Ireland Park Burlington Ontario Address Phone Number

What is Ireland Park Burlington Ontario?

Ireland Park situated on the banks of Lake Ontario was opened in 2007 in memory of the thousands of Irish people who migrated to Canada in 1847 to escape the Great Famine that had hit Ireland that year. The famine had resulted in heavy bouts of poverty, diseases & death. It is believed almost two million Irish people perished due to the aftermath of the famine. To escape these horrors almost 40,000 Irish landed in Ontario Canada hoping for a new and prosperous life on the basis of the promise of the new land. It is believed that several thousand also lost their life due to sea diseases during their passage to Canada.
Toronto, a small city in state of Ontario at the time with only 20,000 inhabitants faced a major civic crisis to accommodate the sudden influx of people who amounts almost double the existing residents of Toronto. This also resulted in acute shortage of food and other amenities in Ontario. Even with these prevailing setbacks the people of Ontario greeted the struggling incoming people with open hands and hearts. So in turn the park not only commemorates the struggles of the incoming Irish people but also the extremely generous hospitality of the people of Ontario.
Almost $3.5 Million was spending to build the Ireland Park. Ireland Park is very well known among its visitors for its six striking Landmarks. Five of these comprise the statues representing the state of people arrived from Ireland. The statues are The Jubilant Man representing the happiness of the people arriving in Ontario, The Pregnant Woman representing the sons and daughters of the Irish Immigrants, Woman on Ground representing the devastation of hunger, The Orphan Boy representing members and supporters of the Immigration Policy who devoted themselves in the care of others who cam empty handed and to those whose lives were saved and the Apprehensive Man in recognition of individuals who contributed to the creation of the Ireland Park. The biggest landmark and perhaps the most striking feature of the Ireland Park is the Limestone Monument, a huge wall exclusively made of limestone with the names of the people who died in 1847 during the influx of the people into the city, inscribed on the wall. The people of Toronto are Grateful to three persons primarily for this wonderful of architecture, Robert G. Kearns the person who envisioned the creation of this park, Rowan Gillespie and Norma Smurfit respectively the sculpture and donator of the statues.
The carefully drawn and sleek design of the park resulted in two major awards KMA Awarded OAA Awards of Design Excellence 2009 and 2009 Toronto Urban Design Awards. The park is believed to have almost two million visitors annually to comprehend the difficulties faced by the immigrants to reach the new world.

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