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A Brief History of St. Patrick’s Society of Montreal

The Irish were in Canada from the earliest times. Some Irish came to Canada in the service of the kings of France. Although many changed or disguised their names, the War Office in Paris lists over 400,000 Irishmen who served in the armies of France form the mid-seventeenth to mid-eighteenth centuries.

Some of these “Wild Geese” were undoubtedly sent to New France in various French regiments, and we know for certain that the distinctive uniform of the Irish Brigade, red faced with green, was seen in Montcalm’s army for several years before the Battle of Quebec in 1759. Many formed connections with the French settlers and took up residence here.

After 1763, Irish members of the British army who served in Canada often followed the lead of their French army predecessors and settled in the colony. The first recorded St. Patrick’s celebrations in Montreal were held by the various British regiments garrisoned in the city and were organized by the large number of Irishmen serving in them. With the resumption of trade and commerce with British North America, Irish merchants, principally from Ulster, arrived in Montreal and set up shop, establishing businesses and commercial dynasties, that, in many cases, exist to this day.

By the first third of the nineteenth century, realizing the rapid growth of the Irish population of Montreal and their ethnological and cultural importance, a group of Irish-Catholic and Irish-Protestant citizens of Montreal decided, after mutual consideration and much deliberation, that it was incumbent upon them to form an organization which would be indicative of their value to the community and to maintain their ancient traditions. From these discussions, the society thereafter known as St. Patrick’s Society of Montreal was founded on March 17, 1834 at McCabe’s Hotel in what is now known as Old Montreal.

The Society was in no way a political organization, but was largely charitable and national in purpose, and was principally social and educational. The Society was also non-sectarian. The first President was John Donnellan, a prominent Montreal citizen.

The founding of the Society was closely followed by the establishment of the St. Jean Baptiste Society in June 1834, the St. Andrew’s Society in February 1835, the German Society on April 21, 1835, the St. George’s Society on April 27, 1835 and later the St. David’s Society and the Caledonian Society. The beautiful spirit of friendliness and cooperation among the so-called Sister Societies since their inception has been notable and has persisted throughout the years. The national qualities and purposes of the various bodies were commented upon by the Honourable Peter McGill, the first English-speaking Mayor of Montreal, at a dinner given by St. Patrick’s Society on the evening of March 17, 1836.

The headquarters of the Society previous to the erection of St. Patrick’s Hall in 1865 was the Albion Hotel on McGill Street, and at other times in the old St. Lawrence Hall. Later, when St. Patrick’s Hall was completed, the Society formally took over these premises, which occupied the site bounded on the north by Craig Street on the west by Victoria Square and on the south by Fortification Lane.

It was a matter of great regret that some of the minutes of the Society from its inception appear to have been destroyed by the fire that destroyed St. Patrick’s Hall in September 1872. These annals would undoubtedly have proven to be of great historical value. Hence, no comment can be made as to the attitude taken by the Society during the fateful rebellion years of 1837 and their aftermath, culminating in the burning of the Parliament Building in Montreal in 1849, which were then located in the vicinity of Youville Square just to the east of McGill Street.

Again, in spite of the absence of the written record to indicate the specific activities of the Society, it is a matter of pride that the Society took a prominent part in endeavouring to alleviate the suffering of the Irish immigrants who flocked to Canada in the thousands in an effort to escape the ravages of a famine-infested land from 1846 to 1848. They came hoping to find new homes in North America, with many only to find death in one of its many forms, including the fearful typhus plague (which was also referred to as ship fever), which resulted from starvation and overcrowded ships, coupled with the length of the voyage. These unfortunates, in a dying condition, were housed in rude immigrant sheds located near Point St. Charles, and despite all efforts on the part of all concerned, thousands perished. Even the Mayor of Montreal, John Mills, and many of the clergy and religious sisters who worked indefatigably day and night fell victims to the dread scourge. The immigrants who perished found their last resting place in a hastily constructed cemetery located close to what is now the Victoria Bridge. A small portion of this cemetery remains to this day, which bears thereon a huge monolith taken from the bed of the St. Lawrence River. Thanks to the contractors and the labourers building the bridge, Messrs. Peto, Brassey and Betts, it bears a suitable inscription to their memory. Many were the efforts of the railroad company to remove the stone; indeed, in 1910 it was taken down and placed in Gallery Square. Thanks, however, to the vigilance and insistence of St. Patrick’s Society, the Ancient Order of Hibernians and many prominent Irish citizens of Montreal, the stone was replaced upon its original site and stands to this day as one of Montreal’s important historical monuments. Again in 1965, attempts to move the “Black Stone” to improve the Expo 67 site were thwarted by a committee set up by St. Patrick’s Society and, due to an enlightened civic administration, a road which had been planned to cut through the sacred plot was re-directed and now passes on both sides of the cemetery, thus preserving the stone for all time.

