IRST 205/A (Winter 2024): THE IRISH IN MONTREAL
From the period of New France up until the present day the Irish have been an enduring presence in the history, politics, and culture of Montreal. The fact that the city’s 199th Montreal St. Patrick’s Day parade will occur in 2024 is a testament to the strength of that endurance. But while Irish Montrealers shared neighbourhoods, churches, social clubs, and political societies, their voices were never uniform. This course will examine the legacy of Irish immigration to the Canadian metropolis of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as well as the cultural impact of the Irish that still endures to this day. This course combines history, literature, anthropology, and geography to illuminate the experiences of a particular ethnic group in the social, political, and economic life of the city. The course will also take a critical approach to how the historical record of the Irish has been produced.
- Teacher: RAYMOND JESS