EPIC- Emigration Museum/Exhibit? Is it worth it? and Famine History Sites?

Depending on your available time and interest, the Doolough Memorial in Mayo might be worth a stop. Suggest that you Google the "Doolough Tragedy" to research what happened there. The site itself is in an isolated glen, literally off by itself in the middle of nowhere, but we thought it was one of the most evocative places we visited in Ireland, and it certainly puts the history of the famine years in rather harsh perspective.

There is a grouping of "famine statues " on the river bank near trinity college. Very striking

The Strokestown Park National Irish Famine Museum is not far from Roscommon. I haven't been there but it looks very interesting. We only visited the Dunbrody famine ship near Waterford, and the Cobh Heritage Center near Cork and both were worth visiting, especially the famine ship - very enlightening. Doesn't sound like either of these are on your route.

We visited Ireland four summers ago, so we didn't see the EPIC museum/ exhibition. We did tour the Jeanie Johnston famine ship and saw the famine statues on the riverbank in Dublin. We drove the Connemara loop and saw the the Coffin Ship sculpture on Clew Bay. We also drove through the Doo Lough valley and stopped at the Famine Walk Memorial Cross. We drove to Strokestown, northeast of Galway, as we made our way back towards Dublin. We visited the National Famine Museum there. Many of my Irish ancestors came to the US during the potato famine years, so I found it very moving to visit some of the famine history sites.

Star of the sea is a novel about a famine ship.... if you have time its a fascinating read

I agree that the Doo Lough Valley is well worth the drive. If you end up traveling through County Cork a stop at the Abbeystrowery Cemetery in Skibbereen is a very moving experience. There are burial sites and a mass grave for 9000 famine victims (the area around Skibbereen was particularly hard hit by the famine). The town also has a small famine museum. The Kindred Spirits sculpture in Midleton is also quite something to see. It commemorates the contributions of the Choctow tribe of Oklahoma to famine relief for the Irish people with whom they greatly sympathized, having suffered so much themselves on the Trail of Tears several years earlier.

Pj... thank you so much for this. I was not aware of that story sbout the Choctaw people..... incredible!