A memorial space for the thousands of Irish refugees who died on Montreal's shores after fleeing the potato famine in the 1840s could be on its way to becoming a reality.
After two years of talks between Irish community representatives, the city, and various Quebec government agencies, there is a proposal to set up a park on Bridge St. in Griffintown, in the vicinity of the Black Rock monument.
A public meeting was held Thursday evening at St. Gabriel's church in Pointe St. Charles to outline the next stop of the project — rerouting streets in the neighborhood to accomodate the park.
Victor Boyle with the Montreal Irish Monument Park Foundation says while it's not clear what the park will look like, he says the support and cooperation of the city, and of Hydro-Quebec, which agreed to cede land for the project, which had originally been slated as an electrical substation to power the forthcoming REM light-rail network.
"I can't say enough about the positive reinforcement and cooperation we've had," Boyle said. "Especially from Hydro-Quebec. I can't use the term 'gave land', I would have to say they made it available for development."
It's expected the Black Rock monument, honoring the thousands who died on their way to Montreal from Ireland, will be the centrepiece of the new space.
There's no clear timeline for when the park will actually be finished.