Event to unite descendants of emigrants

UNCOVERING the exciting, treacherous and complex story of the Peter Robinson settler families, has been a labour of love for Ballyhoura Development and follows on from the group's successful involvement in The Gathering and the Historic Graves initiatives.

2025, will be a celebration of 200 years of Irish Canadian connections, bringing people and places together to share experiences and build diaspora connections.

In commemoration of this momentous occasion, Ballyhoura Development CLG, in collaboration with the Peter Robinson settlers’ descendants, has devised a week-long event highlighting interactive Community Visits, a Theatrical Interpretation of the settler journey, a Remembrance Ceremony at the point of departure, Cobh, a Live Concert and Conference on history, genealogy and legacy culminating in a Commemorative Event at Griston Bog, Ballylanders.

In 1823, and 1825, over 2,000 Irish people from the Ballyhoura area and across Munster, set sail from Cobh to the Ottowa and Ontario regions of Canada, as part of the Peter Robinson Assisted Emigration Programme.

For the past decade, Ballyhoura Development has collaborated with communities across north Cork, east Limerick, and Canada to trace and track the hundreds of local families who left the Ballyhoura area full of hope and expectation of a better life and followed their stories through building connections with descendants worldwide. The Peter Robinson Assisted Emigration scheme marked a significant chapter in both Irish and Canadian history.

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Amanda Slattery, Development Manager, Ballyhoura Development, reflects: “Rediscovering the story of the Peter Robinson settlers has been a profound journey of connection and learning. This project has brought people together, not just to remember the past, but to strengthen the ties between communities in Ireland and Canada today. 2025 is a significant event welcoming hundreds of descendants back to the Ballyhoura Region and connecting with their ancestors’ communities.”

Breda Keane Shortt of the Queenstown Experience says: “We are thrilled to collaborate with Ballyhoura Development on this initiative and further demonstrate the emigration story of Ireland and Canada and its significance to Cobh.”

Marie Healy from Fáilte Ireland says: “Peter Robinson Settlers Homecoming 2025 encourages the spread of tourism across the region by highlighting areas... where international visitors can truly connect with their ancestry.”

With over a decade of dedicated research and documentation, Ballyhoura Development has collaborated with genealogists, historians, and descendants of the settlers to connect communities worldwide. Working with the Historic Graves project, an initiative focused on recording and preserving historic graveyards in Ireland has enabled local communities to document graveyards connected to the settlers.