Grosse Île and the Irish Memorial National Historic Site — Attraction in Saint-Antoine-de-l'Isle-aux-Grues

Parks Canada usually does a pretty good job at their historic sites. This place is no exception - very well organized, and very interesting. I've lived my whole life 4 hours away and never knew this existed until recommended to us. I will be doing the same and recommending to family and friends.

It does take a bit of planning to visit, but it is worth it. They have 2 or 3 departure times per day (depending on the day - check the schedule) for the passenger ferry that leaves Berthier-sur-Mer. This is the main way to get to the island. You can also fly there on a small plane , but I thought the 35 minute ferry was the way to go. The visit is 5-6 hours long, so our trip departure was boarding at 12:30pm, and return was 5:45pm. There is plenty of parking at the ferry terminal, as well as washrooms, a small restaurant, and a food truck with picnic tables. You can purchase lunch as part of the cruise - I think it was $16 per person. We opted for that just to save time and hassle. Quality was OK, and you get to keep the insulated lunch bag. I chose the ham sandwich, it also included an apple, brownie, bean salad, and tomato juice. A bit pricey in retrospect, but no regrets. You can always just do your own thing. On the island there is a tiny canteen, but thanks to COVID you can only really buy bottles of water. In the past they had coffee and food selections.

They greet you at the dock and tell you where to go and what to do the whole time - very organized. You get registered and they give you a number to stick on your jacket and you stay with that group the whole time. Somewhat surprisingly, we were the only Anglophones on the boat so we got a personalized tour. You follow a schedule and a map, and they usher you along everywhere. Guides were knowledgeable and entertaining. I wondered going into this how were we going to spend so much time there - but wow the time went fast. The history and stories they tell are fascinating and time just flew by. There is a trolley bus that brings you to the farther reaches of the island, so that saves a bit of walking.

Bring good walking shoes and jacket depending on the weather. The ferry crossing can be a bit chilly. A backpack with drinks and snacks probably...

The island itself run by parks canada was amazing. The staff are incredibly knowledgeable, some in period costume and characters, others act as guides. They were incredible at accomodating us as the only english speaking people on the island and ensured that we were able to experience the whole island and all stops along the route. The parks Canada staff really went above and beyonf. Fascinating history about early quarantine practices and incredible way to honor a tragic event. The options for getting there are limited to boat or plane. We took the boat. Found the boat cruise was overpriced for what it was. Also struggled that we were the only english speaking people there that day so, although every attempt at accomodation was made, we were left feeling a bit the outsider. I think in future summers when travel is more open they seperate the english and french tourists better and may have additional cruise options to arrive...

Sad location for all Irish people. On this island lie the remains of almost 5500 Irish people who perished as a consequence of trying to escape the famine which raged in 1845 and 1847 in their home country. Death was what awaited so many after a long and perilous journey into what was at that time the " unknown " . Canadian people were extremely generous in trying to assist the unfortunate Irish. Local clergy insisted that the locals adopt any children orphaned as a consequence of the tragedy which befell so many families. They also made sure the children retained their Irish names. Canadians are a generous , sensitive , compassionate people; they don't make a song and dance about things but give without...