Yearning for a Park, Honoring Ireland's Legacy
Wanderin' through Greater Montreal, our journalist chats about the heart of the neighborhood, focusing on people, events, or places that make it tick.
Emilie Cote graces us with her presence as our guide. A simple walk on the site near the entrance of the Victoria Bridge sparks a mix of respect and contemplation. Beneath our feet lies the largest mass grave in Canada, where the bodies of 6,000 Irish victims of typhus in 1847 were piled.
The only remaining remnant of this tragedy is the iconic Black Rock, but the rock sits on a hard-to-reach mound, making it difficult for the 23,000 daily passersby to catch a glimpse.
The "Black Rock" will take center stage in the Irish Monument Park in Montreal. The Lemay architecture firm is designing its development, part of the larger Bridge-Bonaventure neighborhood project.
Scott Phelan of the park foundation shares, "The Black Rock is the oldest monument in the world dedicated to the Irish Great Famine."
REM Work and Archaeological Discoveries
Esmé Cavanaugh, also a park foundation member, recounts that it was the work on the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) that allowed for the "first archaeological excavations" on the mass grave site in 2019. Fragments of bones from 14 people were discovered in an area where a pillar of the light rail network was to be erected. A ceremony was held, and the Montreal Irish Monument Park Foundation plans to identify - through DNA tests - descendants of these people to invite them to the park's inauguration, tentatively scheduled for 2029.
Last year, Hydro-Québec's donation of a 3.4-acre plot finally enabled the creation of the commemorative green space, as well as an island of greenery that belonged to the Anglican Diocese of Montreal. One of the final stages will be the relocation of Bridge Street, with work to begin in 2026.
Designing the Park
The park will include an agora with wide steps. The rock will be in the middle of a pond to display the meaning of the Celtic cross, symbolizing the union between heaven and earth.
Marie-Ève Parent, architect at Lemay, shares more details about the park, "A steel wall shaped like a ship will be perforated with 6,000 Celtic crosses, leading to a belvedere that faces the Atlantic and Ireland. Stones will mark the location of the old 'fever sheds,' and a museum pavilion will accommodate tourists and school groups."
Partnership with historian Simon Jolivet ensured historical accuracy and integration into the international Great Famine Way circuit, featuring iconic bronze shoes.
A Dark, yet Powerful History
Between May and November 1847, 75,000 Irish people arrived in Montreal's port, when the population was only 50,000! "They were sick, thin, and poor. They didn't speak French or English, and they were welcomed... Imagine the pressure on the city," says Scott Phelan. "We should celebrate the reaction of Montrealers of the time."
The construction of St. Patrick's Basilica was completed in March 1847, just before the typhus outbreak. All the priests, as well as many nuns and the mayor of Montreal at the time, John Easton Mills, who had become an impromptu nurse, died trying to help the sick.
It's unfathomable, estimates Esmé Cavanaugh, "Coffin ships succeeded one another at the port." The deceased were too numerous to be buried individually. "It was the greatest humanitarian effort in the history of Quebec and Canada," notes Fergus Keyes. A thousand orphans were adopted.
Today, 40% of Quebecers have Irish roots.
A Heartfelt Project
Esmé Cavanaugh, a Montreal native with a degree in Irish studies, has a personal connection to the Irish Monument Park project. "We need to tell the story of the 6,000 people who died here anonymously. The Black Rock is their only headstone."
For Scott Phelan, a proud sixth-generation Quebecois Irish, the Black Rock stands as significant as the Mount Royal Cross. "The rock says a lot about the character of Quebecers, who open their arms and hearts to refugees. It's part of our nature to help people in need."
- The Irish Monument Park in Montreal, a heartfelt project, will include a steel wall shaped like a ship, perforated with 6,000 Celtic crosses, reminiscent of the victims lost during the Great Famine.
- Marie-Ève Parent, an architect at Lemay, shares that the park will also feature a museum pavilion to accommodate tourists and school groups, ensuring historical accuracy and integration into the international Great Famine Way circuit.
- In the park, the iconic Black Rock will be the oldest monument in the world dedicated to the Irish Great Famine, located in the middle of a pond to symbolize the union between heaven and earth.
- Although it signifies a dark period in Montreal's history, the Irish Monument Park project aims to celebrate the resilience and kindness of Quebecers who helped the sick and adopted orphans during the Great Famine, reflecting a distinctive aspect of their lifestyle.
