The Irish in Canada have won a major victory over the Canadian Government on how the national historic site at Grosse Ile should be developed. The small island in the St. Lawrence River, 48 kilometers downstream from Quebec City, once served as a quarantine station, and is the burial site of thousands of Irish immigrants who died of cholera in 1832, and of typhus, ship fever, … [Read more...] about Canada Recognizes Irish Famine Memorial
Canada
The Ghosts of Gross Ile
One of the major ports of entry for Irish Famine immigrants, Grosse Île lies in the St. Lawrence River, just east of Quebec. It contains the largest Famine cemetery outside of Ireland. When the authorities in Quebec heard news of ships arriving with sick passengers, they quickly set up Grosse Île as a port of entry and quarantine station at which all ships were required to … [Read more...] about The Ghosts of Gross Ile
Paddling in the Wake of St. Patrick & Game of Thrones
Looking for a truly exceptional adventure? Paddleboarding is the fastest growing sport in the world, and Ireland offers an abundance of waterways – some challenging, some less so – and, as our intrepid Canadian couple discovered, all flanked by stunning landscapes of mountains, lakes, coastlines, and islands. ℘℘℘ We wanted to drink in Ireland’s audaciously green spring, but do … [Read more...] about Paddling in the Wake of St. Patrick & Game of Thrones
The Black Stone
on Bridge Street
Montreal's memorial to Irish Famine victims.
℘℘℘
In 1997, Irish people around the world will remember the 150th anniversary of the Famine that resulted in one million deaths and forced one million and a half to emigrate to Canada and the United States. The deplorable conditions these immigrants endured aboard ship resulted in a typhus epidemic that decimated many en route to a … [Read more...] about The Black Stone
on Bridge Street
Salt Spring Island:
The Land of Fairies
British Columbia’s oldest working farm, founded by Irishman Henry Ruckle in 1872, has turned into something of a fairy land.
Between a visionary immigrant farmer and an unknown planter of “fairy doors,” Salt Spring Island has liberal lashings of Irish magic, and that’s not counting a coastline that would put you in mind of Ireland’s rugged west.
Henry Ruckle, who left Ireland … [Read more...] about Salt Spring Island:
The Land of Fairies