Irish National Famine Way

The National Famine Way is a self-guided Trail detailing the ill-fated journey of 1,490 famine emigrants who walked from Strokestown Park to ships in Dublin in 1847, at the height of the Irish Famine. With its captivating layers of history and culture, the Trail provides a transmedia narrative experience.

You can follow in the footsteps of 1,490 people, who walked the 165km route from Strokestown Park Estate (County Roscommon) to Custom House Quay in County Dublin, along the National Famine Way, by using a new interactive historic OSI map of the trail and an official printed Passport/Guide. This Heritage and Arts Trail is an accredited Trail from Strokestown Park, Co. Roscommon through six counties to Dublin, mostly through countryside along the Royal Canal on flat and well-surfaced paths.

The interactive narrative is experienced through the eyes of twelve-year-old Daniel Tighe - one of the original famine walkers from Strokestown Park - who remarkably survived the horrific journey to Quebec in Canada in 1847. Daniel’s journey is reimagined in vignettes written by award-winning author Marita Conlon-McKenna. These are connected to over thirty pairs of 19th-century bronze children’s shoes interspersed along the route which create a thought-provoking experience.