JULY-AUGUST 2008
www.celtic-connection.com
Page 21
An Emotional Journey to Grosse He Irish Memorial
By MEGAN ITNDLAY QUEBEC - It's a small island with an enormous role in the history of the Irish in Canada.
From the early Nineteenth Century until after the Second World War, Grosse-Ile, located in the gulf of the St. Lawrence River east of Quebec City, was the main entry point for immigrants arriving in Canada, and served as a holding station for those seeking entry to the Port of Quebec.
When famine descended on Ireland in the mid-Nineteenth Century, thousands of starving and impoverished Irish left for Canada on diseased "coffin ships," intended for transporting lumber, and often arrived at Grosse-Ile only to perish from fever in the quarantine sheds.
Between 1832 and 1937, more than 7,500 people died and were buried on the island, most of them Irish who arrived in the "black" summer of 1847.
Today, Parks Canada maintains a small, tidy graveyard and a network of roads and forest trails that allow visitors to explore the island and visit such sites as the remaining fever shed or the Celtic Cross on Telegraph Hill, erected in 1909 by the Ancient Order of Hibernians in memory of the immigrants who perished on the island, and of the priests who died while trying to help them.
On June 17, the Centre for Canadian Irish Studies at Concordia University in Montreal organized a visit to the island, where renowned Quebec historian Marianna O'Gallagher gave a tour of the site and explained its significance to Canadian heritage.
Many children left orphaned on the island, for example, were adopted into French and English-Canadian families, throughout the Nineteenth Century. Gearoid 0 hAllmhurain, a musician and visiting scholar with the Centre for Canadian Irish Studies, honoured the tragic history of Grosse He by piping a lament as visitors, staring out across the graveyard marked with rows of white crosses,
THE CELTIC CROSS on Telegraph Hill, erected in 1909 by the Ancient Order of Hibernians in memory of the immigrants who perished on the island of Grosse-Tle, and of the priests who died while trying to help them.
remembered stories and family connections to the 150-year-old history.
For more information about this and other events organized by the Centre for Canadian Irish Studies or to find out about programmes, courses and scholarships in Canadian Irish Studies at Concordia University, please email cdnirish@alcor.concordia.ca or visit www. cdnirish. concordia. ca.
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RENOWNED Quebec historian Marianna O'Gallaghergave a tour of the site and explained its significance to Canadian heritage.
DR. MICHAEL KENNEALLY of the Centre for Canadian Irish Studies with Concordia University in Montreal leads the Irish studies trip to Grosse-Tle.
Scotland's Homecoming 2009
Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond has unveiled the nationwide program for "Homecoming 2009" which will include over 100 events to celebrate Scotland's first ever year of Homecoming. Inspired by the 250th anniversary of the birth of Scotland's national bard, Robert Burns, Homecoming 2009 will be a celebration of the great contributions Scotland has made to the world.
It's also a chance for Scots around the globe to reconnect and engage with their heritage. The program of events has been organized around five main themes - the Bard himself, whisky, golf, great Scottish minds and innovations and Scotland's culture and heritage.
Highlights include a Burns 250th anniversary weekend, including a campaign to create the world's biggest "virtual Burns Supper" celebration.
There is also an exhibition of contemporary art inspired by Burns, to be held in Glasgow's Mitchell Library, featuring works by John Byrne, Tracy Fmin, Graham Fagen and David Mach.
A celebration of the Caledonian Canal will involve a flotilla travelling the length of the canal from Fort William to Inverness. During the year, the Open Golf Championship will return to Turnberry - and one of the largest clan gatherings in history will be held in Edinburgh.
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