Raoul Wallenberg

There is a little-known memorial to Raoul Wallenberg behind Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Montreal, between the cathedral and the skyscraper to the north (KPMG Tower).He worked to save the lives of Hungarian Jews in the later stages of World War II by issuing them protective passports from the Swedish embassy.

Let's review a clip of the movie “Schindler’s List”


The ring’s inscription, he’s told, is in Hebrew:
“Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire.”

Future Tour Guides

Say "Cheese"!


The red shoulder black bird.

The inside phrases of the gates of Chinatown

Most people ignore those inside words of the two main gates of Chinatown. The reason is simple, even they do, they won't understand.

These two phrases or idioms are not used very often. That is why even most chinese won't be able to tell you the real meaning.

I write in Chinese and English. For most of you, the chinese words will not appear. sorry about that.


钟灵毓秀 :zhōng líng yù xiù

钟：凝聚，集中；毓：养育。凝聚了天地间的灵气，孕育着优秀的人物。指山川秀美，人才辈出。
钟灵毓秀来自于:唐·柳宗元《马退山茅亭记》：“盖天钟秀于是，不限于遐裔也。”

钟灵毓秀出处来自于:不想我生不幸，亦且琼闺绣阁中亦染此风，真真有负天地～之德了。（清·曹雪芹《红楼梦》第三十六回）

This one is on Viger street. If you really want to try, the pronunciation is zhōng líng yù xiù
Meaning: The scenic splendor of this place gathers excellent people.



踵事增华 :zhǒng shì zēng huá

释义 踵：追随，继续。继续前人的事业，并使更加完善美好。

出处 南朝梁·萧统《文选序》：“盖踵其事而增华，变其本而加厉。物既有之，文亦宜然。”

示例 以至头门墙上及各墙壁，另行雕刻花草人物，正是～，穷奢极侈。（清·黄小配《廿载繁华梦》第二十七回）

This one is on René-Lévesque street. If you really want to try, the pronunciation is zhǒng shì zēng huá
Meaning: One after another, we do our best to add magnificence to this place.

