4 days ago
Taoiseach to commemorate 200th anniversary of major Irish migration to Canada
Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Canadian ambassador Dennis King are to pay tribute to a little-known migration of 2,000 Irish people to the North American country 200 years ago.
They will be involved in a series of commemorations which will be attended by up to 500 descendants of impoverished Irish people who left Cobh, Co Cork, in nine ships for a new life in the Canadian wilderness.
The commemorations will take place next month to highlight what is known as the 1825 'Peter Robinson experiment'.
Mr Robinson, a senior British colonial official charged with population expansion in the Canadian wilderness, surmised even before the pre-famine era that many Irish people were so impoverished, they stood a better chance to survive in that country's vast and often inhospitable lands.
It is estimated there are more than 100,000 Canadian descendants of those who emigrated, mainly from Doneraile, Mitchelstown, Charleville, and a number of villages along the Blackwater Valley in Co Cork and others who came from East Limerick.
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The bulk of those who went were families, and all had to get recommendations from local landlords before Mr Robinson would accept them on board the ships.
They helped to create the town of Peterborough in Ontario, which is named in Mr Robinson's honour.
While many were from family groups, there were some single people as well but nobody over the age of 45 was eligible for the settlement programme.
On arrival, each emigrant was given 70 acres and, in exchange, they had to pay the Canadian government rent.
The 'homecoming' for their descendants is being organised by rural development company Ballyhoura GLC, which has planned a number of events in the North Cork and Limerick regions from September 15 to 21.
Two key events in Mitchelstown
Two key events announced will take place at St George's Arts and Heritage Centre in Mitchelstown.
The first, on September 19 at 8pm, will be a concert featuring an evening of traditional Irish music, song, and dance and will honour the legacy of the Robinson settlers. It will feature a number of performers, including Ceoltóirí Mhúscraí.
The following day, the same venue will host the 'Peter Robinson Settlers Emigration Scheme Conference'.
It will be opened by Mr Martin and Mr King, and will feature a number of keynote lectures delivered by a panel of speakers from Ireland, Canada, and the US, including historians, genealogists, archaeologists, and some of the descendants of the original settlers.
Speakers will include Jay Roszman, Gerard Moran, Jane McGaughey, Bill Power, and Dennis Carter-Edwards.
Genealogical insights will come from Glenn O'Meara, Matt Barry, and Jane Halloran, while other contributors will include Christy Roche, who has just written a book about the Robinson emigrants.
'Underappreciated chapter' of Irish emigration
Mr King said the Robinson settlement is an underappreciated chapter in the broader history of Irish migration to Canada.
He added: 'The conference will be a fantastic opportunity for national and local leaders, Ballyhoura region residents, and descendants of the settlers to develop their understanding and support the legacy of that unique and remarkably successful emigration scheme.'
"The Embassy of Canada enthusiastically supports Ballyhoura Development's efforts in organising the conference and the broader gathering, and I look forward to attending and participating in those valuable exchanges."
