The Irishman in Canada

Browsing in the Irish emigrant history section at the library of the University of Ottawa the other day I was surprised to come across "The Irishman in Canada" by Nicholas Flood Davin (1843-1901). I didn't know the book. The author has been featured in a couple of Beechwood Cemetery tours. The story is that, depressed over his declining fortunes, he committed suicide during a visit to Winnipeg (a city not often quite that depressing.) The impressive memorial at Beechwood was paid for by admirers.

I didn't have time to look at the book while at the University but thought I might find it in the Internet Archive. It's at www.archive.org/details/cihm_02593

It wasn't much help in my search for information on settlement in the western parts of Carleton County. Bruce Elliott's "Irish Migrants in the Canada's: a new approach" was much more useful for that. Davin was known as raconteur. It's a talent well demonstrated in the book.