Best of Montreal - from Montreal Mirror

Best Pub Grub 1. McKibbin’s Irish Pub (1426 Bishop, (514) 288-1580) 2. Cage aux Sports (various locations) 3. Peel Pub (various locations) 4. Claddagh Pub (1433 Crescent, (514) 287-9354) 5. Ye Olde Orchard (various locations) Best Cheap Eats 1. Al-Taib (various locations) 2. Parfums d’Asie (3754 St-Laurent) 3. Patati Patata (4177 St-Laurent, (514) 844-0216) 4. La Belle Province (various locations) 5. McDonald’s (various locations) At Parfums d’Asie, it’s not just $2 noodles, but two egg rolls for $1 as well. Best Pricey Eats 1. La Queue de Cheval Steakhouse (1221 René-Lévesque W., (514) 390-0090) 2. Gibby’s (298 Place d’Youville, (514) 282-1837) 3. Bâton Rouge (various locations) 4. Moishes Steak House (3961 St-Laurent, (514) 845-1696) 5. Chu Chai (4088 St-Denis, (514) 843-4194) Best Late-Night Eats 1. La Banquise (994 Rachel E., (514) 525-2415) 2. Moe’s (1455 Lambert-Closse (514-933-9274) 3. Boustan (2020A Crescent, (514) 843-3576) 4. La Belle Province (various locations) 5. Al-Taib (various locations) Best Breakfast 1. Chez Cora (various locations) 2. Cosmos (5843 Sherbrooke W., (514) 486-3814) 3. Tutti Frutti Déjeuner (various locations) 4. Eggspectations (various locations) 5. Beauty’s (93 Mont-Royal W., (514) 849-8883) Best Buffet 1. Le Buffet Maison Kirin (various locations) 2. Le Montréalais (900 René-Lévesque W., (514) 861-3511) 3. Buffet Maharaja (1481 René-Lévesque W., (514) 934-0655) 4. Buffet Vichy (various locations) 5. Buffet La Stanza (various locations) Best Delivery 1. Domino’s (various locations) 2. À la Carte Express ((514) 933-7000, www.alce.ca) 3. Alto (3462 Parc, (514) 844-9898) 4. Boustan (2020A Crescent, (514) 843-3576) 5. St-Hubert (various locations; delivery (514) 385-5555) Best African 1. Le Nil Bleu (3706 St-Denis, (514) 285-4628) 2. Abiata (3435 St-Denis, (514) 281-0111) 3. Au Messob d’Or (5690 Monkland, (514) 488-8620) 4. Le Piton de la Fournaise (835 Duluth E., (514) 526-3936) 5. Keur Fatou (66 St-Viateur W., (514) 277-2221) Best Caribbean 1. Mango Bay (1202 Bishop, (514) 875-7082) 2. Ma’s Place (5889 Sherbrooke W., (514) 487-7488) 3. Caribbean Curry House (6892 Victoria, (514) 733-0828) 4. Caraïbe Delite (4816 Parc, (514) 274-4509) 5. Jardin du Cari (21 St-Viateur W., (514) 495-0565) BEST CARIBBEAN #3: Caribbean Curry House Best Chinese 1. Beijing (92 de la Gauchetière W., (514) 861-2003) 2. La Maison VIP (1077 Clark, (514) 861-1943) 3. Kam Shing (6767 Côte-des-Neiges, (514) 731-1401) 4. Hot and Spicy (various locations) 5. Wok Café (1845 Ste-Catherine W., (514) 938-1882) Best French 1. L’Express (3927 St-Denis, (514) 845-5333) 2. Le Paris (1812 Ste-Catherine W., (514) 937-4898) 3. L’Académie (4051 St-Denis, (514) 849-2249) 4. La Colombe (554 Duluth E., (514) 849-8844) 5. Bistro du Roi (3784 de Mentana, (514) 525-1624) Best Greek 1. Arahova (various locations) 2. Marathon Souvlaki (various locations) 3. Souvlaki George (various locations) 4. Jardin de Panos (521 Duluth E., (514) 521-4206) 5. Casa Grecque (various locations) Best Indian 1. Pushap (various locations) 2. Ganges (6079 Sherbrooke W., (514) 488-8850) 3. Bombay Palace (2201 Ste-Catherine W., (514) 932-7141) 4. Star of India (various locations) 5. Bombay Mahal (1001 Jean-Talon W., (514) 273-3331) Best Italian 1. Pizzeria Napoletana (189 Dante, (514) 276-8226) 2. Eduardo’s (404 Duluth E., (514) 843-3330) 3. Scarolies (950 St-Jean, Pointe-Claire, (514) 694-8611) 4. Casa Napoli (6728 St-Laurent, (514) 274-4351) 5. Amelio’s (201 Milton, (514) 845-8396) Best Japanese 1. Kaizen Sushi Bar (various locations) 2. Mikado (various locations) 3. Kanda (2045 Bishop, (514) 845-8868) 4. Sho-Dan (various locations) 5. Miso (4000 Ste-Catherine W., (514) 908-6476) Best Korean 1. Seoul (5030 Sherbrooke W., (514) 489-3686) 2. Man-na (1421 Bishop, (514) 288-1703) 3. Quatre Saisons (4200 St-Jacques, (514) 932-3309) 4. Chez Bong (1021 St-Laurent, (514) 396-7779) 5. Bulgogi (2127 Ste-Catherine W., (514) 935-9820) Best Latino 1. La Chilenita (various locations) 2. Casa Tapas (266 Rachel E., (514) 848-1063) 3. La Carretta (350 St-Zotique E., (514) 273-8884) 4. Senzala (various locations) 5. La Selva (862 Marie-Anne E., (514) 525-1798) Best Mexican 1. 3 Amigos (1657 Ste-Catherine W., (514) 939-3329) 2. Carlos & Pepes (1420 Peel, (514) 288-3090) 3. Casa de Matéo (438 St-François-Xavier, (514) 844-7448) 4. Taqueria Mex (various locations) 5. La Nacion (1850 Ste-Catherine W., (514) 931-2956) BEST MIDDLE-EASTERN, BEST FALAFEL, BEST LATE-NIGHT EATS #3: Boustan Best Middle-Eastern 1. Boustan (2020A Crescent, (514) 843-3576) 2. Amir (various locations) 3. Al-Taib (various locations) 4. Basha (various locations 5. La Sirène de la Mer (various locations) Best Portuguese 1. Jano (3883 St-Laurent, (514) 849-0646) 2. Chez Doval (150 Marie-Anne E., (514) 843-3390) 3. Romados (115 Rachel E., (514) 849-1803) 4. Coco Rico (3907 St-Laurent, (514) 849-5554) 5. Roi du Plateau (51 Rachel W., (514) 844-8393) Best Thai 1. Cuisine Bangkok (Faubourg, 1616 Ste-Catherine W., (514) 935-2178) 2. Thai Express (various locations) 3. Chu Chai (4088 St-Denis, (514) 843-4194) 4. Chao Phraya (50 Laurier W., (514) 272-5339) 5. Thai Grill (5101 St-Laurent, (514) 270-5566) Cuisine Bangkok has recently opened another location (1824 Ste-Catherine, (514) 509-7674), just down the street from the Faubourg. It is more of a sit-down kind of place, but still has both the delicious food and lunch-hour rush of the food-court locale. Best Bagel 1. St–Viateur (263 St-Viateur W., (514) 276-8044) 2. Fairmount (74 Fairmount W., (514) 272-0667) 3. R.E.A.L. Bagel (various locations) 4. DAD’s Bagels (5732 Sherbrooke W., (514) 487-2454) 5. Faubourg’s The Bagel Place (1616 Ste-Catherine W., (514) 931-2827) St-Viateur bagels just celebrated 50 years in the bagel business on Sunday May 20, and those have clearly been 50 years of doing something right ’cause you’ve voted them number 1 again! Best Barbecued Chicken 1. Coco Rico (3907 St-Laurent, (514) 849-5554) 2. St-Hubert (various locations) 3. Chalet BBQ (various locations) 4. Romados (115 Rachel E., (514) 849-1803) 5. Côte-St–Luc BBQ (various locations) Best Burger BEST BURGER: La Paryse 1. La Paryse (302 Ontario E., (514) 842-2040) 2. Harvey’s (various locations) 3. Patati Patata (4177 St-Laurent, (514) 844-0216) 4. Mister Steer (1198 Ste-Catherine W., (514) 866-3233) 5. Meat Market (4415 St-Laurent, (514) 223-2292) Best Falafel 1. Boustan (2020A Crescent, (514) 843-3576) 2. Amir (various locations) 3. Nilufar (1923 Ste-Catherine W., (514) 846-1947) 4. Sara (1 Mont-Royal W., (514) 844-7575) 5. Basha (various locations)

