Grosse Île and the Irish Memorial National Historic Site

Grosse-Île holds a painful yet essential place in Canadian-Irish collective memory: between 1832 and 1937, this island in the Île-aux-Grues archipelago served as a quarantine station for immigrant ships arriving in Canada via the St. Lawrence River, becoming tragically infamous during the 1847 typhus epidemic, when thousands of Irish fleeing the Great Famine perished on the island or in its immediate surroundings before they could even set foot on the continent they hoped to reach. Today designated a national historic site and administered by Parks Canada, the site allows visitors, accompanied by specialized guides, to immerse themselves in the poignant history of these immigrants through a visit that combines moving human narratives and stunningly beautiful natural landscapes, the adventure typically beginning with a cruise departing from Berthier-sur-Mer. The Celtic cross that dominates the island's western sector, visible from the river, serves as the focal point of the memorial dedicated to the memory of Irish victims, while other remnants of the quarantine complex—medical inspection buildings, lazarettos—offer concrete insight into the sanitary procedures applied at the time to combat epidemics transported by sea. Through its commemorative and educational dimensions, this site constitutes one of Canada's most significant migration heritage locations, attracting thousands of visitors of Irish descent each year who come to pay tribute to their ancestors.