Ireland Park - a Disturbing Memorial

Today I discovered Ireland Park. I had this attraction marked off as “visited” in my book, “111 Places in Toronto that you Must not Miss” so I thought I had been there already, but coming on it by accident today I realized that I had not seen it. I assume I had confused it with Norway park which I indeed had visited. Ireland . . . . Norway . . . who knew.

I went for a walk along Toronto’s waterfront today and my goal was to walk down to Billy Bishop Airport before taking streetcars back to the condo. I have walked this route many times and really I was just expecting to see how the area was welcoming in the fall weather. Just before you get to the airport there is a large neighbourhood centre and schools with Malt Silos for the Canadian Malting Company behind it that I always just walk by along Queen’s Quay, but today I realized that there was a walkway that went along the side of the building allowing you to explore a little bit more of the lakefront with a view over to the Airport. Hidden behind that building I discovered Ireland Park, and it was a slightly disturbing discovery. 

Ireland Park is a Memorial to the Irish Immigrants who escaped the Irish Potato famine by coming to Canada aboard  the “Coffin Ships”. The poor people in Ireland were perishing of starvation so many were willing to take the dangerous voyage in crowded under provisioned ships which ended up also being disease infected and many did not survive the trip - thus the name, the “Coffin Ships”. Even when they arrived on this side of the Atlantic, they were quarantined in “Fever Sheds” where hundreds more died.

As you round the Last of the Malt Silos you come face to face with life-sized, gaunt, realistic bronze statues of haggard, ragged Irish immigrants. They statues are seriously disturbing; the people look barely alive. They are thin with ragged clothes hanging off emancipated bodies. Seeing these statues you can’t help but understand what these people went through. The park is within steps of the entrance of Billy Bishop airport where I have flown in and , so I did not know it was there because it is separated from the airport by a massive Irish Limestone sculpture representing a ship and engraved with names of hundreds of the victims of the voyage. 

Finding this park today I was amazed that I had walked by it so many times without knowing it was there. The next time you fly into Billy Bishop Airport, rather than just jumping into the handy shuttle to go to Union Station and the rest of Toronto, turn right and walk down to Ireland Park; it is worth a visit. You can always catch the next shuttle.