The website Irish Central has an intriguing plea for help.
"Can you help? Seeking descendants of the 156 Irish “Primrose girls” who emigrated to Canada, in 1853.
A group of Irish amateur genealogists from a small Galway town are seeking to connect with descendants of 156 emigrants known as the “Primrose” girls after the name of the ship they sailed on to Canada in 1853. "
A letter sent from the Galway organization reads in part
We, “The Primrose Girls’ Project” are currently undertaking research on a group of workhouse orphan girls who traveled from Mountbellew Workhouse in County Galway, Ireland via the port of Limerick bound for Quebec Canada on the Primrose ship on July 16th, 1853. Our aim as a group is to discover what happened to these orphan girls on arrival in Canada. Record their stories and reconnect with their descendants’. These girls, so long forgotten in their native place, deserved to be remembered. The group are hoping to have a commemoration for the girls in 2021 in Galway.
Here is a list of the girls. If any of my readers know anything about any of the Primrose Girls, please leave a comment on this post. Please also read xxx about another earlier project (Irish Orphans to Australia in 1853) regarding the Mountbellew Workhouse. Also see Bytown or Bust for more information on these girls and the workhouse
A list of the Primrose girls:
Biddy Molloy, aged 18
Mary Carr, aged 19
Biddy Barrett, aged 16
Catherine Connolly, aged 20
Peggy Lohan, aged 18
Mary Rafferty, aged 17
Biddy King, aged 18
Catherine Higgins, aged 19
Ellen Egan, aged 15
Honor Gibbons, aged 23
Kitty Loughnane, aged 15
Mary Shannon, aged 15
Bessy Fallon, aged 16
Biddy Kelly, aged 18
Kitty Rabbitt, aged 18
Ellen Madden, aged 18
Ellen Brennan, aged 18
Honor Corbett, aged 15
Mary Brennan, aged 22
Mary Coffey, aged 17
Mary Down, aged 20
Winny Dowd, aged 17
Anne McGrath, aged 15
Biddy Healy, aged 16
Honor Brady, aged 16
Margaret Coffey, aged 19
Mary Concannon, aged 15
Biddy Toohey, aged 18
Celia McCabe, aged 19
Jane Murray, aged 15
Judy Healy, aged 20
Mary Killarney, aged 21
Biddy Cox, aged 20
Catherine Kilgannon, aged 15
Honor Quinn, aged 18
Mary Daly, aged 18
Biddy Breheny, aged 20
Catherine Fallon, aged 17
Kitty Heneghan, aged 26
Mary Dooly, aged 20
Mary Coffey, aged 18
Mary Kilfoyle, aged 18
Mary Warde, aged 16
Mary Mitchell, aged 16
Catherine Keogh, aged 20
Jane Kelly, aged 40
Fanny Gereghty, aged 15
Biddy Ruane, aged 40
