The Faughnan Genealogy Web Site was created to share information and genealogy about our uncommon surname.  There are so few of us scattered around the world that most of us are very likely to share a common ancestor.    

In the 1850s there were only about 50 Faughnan households in County Leitrim, and very few others in Counties Longford, Roscommon, and Cavan.   The stories of where our Faughnan ancestor's settled are all different; some stayed in Ireland, but many others immigrated. 

Today, there are more Faughnans in the U.S., Britain, and Canada than in Ireland.  Many left Ireland during the Irish Famine of the 1840s, which devastated County Leitrim.  Canada was an early emigration point because of the low fare on empty Canadian timber ships returning from Britain.       

Needless to say these "Coffin Ships" were not meant to  haul passengers, and many greedy captains packed their ship's full.  The conditions were deplorable.  On some ships, individuals had only 14 inches width of space to sleep on a crossing that took 4-6 weeks.