Ulster Immigration to PEI

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.

Interview

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1995-03-03

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

01:21:47

Introduction to lecture topic Historic Ulster, 9 counties involved
Background, immigration to PEI, summary of 3 rounds of immigration; colonial pioneers, southeastern emigrants, then Monaghans.
Discusses Lady Constable, catastrophe, typhus, healthcare, makeshift hospitals. Thomas Debrisay, French family name, history, recruiting settlers, purchasing lots.
List of names of recipients of grants of land in 1771, all of them settling in Lot 31. List of names obtaining leases from Debrisay. Reprimanding of Debrisay for recruiting.
Discussion of another incident bringing settlers from North, 1811-1812. Vessel from Belfast intercepted by British navy, Irish taken off vessel and transported to Halifax. Lord James Townsend.
Scotland, to explain how Irish from Northern Ireland got here
Drifting apart of names
Hiring farers, foreman, agriculture, Irishmen and Scottish men working together in shipyards, mines, fields, railroads.
Assimilation, becoming absorbed into Scottish population. Captain John McDonald
Corsair vessel hired to sail out of Scotland to estate in Fort Augustus, people with him Northern Ireland natives
Writing to Father Patrick, encouraging people to leave, bettering themselves, similar to present day people leaving to get jobs in Boston etc
Tape break
Immigrants to PEI, the groupings of people coming to PEI from Ireland, or from Scotland with Irish people
Numbers of people on ships, where they went, the ship names, the arrival, people staying in Charlottetown
Traveling to graveyard on the island before archives existed, information from graves, just the beginning of the search
Monaghan component seems to be dominant
What Ulstra 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

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