Quebec shipbuilder John Munn built the Jeanie Johnston in 1847. He loaded the barque with timber and sailed to Liverpool where the cargo was sold and the vessel surveyed by Lloyds before being sold to a Tralee merchant, Nicholas Donovan.

Donovan used the vessel to import timber from North America to Europe. On the return voyages to the USA and Canada Jeanie Johnston carried passengers from Tralee.

During the 1840's and 1850's Ireland was devastated by famine and disease resulting in mass emigration, often under horrendous conditions aboard "coffin ships". While large numbers of emigrants died on these coffin ships, the Jeanie Johnston never lost a soul, despite carrying an average of 200 people on voyages of approximately 47 days. In all Jeanie Johnston carried over 2,500 people on 16 voyages to North America.

Jeanie Johnston, and hundreds of vessels like her, represent an important part of Ireland's heritage and their legacy can be seen to this day in North America and around the world.

In the late 1990's, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Famine, the people of Tralee undertook to build a replica of the Jeanie Johnston and sail her to North America as an envoy to the descendants of all the people who sailed there on famine ships and to remember those who did not survive the journey.

Building the Replica Ship