“It’s a story of inclusion, of adaptation, of making a life for yourself in a new environment after a hostile initial experience,” O’Gallagher shares, referring to limited resources and linguistic barriers at Quebec’s Grosse Île – where many Irish immigrants first landed – during the 19th century. “The integration happened through intermarriage, common experience, [and] political action together with your neighbours, creating bonds that lasted ever since.”

In Canada, March is recognized as Irish Heritage Month and Le Mois de la Francophonie (the Month of La Francophonie) – an opportunity to reflect on the stories of Quebecers with Irish roots.

Historical roots

Irish immigration to Quebec was significant by the early 19th century. The first Irish Catholic Masses were celebrated in Quebec City around 1819. St. Patrick’s Church was constructed by 1833 to serve a growing Irish congregation.

During the height of Ireland’s Great Famine (1845–1852), an estimated number of nearly 100, 000 Irish immigrants arrived at Grosse Île seeking refuge from starvation. Approximately 6,000 would eventually pass away from typhus and other illness.

The Black Rock monument in Montreal commemorates the lives lost and Montrealers’ plight to help these newcomers.

“Some children were orphaned because their parents passed during the crossing,” O’Gallagher adds. “The church took these children and had them adopted into French-Canadian families.”

Families preserved the children’s English last names, even while raising them in Francophone environments – a sign that the two cultures were beginning to merge in ways rarely told in textbooks.

Despite generations of assimilation into Francophone society, the Irish imprint in Quebec did not disappear; it evolved. According to O’Gallagher, the province is seeing a “renaissance of Irish culture.”

Montreal’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade, for example, is amongst the oldest celebration of the Irish Saint in North America.

“St. Patrick’s Day parade is a very, very important event in Quebec City,” says André Reny, Francophone Quebecer with Irish roots. “We draw people from all over [the world], even the U.S.”

O’Gallagher has been preparing for an upcoming milestone anniversary: 2027 will mark 180 years since the 1847 wave of Irish immigration to Canada. The two countries will commemorate this milestone through Canada-Ireland 180 – a series of events and activities honouring the past while reflecting on the future.

“Anywhere between 25 to 40 per cent of Quebecers have some sort of affiliation through blood or family relations with Ireland, which is remarkable in the context of a population of nine million people in Quebec,” adds O’Gallagher.

He continues to consult local groups – including Irish Heritage Quebec and St. Patrick’s Society of Montreal – to ensure that the programming reflects a distinctly Quebec perspective within the broader Irish narrative. In May, Quebec City will also see a pair of bronze shoes – symbols of the Great Irish Famine – inaugurated in its port.

The Bronze Shoes mark the National Famine Way™, a 165-kilometre trail through which Irish farmers and their families were forced to march during the Great Famine. The trail took them to Dublin in 1847, from which many sailed for Canada via Liverpool.

Modern lessons

As Quebec continues to celebrate its Irish heritage, the story is not just about the past. It is about sustaining connections, culture, and community for the future.

“A lot of the lessons [from the past] we don’t even know ourselves; we need to develop interest in history and pass it on in an accessible way for young kids, [so they understand] what happened here,” adds Charles Reny, fellow Francophone Quebecer with Irish roots.

“There is a sense of togetherness [between the Irish and French] community,” shares André. “I think the Irish heritage is here to stay.”

O’Gallagher points out that this history is relevant to the contemporary time: Many people continue to migrate “for reasons beyond their control”– including poverty, famine and war.

“It’s the same comments, the same headlines, the same newspapers, the same reflexes of distancing yourself from tragedy,” adds O’Gallagher of current conversations around immigration. “That happened to the Irish.”

Canada-Ireland 180 is seeking expressions of interest from artists, curators, venues, presenters, ensembles and cultural organizations interested in participating.
For more information on the call, see www.cultureireland.ie/canada-ireland-180