History of Irish Protestants Focus of New Annual Lecture Series
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RENOWNED historian Kerby Miller delivered the inaugural annual public lecture sponsored by Montreal Irish Protestant Benevolent Society.
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MONTREAL - As part of its ongoing commitment with Canadian Irish Studies, Montreal's Irish Protestant Benevolent Society has agreed to sponsor an annual Irish public lecture that will focus on the history of Protestants in Ireland and the contribution of Irish Protestants to the development of Canada.
The inaugural lecture entitled "Only Two Traditions? Presbyterians and other Irish in Ireland and America" was presented on June 2 by distinguished historian, Dr. Kerby Miller. The evening was a wonderful success as Dr. Miller presented an informative and captivating talk.
Kerby Miller is professor of Irish History at the University of Missouri. His study, Emigrants and Exiles: Ireland and the Exodus to North America is the definitive work in the field, and he has also written or edited, Out of Ireland: The Story of Irish Emigration to America, Irish Immigrants in the Land of Canaan: Letters and Memoirs from Colonial and Revolutionary America, 1675-1815, Irish Popular Culture: 1650-1815.
The Irish Protestant Benevolent Society has been a strong supporter in the development of Canadian Irish Studies. Its members generously contributed $25,000 to create the Matthew Hamilton Gault Scholarship which now provides $1,250 annually to a student who excels in Canadian Irish Studies.
In addition, in 2006, the Irish Protestant Benevolent Society provided $10,000 to establish a second scholarship, to be known as The Irish Protestant Benevolent Society 150th Anniversary Scholarship. The Society has recently added a further $5,000 to this endowment, allowing the annual prize awarded to be increased to $750.
The Irish Protestant Benevolent Society Lecture in Canadian Irish Studies provides an opportunity to understand the history and culture of Anglo-Ireland and the enormous contribution and pervasive influence of Irish Protestants in the development of Canada. For example, in Nineteenth-Century Ontario, Irish Protestants were the largest group of immigrants, and they played a central role in the development of agriculture, the establishment of towns, the evolution of the economy, as well as in the political, social and cultural life of the province. The details of this story have been largely untold and it is hoped that this new lecture series will begin to cast light on this central thread in Irish and Irish-Canadian histories.
For more information about the Centre for Canadian Irish Studies call (514) 848-8711 or visit their website at: cdnirish.concordia.ca.
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