Perhaps the most haunting piece of sculpture in Ireland is the group of gaunt, skeletal famine figures on Dublin’s docklands. They are simply walking, to somewhere, to a better place. Sculptor Rowan Gillespie has captured these desperate images of tortured souls, their defeated faces and sunken eyes. Gillespie was inspired by sketches drawn by charitable Quakers working in rural Cork during the winter of 1846. Years ago, when I first saw these ghoulish figures in the Docklands, I was immediately transported back to the desperate Ireland of our ancestors. Maybe that’s what great art does, it gets under your skin.
Gillespie’s famine statues inspired the novelist Joseph O’Connor to write his brilliant famine novel “The Star of the Sea”.
When O’Connor saw these images of starving, helpless people, walking towards something, just walking, he began to conceive his characters in what was to be one of the finest Irish novels written in the past 50 years.
This morning, in the bright sunlight over Lake Ontario, I am amidst the same statues in Ireland Park, Toronto. And one of the statues is Rowan Gillespie’s depiction of O’Connor’s deeply, malignant character, Pious Mulvey, from ‘The Star of the Sea’.
Ireland Park is a wonderful monument to the Irish Diaspora and Irish history here in Toronto. The park is right on the water with an amazing view of the lakeshore skyline. You couldn’t get a better location to celebrate the Irish in this part of the world.
Canada is again becoming one of the fastest-growing destinations in the world for young Irish people. These days, the emigration experience is a totally different one. Latest figures show that migration from Ireland is a two way street – much more likely to be part of the leg of a journey, rather than a final destination.
Today, many young Irish people are moving as easily to places like Toronto as their parents did from rural Ireland to Dublin in the 1970s.
It is a special place for me because I could have easily been Canadian. My parents were set to emigrate to Canada in 1960. They both had visas, jobs and were about to embark on a new life in Ontario but got the heebie-geebies at the last minute and stayed in Ireland.
Back then, you weren’t coming back – once you went, you went. In 1985, I headed to Toronto for a summer job and loved it – first working as a barman in a Chinese restaurant.
Toronto is home to one of the largest Irish diasporas and one of the oldest. While Irish fishermen fished the Grand Banks with the Basques in the 17th century (which is why Newfoundland in Irish is Talamh an Éisc), the main wave of migrants came in the 19th century.
Between 1815 and 1845, 496,000 Irish people emigrated to Canada.
This is a huge figure. In 1847 alone, 98,500 Irish emigrants landed in Canada. Given that there was a 20pc mortality rate on the ships, it implies that in the spring of 1847, close to 120,000 left Ireland for Canada.
Consider that 38,565 of these people landed in Toronto – a town that at the time had a population of only 20,000. It’s a little-known fact that the reason so many came to Canada is that the US imposed huge fines on ships bringing typhus into American ports. The families of Henry Ford, Bing Crosby and even Walt Disney came to North America through Canada.
Ireland Park is a memorial to the Irish Famine migrants, including the thousands who died on arrival here, most of whom left no trace; not even their names are known as they were buried in mass graves.
Today, 4,354,000 Canadians are of either full or partial Irish descent. This is 14pc of the country’s total population. Here in Ontario, 531,865 people registered as Irish Canadian in the last census.
This makes the self-declared ‘Irish’ the fourth-largest cultural group in Toronto. Modern Canada is also extremely welcoming to Irish people.
This morning, Canada wakes up to a new government embodied by the youthful leader of the Liberals, Justin Trudeau.
Trudeau is Quebecois and because so many Catholic Irish chose to stay in Catholic Quebec rather than Protestant Ontario, it is believed that as many as 25pc of Quebecois are of Irish descent.
In fact, the defeated leader of the New Democratic Party, Tom Mulcair – representing the French-speaking Outremont constituency – is a prime example of these French-speaking Irish-Canadians.
