☘️ The Ancestral Home for 31.5 Million Irish-Americans
☘️
American.irish
⚓ County Sligo · Operational Era: 1846–1890
← All 8 Departure Ports

Port of Sligo

The maritime threshold where ancestral generations boarded vessels for the perilous transatlantic journey across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States.

Volume & Scope 180,000+ Emigrants
Feeder Hinterland 4 Irish Counties
Key American Terminals Saint John, NB · New York, NY · Boston, MA

Historical Significance & Maritime Operations

The Port of Sligo, sheltered under the shadow of Benbulben and Knocknarea on Sligo Bay, became a center of intense, sorrowful embarkation during the Great Famine.

Families from Leitrim, Roscommon, and Sligo boarded ships like the Larch, Carricks of Whitehaven, and Bark Wave, often in appalling states of malnutrition, seeking refuge in Canada and the United States.

Clans Departing from Port of Sligo

33 Family Names

Families originating in the hinterland counties served directly by the passenger lines of Port of Sligo.

Clan Heritage Co. Mayo

Conway

Mac Conmidhe
Meaning: "Hound of the Plain"
"Fide et amore"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Roscommon

Flanagan

Ó Flannagáin
Meaning: "Reddish or Ruddy"
"Certavi et vici"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Roscommon

Flynn

Ó Floinn
Meaning: "Ruddy or Red-complexioned"
"Amicitia floreat"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Donegal

Gallagher

Ó Gallchobhair
Meaning: "Lover of Foreigners or Foreign Helper"
"Mea gloria fides (Faith is my Glory)"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Mayo

Gavin

Ó Ghabhann
Meaning: "Hawk of Battle"
"Malo mori quam foedari"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Mayo

Higgins

Ó hUiginn
Meaning: "Viking or Poet-Traveller"
"Pro patria"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Galway

Kelly

Ó Ceallaigh
Meaning: "Bright-headed, War, or Contention"
"Turris fortis mihi Deus (God is my Strong Tower)"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Roscommon

MacDermott Roe

Mac Diarmada Rua
Meaning: "The Red-haired MacDermott"
"Honor et virtus"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Sligo

MacDonagh

Mac Donnchadha
Meaning: "Son of the Brown Lord"
"Virtute probata"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Sligo

MacIntyre

Mac an tSaoir
Meaning: "Son of the Carpenter"
"Per ardua"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Mayo

MacNally

Mac An Fhailghigh
Meaning: "Son of the Poor Man"
"Fidei coticula crux"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Leitrim

MacPartland

Mac Pharthaláin
Meaning: "Son of Bartholomew"
"Spes mea in Deo"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Mayo

Mangan

Ó Mongáin
Meaning: "Having Long Thick Hair"
"Virtute non sanguine"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Roscommon

McCormack

Mac Cormaic
Meaning: "Son of Cormac"
"Sine timore"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Roscommon

McDermott

Mac Diarmada
Meaning: "Son of Free Man"
"Honor probataque virtus"
Origin & Hubs →
Clan Heritage Co. Sligo

Milligan

Ó Maolagáin
Meaning: "Little Devotee"
"Regi et patriae"
Origin & Hubs →

Feeder Counties Served

Emigrants from these counties commonly journeyed to Port of Sligo to board transatlantic vessels:

Primary Transatlantic Terminals

  • ⚓ Saint John, NB
  • ⚓ New York, NY
  • ⚓ Boston, MA

Port Archives & Maritime Records