Celebrating Irish contributions to the Ottawa region this holiday
The Irish Society of the National Capital Region is paying tribute to the first Irish to settle in Canada this St. Patrick's Day.
The society's president Bryan Daly told The Rick Gibbons Show on 1310 NEWS, the Irish played a major role in the digging of the Rideau Canal.
“It started in 1826 and was finished in 1832,” he said. “It's 202 km long, going from Kingston to Ottawa, and I fortunately had the opportunity to take a sailboat from the Ottawa River to Lake Ontario and saw the canal right up close and personal. I tell you, I would not have been able to last doing the hard digging that was involved in that.”
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Daly explained that it was mainly the Irish, French and First Nations peoples that were involved in creating what is now a National Historic Site of Canada and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Irish came to Canada in large numbers back in the late 1700's and early 1800's, as well as in 1847 through 1849 during the Irish famine.
“My roots are in the Gatineau hills, I know that,” said Daly. “But there are many pockets of land [where the Irish settled, locally], particularly up in the upper Ottawa Valley — Pembroke, Barry's Bay, Renfrew County and areas like that.”
After participating with a float in last weekend's Ottawa St. Patrick's Day parade, Daly and the Irish society will be travelling to Montreal for another parade Sunday.
As for what is happening Saturday, Ottawa Tourism, the Byward Market and the Irish Society of the National Capital Region offer plenty of options.
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Listen to the full conversation with Irish Society of the National Capital Region President Bryan Daly:
