Bronze Shoes – Global Famine Way

In May 2024, the Global Irish Famine Way was officially launched at EPIC, The Irish Emigration Museum, following a commemorative six-day walk from Strokestown to Dublin. This extension will become the largest heritage trail in the world, tracing the journeys of Irish Famine emigrants to locations across the UK, Canada, the US, South Africa, and Australia. Learn more about the Global Irish Famine Way.

The Canadian Irish Migration Preservation Network (CIMPN) is proud to join the effort s of the Global Irish Famine Way, a commemorative project that extends the legacy of the National Famine Way in Ireland to sites across Canada and beyond. This historic initiative uses Bronze Shoes as markers to honor the journey of Irish emigrants during the Great Famine of 1847 and to recognize their resilience and contributions in new lands. Learn the story behind the Bronze Shoes. (YouTube)

By sharing their stories, we honor the legacy of Irish Famine migrants and ensure their sacrifices are bit forgotten as we celebrate the compassion of those who welcomed them .

Samara O’Gorman reads her poem Bronze Shoes (YouTube)

In May 1847 , at the height of the Great Irish Famine, 1,490 emigrants were forced to walk 165 kilometers from the Strokes town Park Estate in County Roscommon to Dublin. Accompanied by Bailiff Robison, these individuals—men, women, and children—embarked on a sorrowful journey along the Royal Canal, leading to Dublin and eventually North America.

Their footsteps are memorialized today by over 30 pairs of Bronze Shoes, installed along the National Famine Way™, a 165-kilometer heritage trail open to walkers as a self-guided route. The Bronze Shoes, symbols of endurance and compassion, will now mark significant sites worldwide.

Learn More about the origin of the Bronze Shoes: National Famine Way Shoe Stories Film
The story of one 12-year-old boy’s journey from Roscommon to Dublin in 1847.

Canadian locations for Bronze Shoes markers:

• St .John’ s Basilica, Newfoundland
• Grosse Île, Quebec
• Quebec City, Quebec
• Saint-Colomban, Quebec
• Black Rock Memorial Park, Montreal, Quebec
• Macdonald Gardens Park, Ottawa, Ontario
• Toronto, Ontario
• Hamilton, Ontario
• Niagara, Ontario
• Saint John Partridge Island, New Brunswick

Learn more about the Famine Way journey and the aftermath in Canada.
(Documentary presented by Professor Mark McGowan (University of Toronto) who follows in the footsteps of emigrants from the Strokestown Park House estate of Major Denis Mahon in County Roscommon)