This spring, Kelley O’Rourke and Gregg Thommasin, CIMPN board members, had the privilege of visiting Strokestown, County Roscommon—the birthplace of the National Irish Famine Way—and meeting both its founder, Caroilin Callery, and her father, Jim Callery, whose vision and dedication helped transform one of Ireland’s most significant stories into an international journey of remembrance. Kelley and Gregg also drove much of the 165-kilometre National Famine Way, from Strokestown to Dublin, the route 1,490 tenants were forced to walk in 1847 to board famine ships bound for England, Canada, and beyond.   

The National Famine Way has grown into the Global Irish Famine Way, linking communities around the world connected by the Great Hunger through the symbolic Bronze Shoes installations. Canada continues to embrace the Global Irish Famine Way, with Bronze Shoes sites representing places where Irish emigrants arrived, settled, and built new lives.