Famine Migration to Quebec: 1845 - 1865

Why did so many Irish migrate to Canada in the nineteenth century? For the most part, history tells us that they abandoned their homeland because of famine, political strife, epidemics, religious suppression, and evictions. Kinealy writes that between 1841 and 1852, Ireland’s population dropped by 1,649,330 people, with 1,289,133 of them migrating. Akenson states that between 1841 and 1851, 822,675 Irish emigrated to the United States, and 329,321 migrated to Canada. Irish Catholics had a considerable impact on the city of Quebec. Following the migration journey of the Doran family, from Summerslane, Kilkenny, this presentation is a discussion of what life might have been like in Quebec in the 1850s for Irish Catholic migrants. The Migration to Quebec is investigated with a study of the types of jobs they had, where they lived, and diseases within the community. Orphaned Irish children and the first ethnic church built for the Irish Catholics are also considered. Three of the Doran siblings lived out their lives in Quebec, while two continued their migration to Bangor, Maine.