Irish Canadians are people of Irish descent living in Canada. Irish Canadians live across the country, and most have mixed ancestry; in fact, a very sizeable portion of Canada's population (12.9%) identify themselves as of Irish descent.
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The Irish have a long and rich history in Canada dating back centuries. However, the majority of Irish people arrived in Canada shortly before, during, and shortly after the Irish potato famine in the mid 19th century. During this time, Canada was the destination of the poorest and the most destitute Irish people. This was because the fare to Canada was much lower than those to the United States of America, Australia, and New Zealand.
Many Irish immigrants destined for Upper Canada (now Ontario) arrived in Grosse-Īle an island in present day Quebec (then called Lower Canada). Thousands of dying Irishmen and women were treated in the hospital (equipped for less than one hundred patients) in the summer of 1847; in fact, many boats that reached Grosse-Īle had lost the bulk of their passengers and crew, and many more died in Quarantine on and near the island.
Unlike the in the US and UK, the Irish in Canada mainly settled in rural areas and not the cities, but there were many exceptions (especially in Quebec and Newfoundland, see below for more information). The Irish in Canada still faced a large amount of racism and persecution largely because of the Fenian Brotherhood's attacks on Canada (then known as British North America. The Irish-Canadian community largely condemned these attacks, and in 1868, a prominent anti-Fenian Irish-Canadian, Thomas D'Arcy McGee, was assassinated in Ottawa uniting all Canadians against the Fenian Army.
After Confederation, Irish Catholics faced more oppression because of their faith rather than their race. This was especially true in the mainly Protestant cities of Ontario, which were under the sway of the anti-Catholic Orange Order.
In 1877, a breakthrough in Irish Canadian Protestant-Catholic relations occurred in London, Ontario. This was the founding of the Irish Benevolent Society, a brotherhood of Irishmen and women of both Catholic and Protestant faiths. The society promoted Irish Canadian culture, but it was forbidden for members to speak of Irish politics when meeting. This companionship of Irish people of all faiths quickly tore down the walls of sectarianism in Ontario. Today, the Society is still operating.
Main article: Irish Quebecers
After the disaster at Grosse-Īle (see above), many Irish children were left as orphans in a new country. These children were adopted mainly by French speakers in Lower Canada. These children fought for their right to keep their Irish surnames, and were largely successful. Today, many households in Quebec hold an Irish name.
For years, Prince Edward Island has been divided between Irish Catholics and British Protestants. In the latter half of the 20th Cantury, this sectarianism diminished and was ultimately destroyed recently when the Catholic and Protestant school boards were merged into one secular institution.
Unlike in Ontario, in Newfoundland Irish Catholics settled in the cities (mainly St. John's, while British Protestants settled in small fishing communities. Over time, the Irish Catholics became wealthier than their Protestant neighbours, which gave incentive for Protestant Newfoundlanders to join the Orange Order. After the Dominion of Newfoundland collapsed in 1934, the area reverted to colonial status. In 1948, a referendum was held in Newfoundland as to where the colony was headed; the Irish Catholics mainly supported independence for Newfoundland, while the Protestants mainly supported joining the Canadian Confederation. Newfoundland then joined Canada, and both communities prospered.
As in Prince Edward Island, the sectarian school system has recently been abolished for a secular one, and Newfoundlanders today are united against such hardships as the closure of the East Coast Fishery.