Clifden honours man who rescued thousands in Connemara’s post-Famine years

A major conference will turn the spotlight on a man whose assisted emigration scheme saw twelve per cent of Connemara’s population have their passage paid to the US and Canada – saving thousands of lives in the years after the Great Famine.

James Hack Tuke was a Quaker born in York and throughout his long life he was to be a great friend to the poor and the oppressed in England, Ireland and farther afield.

Tuke travelled extensively throughout the west of Ireland around the time of the Great Famine – and that led to the Tuke Assisted Emigration Scheme which saw over 1,300 people emigrate from the Clifden Union to America and Canada in 1882, and over 6,000 are estimated to have had their passage paid over the 1882 to 1884 period.

Now there is a new initiative aimed at restoring Tuke’s name to its proper place, with a major research project on the emigrants, as well as a conference will take place from Friday, October 31, to Sunday, November 2, in Clifden.  The conference will look at life in 19th century Connemara, the assisted passage scheme, and some of the emigrant stories.

“Many people have played important roles in the life of Connemara over the centuries; some have had a negative impact on the people and the landscape, while others have played a positive role in our history,” explained Irene King Staunton of the Tuke Assisted Emigration Project.

“Most of these have been forgotten, or are known to very few. We have a duty to keep their memories alive, even if only to learn from their mistakes. But there are some we should honour because of the good they brought to the area or the help they provided during times of greatest need and one of these is James Hack Tuke,” she added.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune