Ulster Immigration to PEI

Interview

1995-03-03

01:21:47

This is a lecture by Brendan O’Grady titled “Ulster Immigration to PEI”, where he discusses historic Ulster, acquiring land, Ireland and Scotland relations, assimilation, Father Augustus and jobs in Boston. The lecture also includes discussion about arrivals of ships, graveyards, Monaghan, Ulster immigration, families, religion, tradition and other topics relating to Ulster immigration.

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Held by UPEI Library-SMI-ARCH 1983-001. Series 1

Introduction to lecture topic Historic Ulster. Ulster included 6 counties from Northern Ireland and 3 from Southern Ireland.
Discusses immigration from Ireland to PEI, came in three rounds of immigration: colonial pioneers (up to 1810) from the North and the South. Second group came from South-East Ireland (Waterford, Wexford, Tipperary) between 1800-1840. Third group, the Monaghan settlers from county Monaghan (from 1830-1848).
Discusses ship, "The Lady Constable", that came from Liverpool to Prince Edward Island, picking up passengers from Belfast and Dublin, in 1847. It took 27 days to cross the Atlantic. There were 444 passengers on "The Lady Constable". On the way over 25 people died of typhoid fever and another 8 died after arriving in Charlottetown. A house in the east end of Charlottetown was set up as a makeshift hospitals and afterwards took over the insane asylum for a hospital. Another 11 people died in the little yellow house and another 11 or 12 (including a nurse) at the asylum. Total 55 died out of the original 444. This was the only "fever ship" to come to the Island. Thomas DesBrisay, first Lieutenant Governor of the Island, was Irish and founder of the Benevolent Irish Society. He purchased Lots 31 & 33 in PEI and he wanted to populate the lands by bringing out settlers. He recruited people in Ireland from South to North.
List of names of recipients of grants of land in 1771. Ten land grants came from Ireland and settled in Lot 31, including names Rogers, Thornton, Watson, Hyde, Walker, Morrow, McGuire, Belshaw. Each settler received 100 acres. Twenty-five more leases went to families such as Kennedy, Craig, Thomson, Rogers, Patterson, McGuire, McCracken, Macdonnell, Carson, Crosby etc, from various Irish counties. They leased between 50-200 acres in Lots 31 & 33. These names appeareded in the Island Magazine one year before presentation. Debrisay was reprimanded for recruiting tactics.
Discussion of another incident (1811-1812) bringing settlers from Northern Ireland to PEI.
Vessel ("The Belisarius") from Belfast was intercepted by the British navy (ship, "The Atalanta") off the south coast of Newfoundland on June 24, 1811. The Irish were taken off vessel and transported to Halifax, and once in Halifax many men were separated from their families and forced to become seaman on the British Navy vessels. [For more information on this incident see, http://www.islandregister.com/1811belisarius.html Speaks about Lord James Townsend.
Discusses connection between Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The Irish and the Scots were Celtic cousins.
Due to mutual commerce between Ireland and Scotland there were strong connections and continual seasonal migration. Irishmen and Scottish men worked together in farms, shipyards, mines, fields, road maintenance, and railroads. Workers lived in terrible conditions.
Glasgow had a strong Irish community and eventually they assimilated, becoming absorbed into Scottish population. Speaks about the son of Captain John McDonald who established a large colony in Prince Edward Island. The son wanted to become a Catholic priest, a capable linguist and scholar who studied in France. His father's finances ran out so he appealed to the Bishop of Scotland and agreed to serve for 5 years in Glasgow (St. Andrew's Church) after his ordination in exchange for finances to help his father.
After Father John served his time in Glasgow he went to Prince Edward Island and brought some of his congregants with him. He hired a vessel (Corsair) hired to sail out of Scotland to estate in Fort Augustus. The Glaswegians who came with him were originally Northern Ireland natives (County Monaghan). Between 1834-48 at least 3200 people left Northern parishes of County Monaghan. Why?
Father John McDonald wrote a letter to Father Patrick Moynagh in Donagh, County Monaghan, Ireland, encouraging people to come to Prince Edward Island for a better life. There was some local pushback to this idea.
Tape break
Immigrants to PEI from 1771 with the Desbrisay family. Next ship from North of Ireland (by way of Scotland): 1830 "the Corsair" 206 passengers with Father John MacDonald. Predominant group came from Northern Ireland. Ships: The "Grace" of Newcastle in 1835 came with 196 passengers. Also in 1835 the ship "Margot"(?) from Belfast came with 80 more passengers. In 1837 the ship "Lady Ann" came from County Monaghan to Wallace Nova Scotia and then PEI.
Passengers from the "Lady Anne" hired a smaller vessels in Wallace and then came to PEI. In 1839 the "Consbrook" came from Belfast to PEI with 308 people to Fort Augustus and just after, the "Agitator" came with 314 (622 Irish people in one year). In 1840 the "Rose Bank" came from Belfast with 208 passengers chiefly from County Monaghan. In 1841 the "Margaret Pollock" and the "Thomas Gelston" brought 685 people, 28 died of measles. The "Thomas Gelston" came the following year with 280 people. The "Morgiana" brought 145 and later 66 people from County Monaghan. The "Chieftain" came with 208 people from Belfast in 1843. The "Rose Bank" came again and the "Independence", which dropped off people in PEI before continuing on to Quebec. Other ships: the "Margareta", the "Fanny", the "Lady Constable". Logistical problems- large amounts of people showing up, many stayed in Charlottetown.
Speaks about researching the Irish immigration, starting by traveling to graveyards on the Island and garnering information from graves. Fewer than 10% of stones recorded where they were born... few instances from County Antrim, County Cavan, County Donegal, County Down.
Of the tombstones that recorded birthplace, County Monaghan was the most dominant. All 32 counties in Ireland are represented in Prince Edward Island.
What Ulster immigration is about, diversity distinct from NS, NB, NFLD, settling over 75 years, happening by happenstance.
Families, change, aggression, mixing of cultural backgrounds and religions.
Orangeism, Catholic power, conflicts continuing, making up of groups, origins, lodges.
Settling in rural areas, reasons, family traditions, holding similarities to communities in Ireland.
Mixing between families, intermarrying, assimilated.
End of lecture, applause
Questions, list of families, other ships, Tipperary.
Final comments