When Irish immigrants stepped off the end of the gangway in the mid 1820’s and onto Bytown’s Upper Canada soil, they were undoubtedly relieved that their harrowing journey was over. Left behind was the menace of tyranny. Before them lay the possibility of land ownership and hopes for a prosperous future. Continue reading “Malaria Devastated Bytown’s Irish”
Men wielding oak clubs? Ladies of ill repute? Drunken disorder? Social chaos masterminded by one kingpin? It’s the stuff that Hollywood movies are made of — but it happened in Canada. As a matter of fact, this Wild West was playing out in Bytown when my Irish ancestors arrived in 1831. When they left the area eight years later, could they have been trying to escape the lawlessness of these events known as the Shiner’s War? Continue reading “The Shiner’s War”
Gwen Tuinman 