Murrin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the Murrin family came to North America quite early:

Murrin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

• Mary Murrin, who arrived in Virginia in 1704 3

Murrin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• Thomas Murrin, who landed in New York, NY in 1815 3
• John Murrin, who arrived in Texas in 1850-1906 3

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Murrin Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

• Edward Murrin, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Eleanor" in 1834

Murrin Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

• Miss Elizabeth Murrin, (b. 1614), aged 21, British settler traveling aboard the ship "John" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 5

• Tom Murrin (1939-2012), American performance artist and playwright
• James B. Murrin, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Pennsylvania State Auditor General, 1916 6
• Kristina Murrin CBE, née Hunt, an Australian-born, British policy former policy advisor to the Tony Blair and David Cameron governments