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Anonymous
Apr 13, 2026
Fabulous article.
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The shamrock has been on Montreal's coat of arms since 1832, and the pub culture that followed has been here just as long.
March 14, 2026 · 7 min read
The shamrock has been on Montreal's coat of arms since 1832, and the pub culture that followed has been here just as long.
March 14, 2026 · 7 min read
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Fabulous article.
There's a shamrock on Montreal's coat of arms. It's been there since 1833 alongside the English rose, a beaver for French-Canadians (which eventually became the fleur-de-lis) , and the Scottish thistle, reminding us that this city was built, in no small part, by Irish hands that dug the Lachine Canal, raised the railways, buried the dead during the typhus epidemic of 1847, and—perhaps most consequentially for the city's social life—opened the taverns.
By 1851, inn- and tavern-keeping was the second most common occupation among Montreal's Irish, with a Montreal city directory listing 26 Irish-owned inns and taverns in total (only grocers and spirits dealers ranked higher). The Irish pub, in other words, wasn't so much imported to Montreal as it was grown here out of necessity and community.
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There's a shamrock on Montreal's coat of arms. It's been there since 1833 alongside the English rose, a beaver for French-Canadians (which eventually became the fleur-de-lis) , and the Scottish thistle, reminding us that this city was built, in no small part, by Irish hands that dug the Lachine Canal, raised the railways, buried the dead during the typhus epidemic of 1847, and—perhaps most consequentially for the city's social life—opened the taverns.
By 1851, inn- and tavern-keeping was the second most common occupation among Montreal's Irish, with a Montreal city directory listing 26 Irish-owned inns and taverns in total (only grocers and spirits dealers ranked higher). The Irish pub, in other words, wasn't so much imported to Montreal as it was grown here out of necessity and community.
Create a free account to read this story and access 3 articles per month, plus our weekly Bulletin.
Raised in Little Burgundy, the pianist took Montreal jazz around the world and helped the next generation carry it on.
When North America went dry in 1920, Montreal didn't, and that choice would shape the city into what it is today.
On July 14, 1987, two hours of rain drowned the Décarie, shut down the métro, and became the storm so many Montreal floods are still measured against.
The St. Lawrence River, French colonial planning, and centuries of habit created a directional system where “north” has almost nothing to do with a compass.
An eclectic collection of Montreal businesses approaching, reaching, and surpassing the 100-year mark.
Montreal’s jazz culture grew in the city’s espresso bars and coffeehouses. This summer, Le Café Lavazza pays tribute to that legacy at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal.
Raised in Little Burgundy, the pianist took Montreal jazz around the world and helped the next generation carry it on.
When North America went dry in 1920, Montreal didn't, and that choice would shape the city into what it is today.
On July 14, 1987, two hours of rain drowned the Décarie, shut down the métro, and became the storm so many Montreal floods are still measured against.
The St. Lawrence River, French colonial planning, and centuries of habit created a directional system where “north” has almost nothing to do with a compass.
An eclectic collection of Montreal businesses approaching, reaching, and surpassing the 100-year mark.
Montreal’s jazz culture grew in the city’s espresso bars and coffeehouses. This summer, Le Café Lavazza pays tribute to that legacy at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal.
From our archive.
As Mount Royal Park turns 150, the story of its creation reveals how Olmsted's vision for the mountain was compromised almost from the very beginning.
From postwar migration to piri piri chicken, Azorean immigrants transformed an iconic Montreal neighbourhood with enduring community.
The story of Rufus Rockhead, the Jamaican-born railway porter who built Montreal's most legendary jazz club—and spent decades defending it.
The Ravenscrag manor housed the Allan Memorial Institute, where patients seeking help became victims of Cold War experiments.
The law demanded they learn anatomy but made dissection illegal, so for nearly a century, stolen corpses were tobogganed down Mount Royal to a folk hero janitor who paid cash, no questions asked.
From its 1945 opening to a 1984 closure and its present-day hotel, the Décarie Boulevard institution was where Montreal went to see and be seen.
From our archive.
As Mount Royal Park turns 150, the story of its creation reveals how Olmsted's vision for the mountain was compromised almost from the very beginning.
From postwar migration to piri piri chicken, Azorean immigrants transformed an iconic Montreal neighbourhood with enduring community.
The story of Rufus Rockhead, the Jamaican-born railway porter who built Montreal's most legendary jazz club—and spent decades defending it.
The Ravenscrag manor housed the Allan Memorial Institute, where patients seeking help became victims of Cold War experiments.
The law demanded they learn anatomy but made dissection illegal, so for nearly a century, stolen corpses were tobogganed down Mount Royal to a folk hero janitor who paid cash, no questions asked.
From its 1945 opening to a 1984 closure and its present-day hotel, the Décarie Boulevard institution was where Montreal went to see and be seen.
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Fabulous article.