Where in Ireland did they come from? My wife and I just recently returned from a trip there. One of our obsessions was observing all the famine houses omnipresent and we drove around the country. How many sad stories there were. On one of our last nights in Ireland we stayed at a B&B in Doolin. As we got into our room I looked out the window to view the scenery. Right across the road was a famine house. We hadn't even noticed it when we checked in.
Famine house? Vacant, I presume?
My sister-in-law has been working hard to trace our family records, but apparently the trail goes cold in Ireland. No records indicating where my immigrant ancestors lived over there.
This was probably intentional, because from what I heard, they most likely came into the US illegally (via Canada).