Cemetery

Welcome to our video on the Saint-Colomban Cemetery Restoration Project. The Saint-Colomban parish and cemetery hold significant historical value as they were the homes and final resting places of many of Lower Canada's earliest pre-Famine Irish settlers. During the 1820s, a large number of Irish immigrants arrived at the port of Montréal. From this group of Irish families came the first wave of settlers to the Saint-Colomban region. Join us as we explore the rich history and the efforts to restore and preserve this important heritage site.

Update on the Petition

The petition is now closed for additional signatures. The Canadian Irish Migration Preservation Network is pleased to announce that we attracted a total of 435 signatures—a respectable number for this type of National Assembly petition, especially given the limited time available for signing. There was some confusion about whether individuals living outside of Quebec were eligible to sign.

Session 1: 2022

Leslie Parker and Kelley O’Rourke met at the St-Colomban cemetery this morning to assess the work needed to be done on each headstone. They had the pleasure of meeting Jacques Meunier – responsible for the cemetery maintenance. The wall is a separate item. They selected 4 headstones out of all of them to create a demonstration video.

Saint-Colomban is not the only cemetery in the Mirabel region that was populated by early Irish migrants. There are many other small cemeteries in the area whose stones have broken, and the remnants discarded in the back of the church property. It is our hope that we can set a standard with our restoration of the Saint-Colomban cemetery, and it will encourage others to join forces to preserve these other historic sites.

To preserve the cemetery and raise funds to: