Special Events
“The Voyage of the Bronze Shoes” 10 May 2024
Members of Gower are invited to two special events in honour of the “The Voyage of the Bronze Shoes” and the launch of the Global Irish Famine Way, Canada. The events are sponsored by the Irish Ambassador to Canada in cooperation with the Basilica Heritage Foundation to commemorate the great Irish famines of the 1840s, which resulted in the emigration of up to a quarter of the Irish population to other nations. St. John’s is the first landing place for the “Voyage” as it travels across Canada.
The Events:
May 10, 2024, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm at the Roman Catholic Basilica of St. John the Baptist: Public Liturgy of Thanksgiving. Ambassador Eamonn McKee, speaker.
May 10, 2024, 1:30pm – 3:00 pm at the Basilica: Public Historical Symposium: The Great Irish Famine in Historical Context, New Research, and its Implications for Today.
Both events will also be livestreamed at www.thebasilica.net/live/
It was recorded in the newspapers of the day that the Gower Street Wesleyan congregation was one of the largest local contributors to the funds collected “for the Relief of the Destitute in Ireland”.
For more background:
https://www.rte.ie/news/regional/2024/0501/1446832-famine-shoes/
https://ntv.ca/ambassador-of-ireland-to-canada-event-comes-to-st-johns-in-may/
