Read the fictional diaries of twelve children who migrated in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The stories are based on real migrations and historical events.
The main content of the diaries is outlined in the following table and may help stimulate discussion.
The twelve diaries are:
| Diary | Migration | Year | Reason | Discussion Points |
| Kate O'Loughlin | Ireland to Liverpool | 1846 | To escape poverty | • Living conditions • Illness and the effect on families • Death • Work |
| Donald MacDavid | Scotland to Canada | 1856 | Highland Clearancesl |
• Difficulties with work • Highland Clearances • Views on the church • Role of the factor • Voyage to Canada • Illnesses - Cholera, fever • Comparison between Scotland and Canada |
| Emma Habershaw | Acton, England to Manchester, England | 1875 | Looking for a better life | • Living conditions • Health issues • Herbal remedies • Death • Cleanliness • Work in the mill |
| Molly Nicolson | Isle of Skye to Glasgow | 1882 | Economic hardship | • Living conditions • Rights • Fighting • Comparison between island and city |
| Edward Isaac | Redruth, Cornwall to Boldon, North East England | 1890 | Looking for a better life | • Addictions- drink, gambling • Fighting • Unpleasant nicknames • Faith |
| Angelo Giovannini | Italy to Scotland | 1898 | Leaving a hard lifestyle to look for better opportunities | • Occupations • Landowners • Travel |
| Mair Jones | Rhostryfan, Wales to Chicago, Ameirca | 1903 | Looking for a better life | • Poverty • Death • Rights • Cleanliness • Travel • New start |
| Aaron Rosenfeld | Ukraine to England | 1908 | To escape persecution | • Family • Living conditions • Food • Faith • Language - similies and idiom • Health • Travel |
| Mìcheal Conlon | Ireland to New York | 1909 | Looking for a better life | • Family • Living conditions • Travel • Work |
| Eileen Finn | Liverpool to Aberystwyth | 1939 | Wartime evacuation | • Second World War • Travel • Rural living |
| Freda Buckingham | England to Australia | 1952 | Economic reasons: Looking for a better life | • Living conditions • Peoples' Rights • Travel • Health • Comparative study of two countries |
| Awaale Samakab | Somàlia to Cardiff, Wales | 1990 | To escape war Note: There is a picture of a gun on the second page of Awaale Samakab's diary. | • Life in Somàlia • Guns • Dangers - people, animals • Faith • Fleeing homeland • Refugee camps |
Click on a diary you would like to read. You can skip the introductory video and go straight to the diary if you wish.
Click on the map to see details of the child's journey and click on the diary to read it. The text in the diary is read out for you but this audio can be switched off using the "Fuaim Dheth" button.
Add a photograph or drawing to a diary page by clicking on one of the three pictures and photographs on the right hand side of the page and dragging them to the page. There is a short text caption and an audio description for each photograph and illustration which can be heard by rolling over the image.
Click on green arrow to turn the page.