Best Fries 1. Frites Alors (various locations) 2. McDonald’s (various locations) 3. La Belle Province (various locations) 4. Patati Patata (4177 St-Laurent, (514) 844-0216) 5. Lafleur (various locations) Best Hot Dog 1. La Belle Province (various locations) 2. Decarie Hot Dog (953 Decarie, (514) 748-7213) 3. Lafleur (various locations) 4. Montreal Pool Room (1200 St-Laurent, (514) 396-0460) 5. Costco (various locations) Best Noodles 1. Just Noodles (various locations) 2. Soupe et Nouilles (1871 Ste-Catherine W., (514) 933-0531) 3. Zyng (various locations) 4. U & Me (1900 Ste-Catherine W., (514) 931-0081) 5. Wok Café (1845 Ste-Catherine W., (514) 938-1882) Best Pizza 1. Domino’s (various locations) 2. Angela’s (1662 de Maisonneuve W., (514) 933-2000) 3. Al-Taib (various locations) 4. Amelio’s (201 Milton, (514) 845-8396) 5. Pizza Hut (various locations) Slightly tucked away, or at least situated below street level, Amelio’s is the only pizzeria on this list that is also a bring-your-own-wine (you have to venture into the heart of the McGill ghetto to find it though). Best Poutine 1. La Belle Province (various locations) 2. La Banquise (994 Rachel E., (514) 525-2415) 3. Lafleur (various locations) 4. Mondo Fritz (3899 St-Laurent, (514) 281-6521) 5. Patati Patata (4177 St-Laurent, (514) 844-0216) Best Ribs 1. Bâton Rouge (various locations) 2. Bar-B-Barn (1201 Guy, (514) 931-3811; 3300 des Sources, Pointe-Claire, (514) 683-0225) 3. Bofinger (5667 Sherbrooke W., (514) 315-5056) 4. Meat Market (4415 St-Laurent, (514) 223-2292) 5. Scores (various locations) Move over old-timers: Meat Market was just an infant at the time of the last BOM issue, but the resto—no, not a pick-up spot—has matured and is putting the pressure on in the tapas, burger and ribs categories. Best Sandwich 1. Santropol (3990 St-Urbain, (514) 842-3110) 2. Dagwoods (various locations) 3. Aux Vivres (4631 St-Laurent, (514) 842-3479) 4. Kilo Restaurant (various locations) 5. Subway (various locations) Best Seafood 1. Milos (5357 Parc, (514) 272-3522) 2. La Sirène de la Mer (1805 Sauvé W., (514) 332-2255; 114 Dresden, TMR, (514) 345-0345) 3. Homard-Plus (10500 Gouin W.,Roxboro, (514) 685-5400) 4. La Mer (1065 Papineau, (514) 522-2889) 5. Casa Grecque (various locations) Best Smoked Meat 1. Schwartz’s (3895 St-Laurent, (514) 842-4813) 2. The Main (3864 St-Laurent, (514) 843-8126) 3. Reuben’s (1116 Ste-Catherine W., (514) 866-1029) 4. Dunns (1249 Metcalfe, (514) 395-1927, (514) 395 1269) 5. Smoked Meat Pete’s (283 1st Ave, Ile Perrot (514) 425-6068) Best Soup 1. SoupeSoup (80 Duluth E., (514) 380-0880, 174 St-Viateur W., (514) 271-2004) 2. Pho Bac (various locations) 3. Pho Lien (5703 Côte-des-Neiges, (514) 735-6949) 4. Le Grille Pain (950 Roy E., (514) 527-8500) 5. Santropol (3990 St-Urbain, (514) 842-3110) Pho real! The Vietnamese pho, or soupe tonkinoise, is well represented with two restaurants specializing in the large, fresh, perfect-for-a-winter-lunch soups gracing the top five. Best Souvlaki 1. Arahova (various locations) 2. Souvlaki George (various locations) 3. Marathon Souvlaki (various locations) 4. Villa du Souvlaki (5347 Sherbrooke W., (514) 489-2039) 5. Village Grecque (various locations) Best Steak 1. Moishes Steak House (3961 St-Laurent, (514) 845-1696) 2. La Queue de Cheval (1221 René-Lévesque W., (514) 390-0090) 3. The Keg (25 St-Paul E., (514) 871-9093) 4. Gibby’s (298 Place d’Youville, (514) 282-1837) 5. Bâton Rouge (various locations) Best Tapas 1. Casa Tapas (266 Rachel E., (514) 848-1063) 2. Sala Rossa (4848 St-Laurent, (514) 284-0122) 3. Tapeo (511 Villeray, (514) 495-1999) 4. Nuevo (775 Mont-Royal E., (514) 525-7000) 5. Meat Market (4415 St-Laurent, (514) 223-2292) Best Vegetarian 1. Le Commensal (various locations) 2. Aux Vivres (4631 St-Laurent, (514) 842-3479) 3. Chu Chai (4088 Saint- Denis, (514) 843-4194) 4. Pushap (various locations) 5. Lola Rosa (545 Milton, (514) 287-9337) Few changes here, though Aux Vivres got a makeover and is now classier and fancier, and moved one spot up to number three. Lola Rosa, another McGill ghetto treat, joins the ranks (try the nachos, covered in a mountain of esoteric toppings). Best Bakery 1. Première Moisson (various locations) 2. Cheskie (359 Bernard W., (514) 271-2253) 3. Cocoa Locale (4807 Parc, (514)271-7162) 4. De Gascogne (various locations) 5. Fromentier (1375 Laurier E., (514) 527-3327 BEST BAKERY #2: Cheskie Reema Singh’s one-woman pastry shop Cocoa Locale serves pastries with a flavour twist; olive oil and lemon cakes, peanut butter and mint cookies, and chocolate zucchini bundts. She also makes cupcakes, which are a variety of dessert surprisingly hard to find in Montreal. Best Coffee 1. Tim Horton’s (various locations) 2. Starbucks (various locations) 3. Second Cup (various locations) 4. Café Olimpico (124 St-Viateur W., (514) 495-0746) 5. Java U (various locations) Best Non-Chain Coffee 1. Café Olimpico (124 St-Viateur W., (514) 495-0746) 2. Art Java (837 Mont Royal E., (514) 527-9990) 3. Caffè Italia (6480 St-Laurent, (514) 495-0059) 4. Santropol (3990 St-Urbain, (514) 842-3110) 5. Pi (4127 St-Laurent, (514) 286-4828) Best Teahouse 1. Camellia Sinensis (351 Emery, (514) 286-4002) 2. Cha Noir (4646 Wellington, Verdun, (514) 769-1242) 3. Art et Thé (2055 Bishop, (514) 678-5470) 4. John Company (5681 Parc, (514) 313-6581) 5. Orien-thé (4511 St-Denis, (514) 995-6533) BEST TEAHOUSE: Camellia Sinensis Best Locally Brewed Beer 1. Brutopia 2. Boréale 3. Cheval Blanc 4. Dieu du Ciel 5. St-Ambroise Best Desserts/Sweets 1. Kilo Restaurant (various locations) 2. Rockaberry (various locations) 3. Calories (various locations) 4. Cheaters (11618 Salaberry, Dollard-des- Ormeaux, (514) 685-8889) 5. Mesa (1425 Bishop, (514) 284-0344) Best Ice Cream 1. Ben & Jerry’s (various locations) 2. Bilboquet (various locations) 3. Ripples (3880 St-Laurent, (514) 842-1697) 4. Dairy Queen (various locations) 5. Meu Meu (4458 St-Denis, (514) 288-5889) Best Butcher 1. Alim-pot (20 Roy E., (514) 982-6838) 2. Chez Vito (5180 St-Urbain, (514) 277-1981) 3. La Maison du rôti (1969 Mont-Royal E., (514) 521-2448) 4. Atwater Market (138 Atwater, (514) 937-7754) 5. Slovenia (3653 St-Laurent, (514) 842-3558) Best Vegetable/Fruit Stand 1. Jean-Talon Market (7075 Casgrain, (514) 277-1588) 2. Exo (5192 Côte-des-Neiges (514) 738-1384) 3. Atwater Market (138 Atwater, (514) 937-7754) 4. Sami Fruits (various locations) 5. Val-Mont (various locations) Best Fishmonger 1. Falero (various locations) 2. La Mer (1840 René-Lévesque E., (514) 522-3003) 3. Atwater Market (138 Atwater, (514) 937-7754) 4. Peche Peche (11598 De Salabery, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, (514) 683-8601) 5. Shamrock (7015 Casgrain, (514) 272-5612)

