Sure Dan, happy to oblige. It gives me a chance to thank Jeri and KathWestra again. Weren't they something?

One of my favorite performers is Brendan Nolan. He currently resides in Florida, but he is a Dublin man who originally immigrated to Montreal. While living there he discovered Grosse Ile, not the one near Detroit, but the one in the St. Lawrence near Montreal.

Grosse Ile, during the time of the Great Hunger, was a quarantine station for the Irish that came in from Ireland in the so-called "coffin ships". These were ships that were taking advantage of the misery of the Irish who would sell everything they owned to gain passage to North America for themselves and their families. They would be packed into the hold so tightly that there was barely room to move. These conditions would spawn outbreaks of disease, so the holds would be battened down to keep the fever below. By the time these coffin ships would arrive, more were dead than alive. And many that were alive had fever so bad that they would succumb soon after landfall. The brave French Canadians would take the ill to what became known as the fever sheds and try to save them. Many of these French Canadians would die in the attempt to save others. This is made especially precious when you understand that this occurred during a time of intense dislike for the Irish emigrant. The dead were buried in mass graves on Grosse Ile. The spot is marked by a white marker on top of the island.

When Brendan visited the spot, he was overcome by the knowledge and feelings of standing on the spot where so many of our people were buried. These were people seeking a better life just as he was. He was inspired to write their song. His inspiration can be found in the verse that I sang in French. The translation came from Peter T. who assisted me because my French is poor. Here is the translation of the French lyric:

My name is Leo Quinn
My ancestors are here
Buried on Grosse Ile
Which looks over to (or is beside) the/my village, Montmagny
My memories are only ghosts
That hover and dance in the wind
They plead that someone remember them,Even if only in song.

It is a powerful recounting of the time of the Great Hunger, and what many of our forebears went through to escape for a chance for their families sake. It is difficult to perform, because of the intensity of the song. We had a discussion of it when I was looking for an exact translation of the French verse. You can read about it by CLICKING HERE.

Brendan is, in my humble opinion, one of the most talented musicians and teller of tales out there today. If you get a chance to see him perform, take it. Thanks for asking Dan.

All the best,

Mick