Today, far more young Irish people are getting visas for Canada than the US. For example, 10,000 ‘International Experience Canada Visas’ are now being allotted to Ireland per year. Last year, 6,000 new work visas were snapped up by Irish people online in thirteen minutes!
Seventy per cent of Irish who come to Canada land in Toronto, which for the first time in years has direct flights to Dublin.
When I came here, I had to fly via Amsterdam. Today, unlike in previous generations, 64pc of Irish who emigrate to Canada have third-level degrees. This compares with 42pc of the Irish population in general.
Trade between Canada and Ireland is increasing steadily. In 2013, two-way trade between Canada and Ireland in goods and services approached $3.7bn (€2.5bn). Five hundred Irish companies operate in Canada and 50 have subsidiaries here, employing 6,000 people. A quarter of all Irish investment abroad is in Canada.
Canada’s merchandise exports to Ireland totalled nearly $429.2m in 2013, an increase of 35.4pc from 2012. At the end of 2013, the stock of Canadian Direct Investment Abroad (CDIA) in Ireland reached nearly $16bn, ranking Ireland the ninth-largest destination of CDIA.
Meanwhile, 200,000 Canadians visit Ireland each year and in total, between 2013-2014, trade with Canada grew by 18pc.
The cultural, ethnic and commercial links between Canada and Ireland are extremely strong. Sometimes this is overlooked because of the dominance of the US in Ireland’s North American odyssey.
Toronto is changing rapidly. For example, I saw my first and only Orange March here in July 1985.
This used to be a very Protestant city and indeed the link between Ontario and Ulster used to be extremely strong. My northern wife has lots of distant relations originally from Antrim dotted all around rural Ontario.
But today it is a multicultural melting pot, of which the Irish – from all over the island of Ireland – add our own significant flavour. This looks like continuing.
On the day Canada celebrates a new political dawn, I sit here, looking back at the waterfront skyline, in the shadow of Gillespie’s haunting famine figures, and I am sure the story of Ireland and Canada is about to open a new uplifting chapter.
David, work with Canadian branch in my job. A lot of what you say is true. However would like to know where you stand on CETA and for that matter TTIP and TISA ? Do you see these as advantageous to the many, or just to the corporations. I would also say a lot of Canadians are horrified with what has happened to their Country under Harper – that they have gone from one of the leaders of the Environmental Movement to a Petro-state. Last time I was in Calgary they were looking for 120K people before 2020 – but… Read more »
David, The similarities with my own family are, I was going to say uncanny, but probably more normal than we know. My parents did move to Canada in 1960, my sister is Canadian although I am Irish as my parents returned a few short years later, I guess the cold feet didn’t kick in as quick. The sister returned to the city of her birth at age 18, resides there still ad raised her family with one Irish daughter and two Canadian daughters. I suggested you visit a fabulous restuarant “Marben” yesterday on another forum as the two Canadian daughters… Read more »
“Ireland Park is a wonderful monument to the Irish Diaspora and Irish history here in Toronto. The park is right on the water with an amazing view of the lakeshore skyline. You couldn’t get a better location to celebrate the Irish in this part of the world.” I have visited Toronto and its “Ireland Park” several times. It is very depressing, not because of what it commemorates, but its ugly spirit and where it is located, behind an ugly disused Malting works with unbelievably ugly pedestrian-only access. Rather than “celebrating the Irish” as you put it, I see it as… Read more »
Harper left a mess. And not just environmental. Various laws have been introduced which move Canada along the road of a surveillance society. Debt levels are massive. Harper was not even a conservative. He also waited around long enough to ensure that he alienated many people. Trudeau Junior has to run Canada with much less money than Harper. I reckon that Canada is about to get into serious economic trouble. A problem, the nature of which, will be familiar to many Irish people. Debt. Banks. Housing. I am not at all optimistic about the next three years for Canada. Trudeau… Read more »
Hi David, I am delighted David that you brought up the starving wretched figures of Irish being driven from their homeland because it reminds us of the economists worst nightmare the haunting death spiral of deflation. Deflation as we know it is a economic event but also can be a human one. Take the Gorta Mor for example (great hunger, there was no famine which means absence of food) 8 million souls living in Ireland prior to the failure of the potato crop. Now David the Guburenment at the time knew the landlord tenant system had failed and wanted to… Read more »
Canada is a poor man’s USA. Twice as many Canadians emigrate south as Americans make the reverse journey. Everything moves slower than in the States, the climate leaves a lot to be desired- worse than our own.
