The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
The great-great-granddaughter of two orphan girls, who departed the Corofin Workhouse on July 5, 1851, made a 17,000 kilometre return journey home yesterday, bringing to a close a 173 year old mystery. Mary Pecker (nee Deegan) from Adelaide in Australia stood at the Corofin Workhouse yesterday morning, and looked upon the same stone façade that her ancestors looked upon the day they left Clare for Van Diemen’s Land, or modern day Tasmania. This remarkable journey was made possible thanks to the work of local historian Michael Mac Mahon and Cumann Staire is Dúchais Chora Finne, who have worked tirelessly to find out what happened to 20 orphan girls who left Corofin in 1851. Cumann Staire is Dúchais Chora Finne unveiled a heritage board at the Corofin Workhouse late last year, which included information about Ellen O’Toole, who left the Corofin Union Workhouse at 4am on the morning of July 4, 1851. Mac Mahon has worked tirelessly over the years to …
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