From Ballyhoura to Ottawa - Commemorating the Legacy of the Peter Robinson Settlers, 200 years on!

In the early 1820s, Ireland, particularly Munster, was in turmoil. North Cork, Limerick, South Tipperary, and West Waterford were effectively the Wild West in terms of agrarian unrest and violence. Murders, house burnings, and physical and sexual assaults were recorded throughout the province in lockstep, with the poorer Catholic population increasing in size. The state reacted to this unrest through arrests, public whippings, public executions, and transportation.

It is little wonder, given this backdrop, that some families availed of the opportunity arranged by a number of prominent landlords to move overseas to new farms in Ottawa. The Ottawa plantation was conceived and arranged by Peter Robinson, born and bred in Canada, with a career ranging from fur trading to politics. It cannot go unremarked upon that these poor Irish families, who were two hundred years on from the Munster Plantation, were now forming part of a new plantation, annexing First Nations lands into this new world of 70-acre landholdings. Loss of territory for one people becoming an escape from poverty for another.

Families were not forced to leave, but applied to take part in this assisted emigration. However, increasing poverty, reducing circumstances and the backdrop of severe unrest surely played a part in their decision to bid farewell to their beloved homeland and embark on this epic journey, albeit incentivised by the promise of a new life in a distant land.

The two ships with their cargo of families took two months to get from Cobh to Canada and across the next two months, as we remember those who left, we will explore some of the stories relating to those families and individuals. Both ships were about ten years old when the Munster families boarded in Cobh, and both measured about 40 m long and 10 m wide. We can only imagine the experiences of those aboard, as just under 300 passengers and a full crew of sailors shared that space, enduring storms and braving the unpredictable sea. We must hope that during those two months, and through the trials and tribulations of the voyage, they formed bonds of solidarity, finding solace in one another's company.

The Hebe carried families from the Ballyhoura region, families like the Sullivan’s from Doneraile, the Callaghan’s from Churchtown and the Armstrong’s from Kilfinane as well as Buckleys, Barrys and Sheehans amongst others. Interestingly, also aboard were the Teskeys, part of a community of Palatine refugees who had arrived in Ireland just over a hundred years previously and were now setting sail for Canada. There was a strong north Cork contingent aboard the Hebe, with Churchtown, Doneraile, Charleville and Buttevant represented, as well as Clogheen in Tipperary. It follows that the Landlords actively involved in arranging this assisted emigration held prominent estates in those places. Aboard the Stakesby was another strong list of families bearing Munster surnames including Ryan, Keiffe, Green, Phelan, and O’Brien. Hailing from parishes in Mallow, Newmarket, Fermoy, Sixmilebridge and Rathkeale, this passenger list represented a wider range of counties than those on the Hebe. Like the Hebe, in addition to the Munster families, the Stakesby also carried Palatine families with the surname Young (originally Jung when they arrived over from south Germany). The full passenger list of those from the Ballyhoura Region and surrounding areas aboard the Hebe is at the end of this article.

The descendants of the families aboard these two ships are now spread across the globe. Many are still living and farming on the original farms they built on the former first nations lands. Others moved elsewhere in North America, across Canada and into the US. Their descendants have become regular visitors to Ireland and now as the first sailings of 1823 are being remembered the main sailings of 1825 are in our sights.

Ballyhoura Development CLG are liaising with descendants and community groups in Ontario to design grassroots commemorations in order to pay homage to the families from the Ballyhoura area who embarked on this intrepid journey into the unknown. Their courage and resilience inspire us, reminding us of the transformative power of seeking a new beginning.

Over the next two months, coinciding with the journey of these families from the Ballyhoura region to the New World, we will explore and tell some of their stories of the country they left and the land they moved to. We know that these are stories embedded in our communities, and that the ancestors of those who left are still resident here. If you have ancestors who were on board these ships, stories of those who left, those left behind, or of recent connections with family in the new world, we would love to hear them and, with your permission, to share them.

If you wish to share any stories, or to take part in the commemoration of the Peter Robinson Settlers, please email Amanda Slattery at [email protected].