Ireland Park and Island Airport
Riding my bike from the 29 bus thorough the quiet CNE grounds, being prepared for the upcoming auto race sponsored by some strange beer company.
Island airport and ferry, including the second-floor waiting areas. Seems a bit much (even "arrivals" and "departures" doors on the mainland side). Your tax dollars at work!
Ireland Park, opened last Thursday, is very interesting and its location almost fits its surroundings, particuarly with the Canada Malting Silos there. I write about it
here too, but at UT, I can post more and bigger pics.
The park was dedicated to mark the 160th anniversary of the arrival of immigrants fleeing the Irish Famine. It is not easy to find - there's no signage except on the Kilkenny Limestone.
Five bronze statues stand (and in one case, lie) on a lawn nearby, signifying the mixed emotions and experience of the new immigrants, in a collective called “The Arrivalâ€. In a similar park in Dublin, there are seven statues collectively called “Departure†– illustrating the loss of many ailing émigrés on the long voyage to Canada.
The silos make for a surprisingly fitting backdrop, which seems to be built into the park, the glass brick tower seemingly making reference to the silos behind it.
Nearby, “emigrant sheds†were established to receive the 38,560 Irish that arrived in Toronto in 1847. Of those, over 1,100 died, while 675 names are known and displayed between the limestone slabs.
The views of the skyline are quite nice from the park.
HtO Park: