Beloved Irish writer Oscar Wilde once said, “I have nothing to declare but my genius.” Unleash your own genius and impress your friends with these amazing facts about Irish contributions to Canada and beyond:
- The greening of Sussex Drive – Did you know that a third of our country’s 22 Prime Ministers boast Irish roots, including Lester B. Pearson, Brian Mulroney and Paul Martin? The Irish have also heavily influenced Canadian art, music, theatre and business.
- In the 1850s, Irish immigrants helped to build the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railway from Portland, Maine to Montreal, uniting Canada’s vast and sprawling provinces. Canada’s Rideau Canal system is also largely indebted to Irish-Canadian engineering ingenuity.
- John Joly, Irish physicist, changed the way we see the world through colour photography. Joly is also known for his development of radiotherapy in the treatment of cancer.
- Irish engineer John Philip Holland was the first person to successfully launch a submarine.
- Legendary Canadian brewmaster, John Kinder Labatt, was born in 1803 in Mountmellick, right in the middle of Ireland.
