Kennaway, the Inchinnan, or the Panama.

The Inchinnan
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Orphan Females, Shipping List of the Inchinnan (The State Records Authority of New South Wales). Click image to access the online records.
The Lady Kennaway
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Orphan Females, Shipping List of the Lady Kennaway (The State Records Authority of New South Wales). Click image to access the online records.
The Panama
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Orphans, Shipping List of the Panama (The State Records Authority of New South Wales). Click image to access the online records.
© Barbara Barclay (2015)