SPECIAL BOM QUESTION

>> What’s the best new thing in Montreal
in the past five years?

1. No smoking in bars
2. New girls
3. Me
4. Two-dollar chow mein
5. Laval metro
6. Taco Bell
7. Short skirts
8. Parc-Pine interchange
9. Piknic Électronik
10. MainLine Theatre
11. Music scene
12. Bike lanes
13. H&M
14. Montreal Reggae Festival
15. Osheaga
16. Nuit Blanche
17. Krispy Kremes 18. Arcade Fire
19. The Concordia building
20. Pop Montreal

Bibliothèque et Archives nationale • The Dôme closing down • Bofinger • Peer Pressure • Municipal demergers • Old Montreal gentrification • Têtes à Claques • Montreal Fashion Week • New parking meters • American Apparel • Free wireless internet zones • Gérald Tremblay• Marché Centrale • Montreal being a baseball-free city • Hotel Godin • Tax-deductible bus passes • Warmer winters • NASCAR • Action Démocratique • Automatic video stations • Cleaning up of downtown • Community gardens • Construction • Contact dance • Emo girls • English signs • EXPOZINE • Gaming industry • Illegal poker rooms • Immigrants and their culture • Improved economy • Medieval geeks fighting zombies on Mount Royal • Mile-End boom • montrealshows.com • More folk music shows on the Main • More lesbian identified men • Mountain Equipment Co-op • Montreal roller derby • Not having the Parti Québécois in power • Parking for bikes • People can find apartments again • Renewed environmental activism • Renovated Dorval airport • Revitalized east part of Ste-Catherine • Scooters • Six Flags purchasing La Ronde • Supperclubs • The cross turned purple • The Dollar Cinema • SPECIAL BOM QUESTION What’s the best new thing in Montreal in the past five years? BEST TEAHOUSE: Camellia Sinensis WILL LEW Legalization of Swingers Clubs • Awesome mid-size music venues • Théâtre Ste-Catherine • Ubisoft Montreal • Cleaned-up Lachine Canal • W Hotel • The re-emergence of unicycles as a mode of transportation • There’s something new?

Montrealers Media City Life Nightlife Music Film, Arts etc Consumer Madness Chowtime

Photos from Maggie

Walking tour in Gay Village.

Typicle French? houses.

Two doors.

Beautiful balcony.





Entrence for the carriage.


