Letters in Ireland Letters in Ireland Millions of letters were
sent back from Irish emigrants to their friends and relatives at
home in the nineteenth century. It is estimated that one million
letters were sent to America from Ireland in 1854 alone. On its
maiden voyage the Titanic collected 1385 bags of letters at Cobh
which were destined for America. Letters home were often
accompanied by remittances or other items such as tickets,
clothes or photos. It has been calculated that €260millon was
sent home to Ireland in the nineteenth century. Thus the
“American Letter” led to “chain migration” as emigrants provided
the fare for their relatives to cross the Atlantic and join them
in the New World. The letters mainly discussed family and
friends, but also provided an insight into the emigrant’s view
of their new country. They often painted an unrealistically
bright picture of the life which awaited their friends and
relatives across the Atlantic. As James Charles Roy has
observed, "The written letter was an indi