Irish
immigrants played an essential role in the early history
of the city and the building of its famous Rideau
Canal. Walk into any of Ottawa’s many pubs
on March 17th and you’re sure to find a party.
From the pubs of the Irish Village in the ByWard
Market to Pub
Italia in the heart of Little
Italy, St. Patrick’s Day is always a celebration.
If
you decide to visit a pub on St. Paddy’s Day,
remember to wear your green and get there early! Many
of the most popular spots are packed by 4pm. It’s
often standing room only, but with all the great traditional
Celtic music, high-quality beer (no green food colouring
here!) and friendly faces, no one ever seems to mind.
Alcohol-Free
Activities
There’s
a lot to see and do on St. Patrick’s Day in
Ottawa, even if crowded pubs aren’t your cup
of tea. Explore the history of the city’s Irish
immigrants with a visit to the Bytown
Museum located between the Parliament Buildings
and the Chateau Laurier at the entrance to the Rideau
Canal. And don’t miss the St. Patrick’s
Day parade hosted by the Irish
Society of the National Capital Region, or the
music and dancing at the céilí—a
traditional Irish party—afterwards.
If
you really want to do things differently, why not
participate in the Ottawa
Irish Rugby Club’s annual St. Patrick’s
Day fun run? Or check out the latest production put
on by the Tara
Players, Ottawa’s Irish theatre company.
Walking
Tour of Irish History (approx. 2. 5 km)
Daniel
O’Connor
Our
tour begins at the corner of Sparks
Street and O’Connor in downtown Ottawa.
O’Connor Street is named after Irish-born Daniel
O’Connor, who arrived in Ottawa in 1827 and
quickly became a leader in the community. He held
many local public offices and was one of the first
Irish Catholics to prosper here.
Assassination
of D’Arcy McGee
Walk
east along the Sparks
Street mall just a little ways, and you will come
across a Canadian heritage plaque near the spot where
Father of Confederation Thomas D’Arcy McGee
was shot on April 7th, 1868. Within 24 hours, fellow
Irishman, James Patrick Whelan, was arrested for the
crime, and later hanged at the Ottawa Jail—which
is now a youth hostel—near the Rideau Centre.
Walk
further up Sparks to Elgin, and you will come across
a pub named in McGee’s honour. Just steps from
Parliament
Hill, D’Arcy McGee’s Irish Pub is
a fitting tribute to one of Canada’s most eloquent
politicians and writers.
Building
the Rideau Canal
Cross
Elgin Street and walk towards the National
War Memorial. Just past this tribute to Canadian
war veterans, you’ll find a staircase leading
down to the banks of the Rideau
Canal. Between 1826 and 1832, the building of
the Canal brought many Irish immigrant labourers to
Ottawa. By 1836 they made up more than one third of
the city’s population!
Bytown
Museum
Follow
the path down the west side of the canal to the Bytown
Museum. Housed in Ottawa’s oldest stone
building, the Bytown Museum is a treasure trove of
information on the creation of the Canal, the early
days of Ottawa, and the city’s emergence as
Canada’s capital.
Corktown
After taking in the museum, follow the path back and
cross over to the east bank of the Canal. Once known
as Corktown—after the County Cork in Ireland—this
is where many Irish canal builders lived with their
families in sod and log shanties. Once considered
a dangerous place to walk after dark, this lively
community is now home to the Rideau Centre shopping
mall and the National
Arts Centre.
Memorial
to Irish Canal Builders
Head
down the path towards the entrance locks of the Canal.
In June 2004, a Celtic Cross memorial was erected
here to commemorate the estimated 1,000 Irish workers
and their families who died from accidents and illness
during the building of the famous waterway.
Lowertown
Now
it’s time to return to the upper streets. You
should emerge in front of the Chateau
Laurier. Walk past this famous hotel to Sussex
Drive, and the area known as Lowertown, This is where
many Irish workers moved once the Canal was finished.
Walk up Sussex to Clarence Street and turn into the
busy ByWard
Market. Once again you’ll see the city’s
Irish heritage in the names of streets and pubs along
the way.
Mother
McGinty’s
Turn
left when you reach Parent, and then turn right at
Murray St. On the way you will see the back entrance
of the Irish Village—a series of pubs spreading
across the city block. Mother McGinty’s pub
was named for a famous drinking hole once located
in Corktown. While the original pub is now long gone,
the memory of its tough and charming owner still lives
in the heart of Ottawa.
St.
Brigid’s
Continue up Murray Street to St. Brigid’s Roman
Catholic Church
and the end of our tour. This church was built in
1890 when the larger Notre Dame Cathedral on Sussex
was becoming crowded. St. Brigid’s gave English-speaking
Catholics in Lowertown their own place of worship.
It was—and still is—an integral part of
community life for many Irish-Canadians living in
Ottawa.
