By 1855, over two million Irish people had fled Ireland to escape the devastation of the Great Hunger. The journeys of these emigrants were often harrowing, and the term "Coffin Ship" has become synonymous with their perilous crossings of the Atlantic.

While the term evokes images of misery, what was the actual experience like? This episode, originally released over two years ago, reveals the reality of life at sea in the late 1840s and 1850s.

It is centered around a conversation with historian Dr. Cian T. McMahon, author of the excellent book "The Coffin Ship."

You can get a copy of The Coffin Ship - Life and Death at Sea here.

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