The Society continued as non-sectarian until the year 1856, under the able presidency of such men as John Donnellan, Benjamin Holmes, the Honourable Francis Hincks, Bernard Devlin, W.F. Batley, Thomas Ryan and many others. Due to rising sectarian differences among members of the Society, the non-Catholic members were encouraged to establish their own society. This separation was largely the work of Reverend Patrick Dowd. As a result, the Catholic members retained the old name of the Society, and the non-Catholic members assumed the name “Irish Protestant Benevolent Society”. Among those who vigorously opposed the separation was Sir William Hingston, a prominent surgeon and later, the Mayor of Montreal, who tendered his resignation from the Society as a gesture against what he termed the uncalled for division. Hingston would likely have been happy to discover that the Society returned to its non-denominational origins in the latter part of the twentieth century.

One of the most illustrious members of the Society was the Honourable Thomas D’Arcy McGee, the poet, newspaper editor and Member of Parliament for Montreal West, whose great eloquence played a crucial role in the formation of the Dominion of Canada. Despite his fame and position, he was expelled from the Society in 1868 as a result of his strong condemnation of the Fenian movement, because the Society had by then been taken over by a majority of Fenian members or sympathizers. Shortly after his expulsion from the Society, McGee was assassinated in Ottawa on April 7, 1868. Perhaps somewhat hypocritically, the Society forwarded a letter of condolence to his family expressing their abhorrence of the crime and arranged for his burial in Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery on Mount Royal. His tomb has ever since been looked after by St. Patrick’s Society. 

On June 19, 2012, at the annual meeting of the members of St. Patrick’s Society of Montreal, a special debate took place regarding the possible posthumous reinstatement of Thomas D’Arcy McGee as a member of the Society. After a lively and informative debate between McGee biographer David A. Wilson, who argued for reinstatement, and Society historian J. Peter Shea, who argued against reinstatement, the numerous members of the Society in attendance at such meeting voted overwhelmingly in favour of McGee’s posthumous reinstatement as a member, approximately 144 years after his expulsion from the Society. 

At the outbreak of the Great War in August 1914, realizing that it was vitally important that the Irish community of Montreal play their part in the defence of Canada, members of the Society were largely instrumental in the formation of an Irish Canadian Regiment. Hence, in the fall of 1914, the 55^th Regiment, Irish Canadian Rangers, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Harry Trihey, K.C. and Major William O’Brien, a prominent Montreal stock-broker, came into being. Later, towards the end of January 1916, it was decided to form an Overseas Battalion, and the 199^th Canadian Infantry Battalion, Irish Canadian Rangers (later to be known as the Duchess of Connaught’s Own Irish Canadian Rangers), commenced recruiting. Practically all the officers, non-commissioned officers and men of the old 55^th Regiment offered their services for overseas, and thanks to St. Patrick’s Society, the Battalion’s colours were formally presented on the Champ de Mars in June 1916.

The Society played no small part in the matter of scholarships, child welfare, Irish Home Rule and other kindred matters. It would be impossible to describe in this brief history all the events to which the Society lent its interest during its existence, such as the building of St. Patrick’s Church (now Basilica), the formal opening of Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery, the Golden and Diamond Jubilee of St. Patrick’s Church, St. Patrick’s Orphanage, Father Dowd’s Home and St. Mary’s Hospital, to name but a few.

In 1977, just over one hundred years since the destruction of St. Patrick’s Hall by fire, St. Patrick’s Square, a 252-unit pre-retirement building and community located in Côte St. Luc, was officially opened by Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau. The project was launched with seed funds provided by the Society in cooperation with the Federal Government, and through the leadership of the renowned Montreal architect and President of the Society, Joseph Dunne. The Society’s office has been situated there ever since.

The Society was originally responsible for maintaining the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which was held under its auspices from 1834 to 1916. The event was discontinued in 1917 owing to war conditions, but was renewed the following year under the direction of the Ancient Order of Hibernians until 1928, and since that date the parade has been under the direction of the United Irish Societies of Montreal.

At the dinner celebrating the centennial of St. Patrick’s Society in 1934 at the Windsor Hotel, many distinguished Canadians were seen at the Head Table, including the Right Honourable R.B. Bennett (Prime Minister of Canada), the Honourable Angus MacDonald (Premier of Nova Scotia), Bishop E.A. Deschamps, Sir Edward Beatty (President of the Canadian Pacific Railway), Lord Shaughnessy, Lieutenant Colonel Harry Trihey, Q.C., Colonel John A. Sullivan, Q.C., Colonel William O’Brien, John T. Hackett (later the Senator), Mr. Justice F.J. Curran, Fernand Rinfret (Mayor of Montreal), members of Federal and Provincial Cabinets past and present and many other prominent attendees. All speakers at the dinner paid tribute not only to Ireland, but to the contributions made by those of Irish origin to the spiritual and material welfare of Montreal and Canada. Almost all made mention of the great name of Thomas D’Arcy McGee.

