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This memorial seems to have been known by various names, but now in its final form, following its dedication in July 2012, it is known as the Famine Ship Memorial. The Great Famine covering mainly the years of 1845 to 1852 was a pivotal moment in Irish history. The failure of the potato crop, a staple diet item for many of the population, led to disease, starvation, many deaths and mass emigration. It intensified nationalist feeling which led eventually to the independence of the 26 counties which form the present Republic of Ireland. The population of Ireland has never recovered to anything near the level that it had immediately before the famine.

There are many monuments in Ireland in respect of the Great Famine. This one consists of a central piece of limestone. which originated as a memorial to Celia Griffin, a 6 year old girl who died in the city of starvation in 1847. To this has been added two sandstone monuments which are carved in the form of a ship's sail, like those which carried thousands of emigrants from Ireland in and after the famine years. Many died on the journey, hence the ships were often known as coffin ships. The sandstone monuments each contain 50 of the 100 names of ships known to have carried Irish people across the Atlantic Ocean.

A monument in County Mayo contains a graphic representation of a coffin ship:- L9182 : National Famine Memorial, Murrisk/Muraisc.

See also:- M2924 : Approaching the Famine Ship Memorial, Celia Griffin Memorial Park, Gratton Beach, Galway City and M2924 : Close-up of part of the Famine Ship Memorial, Celia Griffin Memorial Park, Gratton Beach, Galway City.