"Mossy ruins"

Emigration in Ireland started well before the famine of 1845, but when the potato blight hit, the exodus sped up. In the 10 years between 1845 and 1855, through death and migration, Ireland lost a third of its population. One million Irish travelled aboard what became known as coffin ships to the U.S., desperate to make it to the promised land. More emigrated to the UK and Canada. During this period, the Irish population in cities across the Northeast of America, including Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, grew rapidly, leading the number of Irish to exceed that of all other immigrant groups.

Some of the houses and cottages they left behind are still standing today, despite the fact that they were completely destroyed and are in total ruins. Nestled deep into the country's woodlands and forests, these once-large family-occupied homes are now utterly derelict. The structures are beginning to revert to their natural state as moss and ivy grow to cover them. Ruined houses with windows, doors, and gables are still discernible, evoking a different period of Irish history. These images of the abandoned cottages in the Irish countryside, taken in the summer and autumn of 2023, serve as a poignant reminder of our troubled and complicated history.