Cobh to Commemorate 200th Anniversary of Historic Irish Emigration to Canada

 A major commemorative event is set to take place in Cobh this May to mark the bicentenary of a little-known yet significant episode in Irish and Canadian history: the departure of over 2,000 Irish emigrants from North Cork under the Peter Robinson Settler Emigration Scheme.

The remembrance, organised by Ballyhoura Development in partnership with the Cobh Heritage Centre, will honour the 1825 exodus of 11 ships that carried Irish families—primarily from North Cork and parts of South Limerick—to the Canadian wilderness of Ontario. The event will begin on May 9 with a wreath-laying ceremony at 2:30 p.m. at Cobh pier, attended by descendants of the settlers, representatives from the Canadian Embassy, and Ireland’s Ambassador to Canada, John Concannon.

Following the ceremony, a special exhibition chronicling the emigration scheme will be launched at the Queenstown Heritage Centre, providing historical context and personal narratives from the emigrants and their descendants.

Named after Peter Robinson, the British colonial administrator who oversaw the initiative, the scheme was designed to provide land and opportunity to impoverished Irish families while advancing British settlement in Upper Canada. Each emigrant family was granted 70 acres of land and required to pay a nominal rent of two pence per acre biannually. Notably, individuals over the age of 45 were ineligible, underscoring the scheme’s focus on young, able-bodied settlers.

Today, it is estimated that over 100,000 descendants of the original emigrants reside in Ontario. Approximately 500 of them are expected to travel to Ireland later this year to explore their ancestral roots in towns such as Doneraile, Mitchelstown, and communities along the Blackwater Valley. Their journey is being facilitated by Ballyhoura Development as part of the broader Ireland-Canada Homecoming, which will run from September 15 to 21 and feature a range of cultural and community engagement events.

Amanda Slattery of Ballyhoura Development commented, “We are honoured to collaborate with Cobh in marking the 200th anniversary of this extraordinary chapter of migration. Cobh, as the final departure point for these families, holds deep symbolic importance. We look forward to welcoming the public to share in this moment of remembrance and reconnection.”

The emigration commemoration is one of several heritage events taking place in Cobh this month. On May 11, the town will also observe the 110th anniversary of the Lusitania sinking, with a solemn tribute organised by Cobh Tourism. The commemoration will begin at 2:30 p.m. with a ceremonial parade featuring Defence Forces veterans, members of the Royal Naval Association, and representatives of various maritime and historical organisations. The parade will assemble at the Lusitania Peace Memorial in Casement Square.

The ceremony will include prayers, musical tributes by the Commodore Male Voice Choir, the laying of wreaths, and a performance of the Last Post. Attendees will then proceed to the Old Church Cemetery, where over 170 victims of the tragedy are interred—many in three mass graves.

Together, these events reflect Cobh’s enduring role as a gateway in Irish maritime history and its deep connections to both sorrowful departures and transatlantic legacy.