During the 1950’s , 20,000 Irish emigrated to Canada, now it’s as high as 9,000 per annum- what better illustration of the mess left by FF.
I see Dan Mc Laughlin has landed a cushy gig in DIT, a happy hunting ground for failed politicians and former free market economists!
Subscribe.
Nice fall day in Paradise.
Kittimat ad
http://www.unionizedlabour.ca/canadas-economy/union-workers-are-an-integral-part-of-the-kitimat-community?utm_source=outbrain&utm_medium=paid
Usual pig in a poke promises
http://globalnews.ca/news/2286815/trudeau-wins-heres-what-hes-promised-and-what-hes-set-to-face/
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadian-politics/trudeau-announcing-plan-to-kill-first-past-the-post-by-the-next-election
http://www.budget.gc.ca/2015/home-accueil-eng.html
This is what Canadians threw out in the Election!!
Under Harper Taxes were steadily reduced and the size of government reduced. However the latest legislation offered the opportunity to pry into Canadian lives on the excuse of combating terrorism.
Propaganda outweighed common sense in this last election. The budget was progressive and expansionary but balanced for the first time since the 2008 down turn.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Canadian_federal_budget
But is endorsed by the following
http://www.canadianbusiness.com/economy/trudeaus-gamble-on-deficit-spending-became-the-liberals-turning-point/
http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/news/story/1.3271089
“You might think that “Tory” is just a shortening of Conservative, but you’d be wrong. The word predates the Roman conquest of Europe, back to the days when the Celts dominated the Continent. Their word toworet meant something like “running,” and Old Irish later borrowed it as toirighim, meaning “I pursue.”
And what exactly did a toirighim pursue? Your money. In 1566, the word was defined as “one class of Irish robbers noted for outrages and savage cruelty.”
“For much of the 1800s, Montreal and Quebec City were the two largest urban centres in what would become Canada, and their populations were anywhere from one-quarter to one-third Irish.”
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/quebec-francophones-rediscover-their-irish-roots/article4171837/
One of your own was the 1967 Queen of the St Patricks day Parade in Montreal!! Name withheld by courtesy!
It is significant I think that the memorial to the famine on the docklands which David mentions is right outside the IFSC; the Irish Financial Services Centre. I see it as significant because I have always regarded the IFSC as a Trojan Horse. The IFSC was heralded as a great boon to the nation that would enrich us all; it turned out to be a gang of brigands that bankrupted our nation. The financial services industry has bankrupted the entire Western world.
Well done Canada for getiing rid of Harper.
We get American TV here in Antigua, they play this advert every five minutes on one channel or another:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1HrVdLmkhk
What a rip off! Shamelessly trying to get senior citizens to part with their cash for useless trinkets.
Vote and buy gold guys!
Grzegorz it looks like your predictions of carnage by ‘radicalized’ Muslims (‘radicalized’ by who? – David Cameron?) in Sweden has come true. I stand corrected. Oh wait, it was some deranged white dude that carried out that awful act. As mentioned here previously by me there are nutters in every ethnic group on the planet. It doesn’t help that you and your like, with your prehistoric views on foreigners perpetuate a climate of fear and intolerance in which violence can be encouraged from any side. I don’t blame you though, you grew up in Poland – I lived in Hungary… Read more »
They have Moosehead beer up there ay. I used to love Moosehead, but the antlers bruised my thighs.
Hi David,
You do a lot of long haul travel.
