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Does any one know what the criteria was for allowing Irish immigrants into the Uk during the potato famine. I came across a story relating to one of my ancestors who came to England from Ireland during the famine dressed as a women. Either he was a cross dresser! or he was trying to make sure he was allowed into England. My first thought was may be there was a restriction on Irish Males been allowed into England. My second thought was may be he had a criminal record and would have not been allowed into England. Is there anyone with information regarding the right to emigrate into England duing that time.

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Christopher I think it would help if your learnt a little about Irish/ English history. The Potato famine in Ireland was from 1846-1850. Ireland was part of Britain and it's Empire until 1922 when it became Independent. The Irish and the English travel back and forth at will even today, it's a special arrangement, no restrictions on either people. I don't know why your Ancestor would be dressed in women's clothes, maybe he was a cross dresser, maybe he was a criminal, maybe he was just trying to get away from someone important. Some stories that are handed down have to be taken with a pinch of salt. You can g o o g l e OR y a h o o for more information about Ireland and the Irish. Pat

Thank you for your help Ann Warren. And Paul going around in circles if you havn't any real information to pass on why bother to reply to my question. I do know about a little Irish history. And If you had read my tittle before even replying you would have seen I was asking about Irish Immigration covering 1820 and 1850 and the patoto famine just so happend to fall in the period also. For pats own benefit. During the early years of the 1800's, Irish landlords enjoyed the successful times because the prices for agricultural products were high, due to war. After the French at Waterloo were defeated however, the prices fell. The landlords quickly found that they could get more money by turning their land of small farming plots into grazing lands. There was a small problem though...what would they do with the hundreds of tenant farmers living on their estates? But this was a very small problem with a simple answer. They just merely kicked the families out and off of their land (even if their rent was fully paid up) and destroyed the huts the workers lived in so they could not return. There was a lot of these homeless tenant farmer families wandering aimlessly about on the highways, begging for food just to keep alive because of these unjustly acts. And so many families emigrated before the potato famine. The End