The City of St. Catharines has unveiled a powerful new monument, Bronze Shoes and an interpretive panel at the St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre, honouring the thousands of Irish Famine survivors who arrived between 1837 and 1850 to work on the Second Welland Canal.
Funded by the Niagara Irish Festival and supported by local heritage and cultural committees, the monument is part of the Irish Global Famine Way, which links key global sites of Irish emigration.
At its peak, over 5,000 Irish labourers arrived in the region, helping shape the foundation of the St. Catharines community.
(Written by: Brandon Warby)