Construction work is to start this month on the £4.5 million replica of the Jeanie Johnston Famine ship in Tralee, Co Kerry, after the release of a £750,000 grant by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. The replica will be used as a floating museum after it sails to North America and back during the millennium year.
Preparation of a special shipyard at Blennerville is well under way. Young people, including those from the US, Canada and Northern Ireland will be among 300 who will work on building and fitting-out the life-size replica as part of a £3 million FASbacked scheme.
A similar replica shipbuilding scheme in the Netherlands was drawing over 300,000 visitors a year, according to Mr John Griffin, secretary of the Kerry Project Committee.
The Blennerville Construction Programme will be a visitor attraction and the income will go towards the £750,000 which Tralee must raise towards the project.
The shipyard is expected to open to visitors next May. Shannon Development financed the purchase of the shipbuilding site, and Coillte, the forestry agency, provided timbers at a special package price. Kerry County Council and Tralee Urban District Council are also supporting the project.
The Jeanie Johnston sailed to the US and Canada and is reported to have never lost a passenger to sickness or the sea during its 16 voyages. Famine emigrants who grew up as native French speakers are being tracked as part of the backup to the setting up of the emigrant research centre.
Infants who were orphaned during emigrant voyages in 1847 or lost their parents before they were able to talk were adopted by French-speaking people in Quebec, but still kept their Irish surnames.
Ms Helen O'Carroll, who is in charge of the emigrant centre, has been to Quebec to trace the French speakers with Irish names and their descendants as well as tracking other famine emigrants settled or scattered from other ports of call at New York and Baltimore.