Call REM station just ‘Griffintown’

As work proceeds on the Réseau express métropolitain light rail network, there have been concerns as to the naming of the station planned for the Peel Basin — an area with strong links to Montreal’s Irish population.

The Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network hereby requests that the station be called “Griffintown.” This name identifies its location for both practical and historical reasons, and should not be combined with any other names of either persons or places.

Griffintown is synonymous with the Irish who lived and worked there for many generations. Many of these Irish were survivors of the Great Famine and the ensuing typhus epidemic in which 6,000 people died. Many of them are buried in the area. Among the dead were many resident Montrealers who went to assist in the fever sheds — among them, John Easton Mills, the mayor of Montreal at the time.

There is still a very active Irish community in Montreal and throughout Quebec. Members belong to both linguistic groups and several religious denominations. Many are now seventh or eighth generation Canadians; many are of mixed ethnic heritage but with strong identification with their Irish roots and with the great contributions the Irish community has made.

One only has to think of the Lachine Canal, the Victoria Bridge, Loyola College, St. Patrick’s Basilica, among many other great Montreal landmarks.

Finally, QAHN recognizes the importance of heritage landscape — how the built and natural environment is perceived and preserved. To become invisible and unacknowledged in that landscape is to disappear. Naming the REM station at the Peel Basin “Griffintown” would be an indication of our heritage landscape, and a fitting tribute to Montreal’s Irish presence.

Grant Myers, president; Sandra Stock, president, Montreal committee; QAHN