Irish-Québecer Facts: The 2nd Largest Ethnic Group

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The Irish in Quebec

Main article: Irish Quebecers

After the disaster at Grosse-Île, many Irish children were left as orphans in a new country. These children were adopted mainly by French speakers in Lower Canada. These children fought for the right to keep their Irish surnames, and were largely successful. Today, many Quebeckers have a name of Irish origin. In fact, the Irish are the second largest ethnic group in the province after the French Canadians and one estimate suggests that as many as 40 percent of the French-speaking Quebeckers have some Irish ancestry. The St. Patrick's Day Parade in Montreal is the oldest in North America and attracts crowds of over 600,000 people.