[S86] St. Lawrence O'Toole (Irishtown) Parish Cemetery Grave Marker Images, online www.acadian-cemeteries.acadian-home.org/frames.html, monument erected by the Irish Canadian Cultural Association of New Brunswick. When the Irish Families Memorial in Moncton was dedicated in 2000, the Westmorland Albert Kent (Moncton) Chapter of the Irish Canadian Cultural Association of New Brunswick then planned satellite monuments around south-eastern New Brunswick in areas and communities where the Irish had founded settlements in the first half of the 19th century.
The first of these was dedicated in Irishtown, a community 10 km north of Moncton on September 14th, 2003. After mass, the congregation of St Lawrence O’Toole Roman Catholic Church gathered around the new First Settler Families monument outside the church for the dedication and blessing. The monument commemorates the pioneer families of Irishtown and the nearby settlements of McQuades and O’Neills.
The monument was designed by Linda Evans of Irishtown and carved by Tingleys Monuments of Amherst, Nova Scotia. Partial funding was acquired from the Regional Development Corporation of New Brunswick. The Westmorland Albert Kent (Moncton) Chapter provided the remainder. The parish of St Lawrence O’Tooles donated the land and also prepared the site.
The monument is an 8-foot standing stone of light grey granite. On the front of the monument is the following inscription: “First Settler Families – Irishtown - McQuades - O’Neills Settlements” followed by the caption “forever in our hearts”.
To view the monument, take exit 459 (Notre Dame/St Antoine) from the Trans Canada Highway north of Moncton. Follow Route 115 north, away from the city for 9 km and you will come to Irishtown. A kilometre further, you will see St Lawrence O’Toole Roman Catholic Church on the left hand side of the road. The monument is located beside the church.
Then follows the names of the pioneer Irish families to the area, as well as their date of arrival in NB. Recorded in alphabetical order on the front and rear of the monument, the settler families include the following: Alexander 1823, Anketell 1831, Barr 1846, Bulmer, Corbett 1833, Delahunt 1816, Delahunt 1821, Delahunt 1839, Doherty 1847, Doherty 1850, Donahoe 1832, Donahue 1832, Donovan 1831, Doyle 1848, Eddington 1832, Fitzgerald 1830, Fitzsimmons 1816, Fitzsimmons 1846, Fogarty 1823, Foley 1832, Gaines, Gallagher 1820, Griffin 1832, Hannigan 1831, Hennessy 1819, Hogan 1837, Keenan 1836, Kelly 1846, Lannigan 1848, Larracey 1816, Lowry 1836, Marley 1826, Mauser 1840, Matthews, McDonald 1832, McGuire, McQuade 1832, Mulroney 1832, Murray 1821, O’Delaney 1849, O’Donnell 1836, O’Donnell 1846, O’Neill 1831, O’Neill 1832, O’Neill 1837, O’Rourke 1812, Power (Poor), Quinn, Reddy, Sullivan 1831, Turner, Walsh 1837 and Wood.