Experience Québec
Being Irish O’Quebec
Four-Leaf Clover!
The oldest St. Patrick’s Day Parade in North America takes place every spring in Quebec, marking the return of the green grass… and of the thousands of green hats worn by the people who attend! But the Irish presence in Quebec is not limited to the parade, as you will learn at the new McCord Museum exhibition, Being Irish O’Quebec!
Nearly half of all Quebeckers have at least one Irish ancestor, as do five million Canadians in other provinces and 40 million Americans. It’s no surprise, according to Pierre Marc Johnson, former Quebec premier and honorary co-president of the exhibition, that “In Montreal, everyone feels Irish during the parade.” Come test your own Irishness until April 4, 2010! Who knows? You might have a green-blooded leprechaun hiding in your own family tree! Green roots
The exhibition’s “Story Stations” let you explore the history of key sites, such as Griffintown in Montreal, Grosse-Île near Quebec City, and Saint Colomban in the Laurentians. Items lent by the Irish community and supplied by the Museum’s rich collection (whose founder, David Ross McCord, was of Irish descent) are sprinkled throughout the exhibition. 
The artefacts on display include a superb bracelet and pendant shaped like a four-leaf clover. Its famous owner, Yvonne Audet born Duckett, proud of her Irish roots, was a teacher of French diction for generations of Quebec actors. Robert Charlebois refers to her in his well-known song “Miss Pepsi.” The older the fiddle, the sweeter the tune!
Did you know that the most famous of Quebec turluteuses, La Bolduc, was of Irish descent? Born Mary Travers, La Bolduc’s existence reminds us that Quebecois folklore also has deep Celtic roots, which show up clearly in its reels. The festive spirit is a major common element among Irish and French stock: the largest part of the exhibition, which focuses on the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, is a case in point.
The Blarney Stone
According to a Celtic legend, the Blarney Stone is famous for its magical powers: anyone who kisses it will become a rousing speechmaker! Perhaps that’s the explanation behind the oratory talents of the Johnson family (father Daniel and sons Pierre Marc and Daniel, all former Quebec premiers), Edmund Bailey O’Callaghan (the right-hand man of Patriot leader Louis Joseph Papineau) or Thomas D’Arcy McGee (Montreal electoral representative and a Father of Confederation), or even American president John F. Kennedy! The grass is always greener…
The potato famine, which resulted from the confiscation of lands by British authorities, vastly changed the demographic and cultural face of North America. In 1847, the year in which the largest contingent of Irish immigrants in history arrived in Quebec, the province’s population more than doubled. It grew from 40,000 to 100,000, and the Petit-Champlain district became a predominently irish neigbourhood
Did you know that the last names Aubry (O’Brennan), Sylvain (O’Sullivan), Riel (O’Reilly) and Caissie (Casey) have Irish roots? Irish connections appear in family trees all over Quebec, and throughout the rest of North America. Go green and discover your Irish side with a visit to the Being Irish O’Quebec exhibition, at the McCord Museum until April 4, 2010.
| Green immigration |
 1825-1829: 53,463 1830-1834: 185,953 1845-1849: 200,000 during the Great Famine including 100,000 in the year 1847 alone. Between 1860 and 1900, 25% of the Quebec population was of Irish origin! |
Sylvain Lacoursière
2009-06-22