A building with a balcony and eh...a group of future tour guides.

Sex store, but with a function of info-center for tourists.

IRISH PLACES IN MONTREAL

St. Patrick’s Basilica
460 René-Lévesque Boulevard West
Montréal, Québec
H2Z 1A7
Tel : (514) 866-7379
Web site : http://www.stpatricksmtl.ca/

McLean’s Pub
1210 Peel Street
Tel :(514) 392-7770
Web site : www.bar-resto.com/mclean
English style pub with varied menu. Pool tables.

O'Hara's Pub
1197 University Street
Tel. : (514) 390-8881
Web site : www.bar-resto.com/murphys
Irish pub with bar menu, pool tables, karaoke.

McKibbins Irish Pub
1426 Bishop Street
Tel : (514) 288-1580
Web site : http://www.mckibbinsirishpub.com/
Montreal's Irish Pub with live entertainment, 18 imported beers on tap, Pub Grub and Irish sports on Satellite.

Ye Olde Orchard Pub & Grill
5563 Monkland
Tel. : (514) 484-1569
Web site : www.bar-resto.com/oldeorchard
Neighbourhood pub in Monkland Village with the flavour of the old country. Large terrace.

O’Regan’s Irish Pub
1224 Bishop Street
Tel. : (514) 866-8464
Web site : www.bar-resto.com/oregan
Celtic pub. Live entertainment, pub food, Irish & British beers.

Claddagh Pub
1433 Crescent Street
Tel. : (514) 287-9354
Web site : http://www.pubcladdagh.com/
Irish style pub on Montreal's famous Crescent St.

Hurley’s Irish Pub
1225 Crescent Street
Tel. : (514) 861-4111
Web site : http://www.hurleysirishpub.com/
Authentic Irish Pub in beautiful stone building. Many European beers & whiskeys, fireplaces, live Celtic music.

Le Vieux Dublin/Old Dublin
1219A University Street
Montréal, Qc
Tel: (514) 861-4448

Madhatter Pub
1220 Crescent Street
Tel. : (514) 987-9988
Web site : http://www.madhattersaloon.com/
The best dive in town!

A Salute to The Irish - from Nathalie de Grandmont

A salute to the Irish…

Hi, my name is Nathalie De Grandmont. Are you enjoying your stay in Montréal so far? We are at the corner of St-Urbain and René-Levesque and I want to start with a little trivia: Do you know what’s happening in this area on March 16th ? St-Patrick’s Parade, of course! Well, this is one of many things that the Montrealers owe to the Irish community. (In fact, according to the United Irish Societies, approximately 42% of the French in Québec might have Irish blood.) As a French Canadian myself, I might be one of them, who knows… That’s why today, I will tell you a bit why the Irish deserve to celebrate on that day: about the big role they played in our history and about the magnificent St-Patrick Basilica that was built for them - that you will see in a few minutes, on the left hand side of René-Lévesque boulevard – named after Saint-Patrick, the patron saint of the Irish.

The Parade:

But first, let’s get back to the Parade. Can you imagine 100 floats, music bands, and up to 600 000 people lined up along Ste-Catherine street, having fun with their kids and families ? Well, when the weather is good, this is what you can expect of our St-Patrick’s parade. We are very fortunate here in Montréal because our parade is not only popular but we also have one of the oldest St-Patrick’s Parade in North America and it is the longest continuous parade. It started in 1824 and, according to the historian of United Irish Societies of Montreal, it has been held every year since. Despite the wars, despite the Great Depression, and despite a big snow storm that hit the city once, just 2 days before the Parade. Despite all that , the Irish always managed to hold their parade: a little bit like a symbol of how nothing could stop them.

Their legacy:

As I said, The Irish deserve to celebrate because they brought here a lot more than just good music and good beer! In fact, they were our first big wave of immigration in Canada (after the French and the English), which started at the very beginning of the 19th century. A large number of the Irish immigrants arrived between 1845 and 1849, during the Great Famine. In 1845, a big disease completely destroyed the crop of potatoes in the fields of Ireland. And in the following years, thousands died of starvation or of typhoid fever. Thousands of Irish also chose to escape their country to come to United States or Canada (especially in 1847). The traveling conditions on the boat were terrible: many were already so weak by famine that they died during the trip. Even more sad: many others died, a few days after arriving on Grosse-Ile, which was the point of entry and the Quarantine station, a little upstream from Québec city. In the years before, many had died from cholera as well… But In 1847. dozens of them were dying every day: because of the typhus, a very contagious disease. To the extent that it became a huge epidemy and the authorities lost control. (To give you an idea: there are 6000 people buried in just one of the cemeteries of Grosse-Ile.)