Would you be so kind as to let us all know what measures/precautions you take to minimize the impact of JET LAG.
Do you follow a set procedure?
Trudeau Junior will achieve one thing.
He will ensure that Canadians become wise to the stupidity of voting for people because of their name.
In other words, I can now predict his biggest achievement in politics, before he accomplishes it.
He will put an end to the nonsense of hereditary politicians in Canada.
http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/meanwhile-in-iceland-the-26th-banker-has-been-jailed-for-their-role-in-the-2008-financial-crisis–ZkgQiVqJfdx?utm_source=indy&utm_medium=top5&utm_campaign=i100
Time is ready for more of us to piss on the criminal bankers!! Then jail them all.
The rest of North american is rotten to the core and in terminal decline.
http://investmentresearchdynamics.com/the-u-s-financial-and-political-is-a-complete-fraud/
“The U.S. financial system is the biggest, most fraudulent Ponzi scheme in history. When you peel back the layers of lies, deception and fraud, the U.S. is a crumbling empire. “
Russia continues to pile in while Canada pulls out.
http://usawatchdog.com/putin-war-warning-syria-update-benghazi-lie-economy-not-good-and-market-rally/
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/trudeau-sticks-by-pledge-to-end-air-strikes-against-islamic-state/article26900302/
ther, like son, is an old saying. The Fed jawbones a raise but sits pat. Likewise the ECB Draghi. US dollar jumps on the “News”. Same effect as a US interest raise. Posted at lemetropolecafe ECB: Draghi signals ECB ready to extend QE: ECB President Draghi prepared the market for further policy easing after the ECB left its key rates unchanged. Draghi confirmed that the degree of policy accommodation will be re-examined at the December meeting when the next set of staff projections are also due. HaHa, pay to leave your money in the bank and then be bailed in… Read more »
https://news.vice.com/article/what-trudeaus-liberal-victory-means-for-canadas-oil-sands?utm_source=outbrain&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=rss&utm_campaign=outbraincanada
http://www.theloop.ca/americans-think-our-new-prime-minister-is-a-hottie/?symeid=OutbrainLoopArticle
Talking about infected markets in the financial arena, how about the market where you buy your food. Herbicides, fungicides and insecticides are poisoning the land and the food. Instead of chasing AFTER GLOBAL CHANGE WE SHOULD CHASE AFTER ALL THESE CROOKS PEDDLING THEIR POISONS. Read some of this site and insist on certified organic. Power to the people through the non purchase of poisoned produce. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/10/24/our-daily-poison.aspx?e_cid=20151024Z1_DNL_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20151024Z1&et_cid=DM88664&et_rid=1184661500 Ireland should market its food as certified organic. The whole country in lock step. Producing the most healthy productive people on the planet. Read “How the Irish saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill and take… Read more »
Guys, get this, you can be summonsed now for calling the President a midget parasite.
In other words you can be summonsed for telling the truth.
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/man-who-called-president-a-midget-parasite-is-summoned-to-appear-in-court-34139785.html
President my arse, he’s not my President. As DB4545 has noted, I am my own President.
I don’t need a benefits cheater to represent me, spouting useless poetry out of his ass.
Adam I’m at a loss to understand who brought this case to court or why? A complete waste of our money yet again.The little guy was hardly going to sit on a stepladder in the witness box to give evidence and possibly face more ridicule. Any adviser would have alerted him to the potential for comedy and further ridicule.I believe common sense prevailed and it was thrown out on a technicality. If memory serves me right the little guy called some commentator a “wan**r on a media interview some years back.I’m certain any barrister would be sure to use that… Read more »
http://www.equedia.com/how-to-win-in-the-stock-market-with-justin-trudeau-in-power/#comment?utm_source=October+25%2C+2015&utm_campaign=October+18%2C+2015&utm_medium=email
Israel at the forefront of medical technology.
http://safeshare.tv/w/DTAINyElxY