Fergus Keyes and Kelley O’Rourke present the history of the Irish in Saint-Colomban. Photo credit: Louis Parent.
The CIMPN Irish Heritage Day in Saint-Colomban on Saturday, September 26th, celebrating history, community, and culture was held in Saint-Colomban City Hall. This event brought together local history enthusiasts, community leaders, and artists for an afternoon filled with films, archival presentations, and hands-on heritage preservation activities.
The event was made possible through the generosity of the Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network (QAHN). They supported us with funding from their SHARE grant program for our project, Footsteps of Exile: Interpreting the Bronze Shoes and Irish Famine Memory in Quebec.
CIMPN President Kelley O’Rourke and Vice-President Fergus Keyes shared a brief history of the Irish in Saint-Colomban. They highlighted the success of recent initiatives, including The Irish Mile™ and its connection to The Global Irish Famine Way heritage trail.
A highlight of the afternoon was the premiere of a new documentary created by Samara O’Gorman, which focused on Irish identity and memory in Saint-Colomban. The documentary will be available to watch soon on our social media channels.
Henri Prévost (HAL), Kelley O’Rourke (CIMPN), and Fergus Keyes (CIMPN) with the Prix d’Histoire et Archives Laurentides Award. Photo credit: Kevin Rafferty.
Attendees also had the opportunity to explore a curated exhibition of historical artifacts and archival documents presented by Histoire et Archives Laurentides.
The organization’s President, Henri Prévost, was present to award the CIMPN with the prestigious Prix d’Histoire et Archives Laurentides in recognition of their outstanding contributions to preserving local history.
The afternoon concluded with a demonstration led by Laurie McKeown of CIMPN about cemetery mapping at Saint-Colomban Cemetery, where guests learned to document historic gravestones firsthand.
Read a detailed description of the Heritage Day Event.
View the presentation slides.
Henri Prévost (HAL) and attendees examine an exhibit. Photo credit: Louis Parent.
Laurie McKeown leads the mapping demonstration in the Saint-Colomban Cemetery. Photo credit: Kevin Raferty.
