Mountbellew remembers the Workhouse girls

It was in circumstances so different to their departure from these shores over a century and a half ago – but the lives of orphan girls who left Mountbellew Workhouse in 1852 were remembered with reverence and emotion in Galway last weekend.

There to pay tribute to the girls were Australian Ambassador, Richard Andrews and Minister for the Diaspora Ciaran Cannon – but most of all descendants of the women themselves, some of them Irish but others who had made the return crossing from Australia in their honour.

And those who organized the event could scarcely have envisaged an event like this when Paula Kennedy first came up with the idea of remembering the girls and asked Katheen Connolly, Mary McLoughlin and Martin Curley to form a small committee just over 18 months ago.

The Australian Ambassador and his wife, along with Minister Cannon were joined by other dignitaries including Councillors Michael Connolly and Aidan Donohue for Sunday’s highlight event.

MC for the day Eamon Kitt, whose grandfather was the last Master of the Mountbellew Workhouse, Michael Blanch of the Committee for the Commemoration of Irish Famine Victims, Governor of Arbour Hill prison, Mark O’Brien of Arbour Hill, Mary Kennedy and RTE’s Nationwide team, as well as many local heritage groups.

But central to the Commemoration were the descendants of the workhouse orphan girls themselves and their Irish cousins.

The wonderful warm welcome given to the descendants by the large congregation of locals and visitors was amazing and will leave deep lasting memories.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.