By Kevin Smith

Ireland in the 1850s was vastly different from today's "Celtic Tiger." With the country devastated by drought, famine and poverty, a vast exodus, the Irish Diaspora, commenced and now over 40 million people claiming Irish roots live in the States.

This year brings the recreation of one of the ships that brought the Irish to America. Says Captain Mike Forwood. "The Jeanie Johnston is almost exactly the same dimensions and the same number of sails. For all intents and purposes, it will be a ship of the period."

Captain Forwood speaks lucidly of the history of the original ship. No wonder, for this British-born sea vet has been appointed to helm the replica that will recreate its famous voyages. Originally planned to sail early this summer (now rescheduled for August), the project launch tne Jeanie Johnston recalls those potato famine days while replica of the historic ship completes roundtrip voyage from land to the United States.

As Forwood authoritatively notes, "These ships are actually called 'all-auxiliary set-sailing vessels.' That means that their primary power is the sails. The engines are secondary consideration and used primarily for getting in and out of the port."

Nonetheless, modern concerns abide. "We do have to comply with the modern safety regulations including the American regulations. And that means that we have to have electronic navigation equipment on board. We do have to have engines, generators, sewage system, and a water maintenance system." Although the ship complies with current standards, the founders of this project-The Jeanie Johnson Memorial Committee--have attempted to reconstruct the conditions of the original voyage.

Forwood had visited the U.S. only once before agreeing to sail the Jeanie Johnston. "Oddly enough I hadn't been to America until I came here on holiday 18 months ago. I came here with these tall ships and I have been to America four times in the space of four months."

This January, the bearded voyager visited Port Jefferson, Albany, Trenton, Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore, Annapolis & Boston--in just one week. He came to meet the people that were involved in the project and to have a first look at the ports. His visit offered him a chance to see what special problems that each port may pose for the ship.

From his experience on oil tankers, ferries across the English Channel and other wooden replica ships this seavet is able to handle any problem that may arise. "I've been at sea all my life," Forwood explains. "I've traded extensively to Canada and around the world generally. On the sailing ships, I've traded extensively up into the Baltic, Norway, France and down to the Canary islands."

The Captain that grew up just outside of London joked that the project should have been undertaken by an Irishman. He admits an admiration for the Celts, "It's obviously specifically Irish but it's really pretty adaptable to any of the immigrant groups that came here because they all traveled in similar sort of vessels for similar reasons and largely the same sort of conditions as well."

The Jeanie Johnston that sailed from 1847-1858, was owned by the Donovan family and had been used to bring timber and food to Ireland. It gained its reputation primarily as an emigrant ship during the time of the famine bringing passengers to the shores of the "new world." This original stood out above the other "coffin" ships for its unbelievable record of no passengers lost to sea or disease.

Captain Forwood describes the end of the original ship. "Well it did these emigrant voyages for eight years under the Donovan family of Tralee. In 1856, the ship was sold and became a pure cargo ship. On a voyage back from Canada, water got into it and it sank. It didn't sink quickly. It sank over the period of several days. It was upright as well. The crew took to the sails and were seen by a passing ship taking off so there was nobody lost on its last voyage as well."

He notes that the original ship had a strong medical presence with a doctor on every voyage. The replica offers some of the same support, given that one primary sponsor of this project is the Elan Corporation--a medical supply company. "It had a doctor on board for all of its voyages. And it was the same doctor and he obviously took with him quite a lot of medical skills and sympathies I suppose. And through his efforts there was nobody actually lost on any of the voyages the ship took. Clearly it had quite a tight regime in terms of cleanliness and ensuring they received the food when they needed it. A lot of these ships were sort of dog eat dog."

The designers of the ship have replicated the original's cramped living conditions as they set up the museum to present its history. Built over the course of three years, it has served as a tremendous training opportunity. The ship not only serves as a floating museum but has also been a teaching aid for shipbuilders in Ireland. "It is being built by shipwrights from all over the world. In the process they are teaching young Irishmen how to build wooden ships again The skill had largely died away in Ireland.

The mixed crew will consist of 40 people for the voyage unlike the original's crew of 17 experienced seamen. The 40 will be divided up into a professional staff of six and an experienced crew of five, one of whom will be a doctor. Then there will be 10 young Irish men and women that come from disadvantaged backgrounds. 19 others will pay on an individual basis.

The Captain adds, "The accommodations will be very basic for everybody. Even so it has to comply with modern regulations so though they will have a little privacy, they will have hot and cold water available. They will have laundry on board."

"Most of the jobs on the ship will be done by hand. For instance everybody will take turns to help prepare the vegetables for the meals. They will all take a hand in helping to clean up the ship on a daily basis. They will take turns to wash up. We won't have a dishwasher on the ship. So in a way this ship is taking people away what they are normally used to. They are normally used to labor saving devices. And here it is all labor intense."

In considering all that one can learn from experiencing the Jeanie Johnston, Forwood dryly sums it all up. "That is one of the appeals of this sort of ship."