The Irish Ambassador to Canada John Concannon posted on X yesterday that he had visited Grosse-Île in the St. Lawrence River in Quebec.
The island was the site of an immigration depot which housed predominantly Irish immigrants coming to Canada to escape the Great Famine of 1845–1849
Today, visitors can tour many of the buildings used for the immigrants and by the islanders. The disinfection building features the original showers, waiting rooms and steam disinfection apparatus, as well as a multimedia exhibit about the island’s history.
A walking trail leads to the Celtic cross and the Irish Memorial, which honours the memory of the immigrants, the employees of the quarantine station, the sailors, the doctors, and the priests who died on this island.
Here’s what the Ambassador had to say:
Go ndéana Dia trócaire ar a n-anamacha. (May God have mercy on their souls.)