The Irish who did survive the journey were not really attracted by agriculture and they established themselves in one of the oldest suburbs of Montreal: Griffintown. (Even tough they were Anglophones, the majority of them were catholics, and not active in business and politics, unlike the Scottish and the British, for example)
From 1821 to 1825, many of them were employed in the digging of the Lachine Canal: working 16 hours a day for low wages. (So, a few violent strikes occurred: in 1843, and later, when the canal was widened again, 30 years later) They also contributed to the construction of the railway and the Victoria Bridge. So, a lot of our city’s industrial growth came from the sweat and hard physical work of the Irish, as well as some of the French Canadians living in Pointe St. Charles, just beside. Griffintown remained the heart of the Irish community until the neighbourhood was partly demolished in the 1960s to build the Bonaventure Expressway.

St-Patrick Basilica.

Well, if the Irish were living in Griffintown (south-west of Montreal), why then is St-Patrick Basilica in the heart of downtown ? Well, it was not always like that. At the beginning of the 19th century, the St-Patrick parish included about 50 people… meeting in the tiny church of Bonsecours. (Their leader was Father Richards, who had been a Protestant priest in Virginia. He thought that he could come to the Montreal and convert all the Sulpician priests to his faith… but funny enough, it is the Sulpicians who converted him… )Then, they relocated to the abandoned church of The Recollets on Notre-Dame street… But again, it was not enough… because by 1840, the community had expanded to nearly 6,500. Can you imagine: every Sunday, hundreds of people, sometimes in the rain, were forced to kneel down in the cobbled streets, unable to squeeze inside…

After doing many sacrifices and giving a lot of their own money to build it, the Irish finally got their St-Patrick church… It was designed by a French Canadian architect. (P.L. Morin) in the gothic style of architecture popular in Europe in the 14th and 15th century. It is quite massive: 71 meters long, with a steeple rising 69 meters high. Today, it is considered one of Canada’s finest examples of gothic architecture, and the interior is probably even more beautiful. It is dominated by wood, and a lot of oak. And many of the wood panels contain carvings of shamrocks or fleur-de-lys (a tribute to the Sulpicians who were very involved). The nave is also decorated with many oil paintings of the Saints on both sides and most of all, great stained glass windows that were beautifully restored. (There has been several restorations and the most recent one was in the 1990’s.)

The church was inaugurated in 1847. Can you guess the date ? March 17th. That morning, the St-Patrick parade started at 7am from the Old Recollet Church off Notre Dame and proceeded on Notre Dame, St. James Street and then uphill on Commissioners street (McGill St.) to finish at St. Patrick's Church… where there was a big Mass, attended by 4000 people. Well, the first days and years of the church were very sad: the priests and nuns working there set up “Fever sheds” to take care of the sick, and then a facility for the orphans. Many of them died. And you can see their names on large panels close to the entrance. On the same wall, there is also a tribute to 2 other famous personalities, linked to the church: Thomas D’Arcy Mc Gee (an Irish man and one of the Fathers of the Confederation) and the poet Emile Nelligan, who was baptized in that church as well.

In 1989, again on March 17th, St-Patrick was elevated to the status of a minor basilica by the Vatican in Rome. Both the provincial and the federal government have classified it as a Historic Monument. The day I went there, the organ was playing when I walked in and I was very moved. I am telling you, you can really feel the many tears and sufferings that this Basilica has seen, but I think that over the years, it has also become a very important symbol of the accomplishment and legacy of the Irish.

So, if you want to pay tribute to the Irish, the Basilica is definitely a good place to start. I encourage you to go when you have a chance: it is open every day, and they also offer religious services on the week-ends. You can also come to the Parade .(This year, it will be on March 16th, and will start at noon, at the corner of Du Fort street ) But, since the Irish have also given us good music and many reasons to celebrate, please make sure to visit one of the typical Irish pubs… which are mostly located in the downtown area, along Crescent and Bishop streets, a little further west. I have here a little list of Irish pubs: where you can spend a very nice time and dedicate one toast – or two- to the Irish.

Well, thank you everyone… If you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them. I wish you all a very Happy St-Patrick’s day!