Nine Ships 1825 Meets with Canada Ireland Foundation in Toronto.

            Members of the Board of Directors of Nine Ships 1825 met with the Executive Director of the Canada Ireland Foundation, William Peat on Friday, September 13, 2024, in Toronto, to brief him about the Peter Robinson Irish Emigration Bicentennial plans for 2025 in the Peterborough area. The Peter Robinson Emigration came to “the place at the end of the rapids” which the local First Nations at that time called Nogojiwanong.  This laid the foundation for what would later be called Peterborough.

            Foundation Executive Director Peat conducted a tour for Chair Brendan Moher, Vice Chair Mary Smith and Director Elwood Jones of The Corleck Building, a new venue on the waterfront in Toronto for arts, culture and heritage, opening in 2025 and will include the permanent office location of the Canada Ireland Foundation.

            Nine Ships 1825 board members had the opportunity to describe the importance of the Peter Robinson Irish Emigration 200^th Anniversary and welcomed the involvement of the Foundation to visit the Peterborough area and attend some of the upcoming events in 2025.

            Following the meeting Executive Director Peat provided the Nine Ships 1825 board members with a tour of Ireland Park located next door to The Corleck Building and immediately next to the southeast corner of Bathurst Quay. A memorial park to honour the Irish Famine migrants of 1847, the site is only a short distance west of the site where, in 1847, Famine migrants landed at Reese’s Wharf. The park was designed by Jonathan M. Kearns and built with Irish and Canadian minds, hands and materials. The seven sculptures that stand on the dockside in Dublin are reduced to five on the Toronto waterfront. This speaks to the tragic loss of life on the North Atlantic, as well as upon arrival at the quarantine station at Grosse Île, Quebec, and at ports such as Montreal, Kingston and Toronto.

            Chair Brendan Moher states “We appreciated Executive Director Peat taking the time out of his busy schedule to learn about our Bicentennial Project and commit to learning more about the strong Irish culture in our Peterborough City/County and City of Kawartha Lakes communities.

The statues of the migrants who suffered from famine and arrived on the shores of Toronto are striking and names are inscribed upon the park’s sculptural memorial columns, which are composed of limestone from Kilkenny, Ireland.

            After thanking Mr. Peat, Nine Ships 1825 committed to kindling relations between the Peterborough Canadian Irish Club and this Foundation over the next year and look forward to a visit of their Chair and board of directors.

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Contact: Board Member and Secretary – Maureen Crowley

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