Irish emigrant’s diary from a six week voyage to Australia in 1914

Diary extracts from James Patrick McCormick who traveled to Australia 103 years ago

Fri Apr 07 2017 - 09:41

These are extracts from the diary of James Patrick McCormick (20), son of Thomas and Mary (neè Pender) McCormick, on the family’s emigration voyage to Australia in 1914. With them went Tom and Katie Gannon, James’s first cousins and my granduncle and grandaunt. James made a daily entry in his diary throughout the six-week voyage. They left Ireland exactly 103 years ago.

Left home at half past seven, the 15 April 1914. In on the train at Borris, [Carlow], at eleven o’clock, met the Gannons in Kilkenny and went on to Waterford . . . At nine o’clock we went on to Rosslare Harbour . . . on the boat at half past eleven . . . arrived in Fishguard at a quarter after three. Went on to London– travelled for six hours. We saw a great lot of sights . . . one of them Sutton and Sons, where Mick Doran gets his seeds . . . spent all day and all night in London . . . Got up Friday morning at 6 o’clock, took the train . . . arrived in Tilbury docks. Got in on the big Indrapura . . . set sail at a quarter after one o’clock.

Tuesday 21st. Danced a few sets and reels. We only know about 10 Irish yet.

Sunday 26th. Had a church service on deck at 10 o'clock. Had a rosary at 9 o'clock at night. We and a lot of other passengers slept out on deck all night, we could not stop on the lower deck with the heat.