Of the six Irish mayors of Montreal in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries – William Workman, Francis Cassidy, K.C., Sir William Hingston, James McShane, Richard Wilson-Smith and the Honourable James J. Guerin – all were members of St. Patrick’s Society of Montreal, and three were Presidents of the Society: Workman, Cassidy and Guerin. Other Past Presidents of the Society include a pre-Confederation co-premier of the Province of Canada and later federal minister of finance (Sir Francis Hincks), a federal minister of Justice (Charles J. Doherty) as well as a number of other prominent politicians, judges, business leaders and others.

After the various waves of nineteenth-century immigration from Ireland, by the turn of the twentieth century the membership of the Society essentially was composed of second-, third- and fourth-generation Irish-Canadians. By the mid-twentieth century, the Society’s main social celebrations and fundraising activities were its Annual Charity Ball and its Annual St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon, both of which had evolved from the original banquets and dinners of the early nineteenth century. A key feature of the Annual Charity Ball was and still is the presence of special invited guests, which include a special guest of honour and the presidents or other representatives of the Sister Societies, such as the St. Andrew’s Society, the St. David’s Society, the German Benevolent Society, the Irish Protestant Benevolent Society and the United Irish Societies. The annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration is now a business-type luncheon, with a guest speaker (almost always with an Irish background) who has played a prominent role in politics, business, academia, the arts, law, journalism or otherwise.

Perhaps, as a result of the worldwide exposure for Montreal and Canada generated by Expo 67 and the celebrations surrounding Canada’s centennial, there was a new ripple of Irish immigration to Canada and Montreal in the late 1970s and 1980s. The Society and the Montreal Irish community were the beneficiaries of the contributions of this new generation of arrivals, who have contributed greatly to the preservation and enjoyment of Irish culture and tradition in Montreal. The Society’s newsletter, Nuacht, was largely the product of the 1970s- and 1980s-era immigrants. This period also saw the renewal of interest in things Irish, such as Irish traditional music, the Irish language, Irish dance, Irish theatre, Irish sports and Irish cinema. The Society took a leading role in promoting and financially supporting these cultural endeavours. The culmination of this renaissance of interest in Irish culture in Montreal was the creation of the Canadian Irish Studies Foundation in 1995. Members of the Society, most notably Michael Kenneally, Brian Gallery, Peter O’Brien and others, played leading roles in the effort to raise funds to provide courses in Canadian Irish studies at Concordia University, which itself is the successor institution of Loyola College which had long been associated with the Irish in Montreal. St. Patrick’s Society contributed the original seed money to launch the successful capital campaign of the Canadian Irish Studies Foundation, which raised millions of dollars. In 2010, due to overwhelming interest in the courses being offered and the great success of the capital campaign, the School of Canadian Irish Studies – the first in Canada – was created at Concordia University with the financial support of the university and the Canadian Irish Studies Foundation. St. Patrick’s Society is justly proud of the role that it and its members played in this accomplishment.

In 2009, as part of the year-long celebration of the Society’s 175^th anniversary, the Society, in cooperation with the Irish Protestant Benevolent Society and the Government of Quebec, funded and launched a very successful year-long exhibition about the contributions of the Irish to Quebec life entitled “Being Irish O’Quebec” at the McCord Museum of Canadian History in Montreal.

The Society has evolved greatly since 1834, yet remains true to its roots. In 2011, the Society organized and sponsored welcoming receptions and job networking events for young Irish immigrants to Montreal, who were not fleeing discrimination and famine like many of the original members of the Society but rather declining economic conditions in Ireland.

In 1983, the Society admitted for the first time a woman, Beverly Rozek, to full membership. And in 1998, the members of the Society elected its first woman President, Lynn Lonergan Doyle.

To enable the Society to fund and carry out its mission, the Society has an endowment and organizes numerous major annual fundraising events. Together with the traditional Annual Charity Ball and the Annual St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon, the Society also holds an annual Christmas concert and an annual golf tournament. The moneys raised at these events fund the operations of the Society, which is a registered federal charity, allows the Society to organize and sponsors a large number of cultural and educational activities that are open to all and to make significant donations to other Montreal charities and not-for-profit organizations that serve the less fortunate, homeless, children, families and elderly of the city, both Irish and non-Irish.

Edited and revised by Society Historian J. Peter Shea in 2015