Summer symposium explores Grosse Île at Concordia

 

The Centre for Canadian Irish Studies at Concordia is offering a symposium this summer titled Ireland on the St. Lawrence: Grosse Île and Irish Settlement in Quebec.

The symposium will consist of four academic courses, several public lectures, films and musical events, all of which will explore aspects of this subject.

The four courses are: The Long Term Impact of the Irish Famine; Exile, Emigration and Irish Writing; The Irish in Nineteenth-Century Montreal; and Irish and Quebecois Music: Influences and Developments.

The latter promises to be a highlight of the symposium since, it will be taught by traditional Irish musician Desi Wilkinson, whose concerts and recordings have received rapturous response around the world.

The Irish in Nineteenth-Century Montreal will begin in the second summer session, while the other three courses begin on May 3.

Grosse Île is an island in the St. Lawrence River that has been developed as a Canadian heritage site because of its significance in the story of Irish immigration to North America.

As a result of the potato famine that devastated Ireland in the mid-19th century, thousands of Irish emigrated, but many fell gravely ill. As many as 5,000 died in quarantine on Grosse Île; another 5,000 or more died in Montreal.

Another highlight of the symposium will be trip to Grosse Île on Friday, June 4, for students and the general public. Participants will leave downtown Montreal by bus, take a ferry to Grosse Île from Berthier-sur-mer, outside Quebec City, and have a guided tour of the island. The cost will be approximately $60. To book, call ext. 8711.

The summer symposium is sponsored by Concordia University, the Canadian Irish Studies Foundation, the Montreal International Celtic Festival, the Historica Foundation, CN and Parks Canada. For information, please consult artsandscience.concordia.ca/irish.