Historic Canadian emigration scheme marked after 200 years

The Taoiseach joined almost 200 descendants from Canada and the US in Cork last week to mark the anniversary of an historic emigration scheme.

For the first time on Irish soil, descendants of the Peter Robinson settlers made the long journey to Ballyhoura to mark the 1823 and 1825 Peter Robinson Emigration Scheme.

The scheme saw families leave Ireland in search of a better life, departing on 11 ships from the Port of Cove in 1823 and 1825, bound for the Ottawa and Ontario regions of Canada.

A total of 190 descendants travelled from Canada and the United States to the Ballyhoura region for the week long celebration which ran from 15-21 September.

The seven day programme spanned heritage tours, community gatherings, nightly performances of ‘The Robinson Experiment’, and two keystone moments: the Peter Robinson Settlers Emigration Scheme Conference at Saint George’s Arts & Heritage Centre, Mitchelstown; and the final Commemoration Ceremony at Griston Bog & Woodland, Ballylanders.

Speaking at the end of the celebrations, An Taoiseach Micheál Martin said: “This has been a powerful week in Ballyhoura, honouring the 1823 and 1825 emigrants and recognising the communities from which they came.

“We acknowledge the pain of parting, the strength of those who left, and the steadfastness of those who remained. The Ireland–Canada connection is not abstract—it is lived in families, in scholarship, in art, and in welcome.

“The plaques and the tree at Griston Bog will stand as lasting markers of our shared past and a hopeful future. I congratulate everyone involved,” he added.

Also in attendance was his Excellency Dennis King, Ambassador of Canada to Ireland, who said it is a “constant thrill” to see the connections that local groups and individual Irish and Canadians are weaving between the two peoples.

“Canada and Ireland’s shared values, cultural affinities, and historical ties will continue to shape our cooperation, in areas ranging from global geopolitics and trade to education and the arts. With this week’s events, the Ballyhoura region asserts its rightful place in that narrative,” he said.

The week concluded with a deeply symbolic ceremony at Griston Bog & Woodland, Ballylanders, marked by prayer, song, the reading of letters written two centuries ago, and the planting of a native oak was planted to honour those who left and those who were welcomed home. Dedication plaques now mark Griston Bog as a place of memory and reflection.