On a hidden corner of Toronto's waterfront sits a poignant reminder of the past. It's a sombre, peaceful and beautiful place that stands in contrast to its urban surroundings while offering an evocative window into the heritage of two countries.
The Great Famine
The Great Famine, also known as The Irish Potato Famine and The Great Hunger, was a result of a disease called blight that ravaged Ireland's potato crops from roughly 1845-1852 and resulted in the deaths of approximately one million people from starvation and disease. Nearly one million Irish were forced to flee to survive. Some stayed close to home in England and Scotland while others sailed as far away as Australia, but many sailed to the new worlds of America and Canada (then still known as British North America).
Toronto and the Irish Refugees
In 1847, the city of Toronto was centred around the bustling harbours on Lake Ontario, stretching not much further than the Don Valley to the east, Bathurst Street to the west and a little further north than Queen Street. Its population was approximately 20,000.
During the summer sailing months of 1847, over 38,500 Irish refugees arrived in Toronto after a hellish journey across the Atlantic on "coffin ships" where many had succumbed to disease.
Weak, ill and starving, the influx of Irish refugees strained the young city's social resources. Despite attempts to save them, over 1000 didn't make it past the "fever sheds" constructed at what is now Bathurst and Front Streets. While the risk of disease spreading into Toronto's population was high, the empathy of the Canadian people allowed most of the displaced people to start over. Orphaned children were adopted, and people travelled outside of Toronto in search of family members. By the end of 1847, less than 1000 Irish had settled in Toronto.
The Location of Ireland Park
In the summer of 2007, Mary McAlesse, President of Ireland was on hand for the opening ceremonies of Ireland Park, a memorial to those who emigrated to Canada from Ireland and to those that died upon arrival. It links Toronto with Dublin, where a similar memorial park stands near the city's harbourfront.
Ireland Park is located at the southeast edge of Bathurst Quay, on a hidden corner of Toronto's harbourfront. Lake Ontario borders on the south and east while the historical Canada Malting Company's grain elevators tower over the park on the north side.
Its placement is just west of where the immigrants would have disembarked at Reese's Wharf and just south of where the fever sheds stood.
The Design of Ireland Park
The park was designed to evoke the look and feel of what was left behind in Ireland. A wall of towering rough-cut Kilkenny limestone slabs shields Ireland Park on the west side, while the existing grain silos are intended to be part of the park's design. An illuminated cylindrical tower, made of opaque glass bricks, stands next to the limestone wall and rough stone stretches out towards the east. Six young oak trees stand in the centre of the park and next to them stand five sculptures called "The Arrival".
These five bronze sculptures are the work of Irish artist Rowan Gillespie, who created seven similar sculptures for the 150th anniversary of the The Great Hunger. These sculptures, entitled "The Departure" stand on Dublin's harbourfront and depict the people who left Ireland.
Haunting, evocative and stunning, two of "The Arrival" sculptures represent the dueling emotions of the arriving immigrants - "The Apprehensive Man" and "The Jubilant Man", while the park's most macabre element is entitled "Woman on Ground" and represents the devastation of hunger. Another sculpture titled "The Orphan Boy" represents the lives that were saved and the final sculpture called "The Pregnant Woman" represents the generations of immigrants who settled in Canada. Visitors to Ireland Park have been so touched by these sculptures that it has become customary to leave coins in the hands and pockets of the sculptures.
The Names of Ireland Park
It was the intention of the Ireland Park Foundation to create a memorial to the immigrants who did not survive after arriving in Canada. When the project was started, only 30 names were known. Now 675 of the 1100 people who perished in the fever sheds are enscribed on the walls of the limestone towers. It is in the intention to gather the remaining names and add them to the park.
It is an unconventional tourist attraction, but anyone who visits will be struck by the poignancy of Ireland Park.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
