Irish immigration history in Canada
The apogee of Irish arrival in Canada took place during and briefly after the outbreak of the Great Irish Famine that erupted during the mid 19th century. Since fare charges to Canada were lower than those being charged to the United States, New Zealand or Australia, during this period, Canada became the destination for many destitute people from Ireland, who trooped in hundreds of thousands (Houston & William p. 26-38). Since this famine phenomenon was hard to resist within their motherland, many Irish nationals opted to migrate to the United Kingdom, the United States with a large number preferring to move to Canada.
When this group migrated
The Irish immigration has a tormenting and long history dating back to centuries in Canada. The earliest Irish presence to be recorded in present day Canadian land dates way back in 1536 when fishermen from Ireland departed Cork and moved to Newfoundland. They later settled permanently in Newfoundland, prompting increased Irish immigration to other parts of Canada by early 1800s in the post-1812 War. 60% of all Canadian immigrants between the periods of 1825 and 1845 were Irish. For instance, in 1831, around 34,000 Irish immigrants landed in Montreal (Bassler p. 13-29).
Where they settled
The survivors of the crossing were directed to Montreal while those who were able to continue the journey went to settle in Ontario. Others went to various rural setups. In principle, Irish immigrants presently known as Irish-Canadians are all over Canada at present.
Some hardships they faced
Lots of difficulties were encountered by these immigrants. For instance, achievement of the crossing happened under miserable and devastating circumstances as many of them got seriously sick or even died during the journey. Most survivors moved to Montreal while a majority of the immigrants soldiered on to the base in Western Canada (now Ontario, and formerly known as Upper Canada). Besides the problems encountered during the crossing and need to earn a living, the main problem that faced these immigrants was based on their identity. For instance, in French Canada, the orphaned kids got adopted into the families of Quebec and subsequently became Quebecois culturally and linguistically. Therefore, these immigrants had most of their kids sent to take part in various works, others got adopted, but they still had to adapt and cope with new conditions and situations, and take new identities through the process of attempting to stay alive, thus subjecting them to all kinds of traumatic experiences. More so, it was a common thing for the Irishmen to face discriminatory statements, especially in social circumstances and job discrimination. They were associated with violence, illegal voting, alcoholism, street gangs, especially by the media stereotyping. Comparing with those Irish immigrants who fled famine to the United Kingdom or the United States, a large population of Irish immigrants in Canada settled in the rural areas rather than in the cities. This aspect prompted them to face significant amounts of prosecution and racism as a result of long-standing anti-Irish racism feelings among Protestants in Canada (Clary-Lemon p.5-25).
Traditions and ceremonies native to their culture
Religion, just like the immigration itself, became subject to a considerable level of legend and myth for so many years. Of course, there were truisms as Irish immigrants came from different Christian backgrounds, though popular ones were Protestants and Roman Catholics. There was and still exist the myth associating the Roman Catholic with certain exclusivity as been only the religion affected by the Great Irish Famine, which is not true since research has shown that a fair number of Irish Protestants cramped and held the coffin vessel or ship during the crossing (Buckner & Douglas p.56-78). Again, there is also the myth which is further related to religion with the most recent discoveries revealing that Gaelic or the language of the Irish was the first to be spoken in New Brunswick which was first associated with the Roman Catholics alone while indeed it was as well spoken by the Protestants too.
Contributions they made to Canadian society.
A significant impact was felt in Ontario by the outbreak of the Great Irish Famine 1845-1849. The immigrants arrived under desperate circumstances and conditions on streamers from the sides of Quebec towards Ottawa through ports of Lake Ontario, majorly Toronto and Kingston, together with many other communities which were in smaller numbers along Southern Ontario (Akenson p. 256-301). Rapid economic boom and growth were evident in the years that followed their arrival. It enabled many men to acquire employment opportunities on the expanding network of the railroad, city constructions and the building of the logging industry. Entrance into the domestic service by women became more often. Others practiced farming on the relatively arable and cheap southern Ontario’s land. Later generations emanating from these poorer immigrants got involved and became prominent in politics, unions, law, business, and the arts. Even though Irish-Canadians are a little less visible compared to Irish-Americans, they have had a definite influence on the Canadian history.
Work Cited
Clary-Lemon, Jennifer. "‘We’re not ethnic, we’re Irish!’: Oral histories and the discursive construction of immigrant identity." Discourse & Society 21.1 (2010): 5-25.
Buckner, Phillip, and R. Douglas Francis, eds. Canada and the British world: culture, migration, and identity. UBC Press, (2011): 56-78
Bassler, Gerhard. Vikings to U-Boats: the Irish experience in Newfoundland and Labrador. McGill-Queen's Press-MQUP, (2014): 13-29
Akenson, Donald Harman. Irish in Ontario: A Study in Rural History. McGill-Queen's Press-MQUP, (1984): 256-301
Houston, Cecil J., and William J. Smyth. Irish emigration and Canadian settlement: Patterns, links, and letters. Ulster Historical Foundation, (1990): 26-38
