Description of Historic Place

Irish Families Memorial consists of a circular arrangement of a 3-metre stone Celtic cross, four engraved standing stones, four engraved stone tablets, two stone benches and a land dedication tablet. It is located in the south end of Riverfront Park, between the Petitcodiac River and the Riverfront Promenade in Moncton.

Heritage Value

Irish Families Memorial is designated a Local Historic Place for its cultural significance to Southeastern New Brunswick.

The memorial was erected in July 2000 to pay homage to the Irish families who settled in New Brunswick nearly 200 years ago. The memorial was designed by Linda Evans, President of the Westmorland-Albert-Kent Chapter of the Irish-Canadian Cultural Association of New Brunswick, with the help of Tingley Monuments of Amherst, Nova Scotia.

Today, Irish bloodlines can be traced to about 38% of New Brunswick’s population. The memorial was a Millennium Project of the Westmorland-Albert-Kent Chapter of the Irish-Canadian Cultural Association of New Brunswick and originally consisted of a 3m Celtic Cross and four standing stones engraved with the names of 300 Irish settlers, all arranged in a symbolic circular pattern on land donated by the City of Moncton. The tablets represent the four Irish provinces of Ulster, Leinster, Munster and Connaught. In September 2003, an additional four tablets were erected, along with two stone benches. There are now more than 400 names engraved on the memorial.

Source: Moncton Museum, Moncton, New Brunswick - site file “Riverfront Park – Irish Families Memorial”

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements relating to the composition and context of the Irish Families Memorial include:
- ancient Celtic Cross centrepiece;
- four engraved standing stones;
- four engraved stone tablets;
- two stone benches;
- circular arrangement;
- land dedication tablet.