CANADIAN MEDIA TOUR FOR SHOEBOXES: FROM IRISH ROOTS TO CANADIAN BRANCHES

Book Celebrates Long-Buried Stories of Brave Irish Families Who Left Ireland for Canadian Shores 200 years ago, Connecting Generations Across the Atlantic

TORONTO, Feb. 23, 2023 /CNW/ - Kevin Lee and Tom Jenkins, authors of Shoeboxes: From Irish Roots to Canadian Branches are pleased to announce their Canadian media tour, from March 9 to March 22, 2023, at select locations across Southwestern Ontario.

The tour includes stops at Smiths Falls, Ottawa, Kingston, Belleville, Owen Sound, Hamilton, Peterborough, and Toronto—locales steeped in Irish history and populated by descendants of the emigrants from the Coollattin Estate in County Wicklow. Sponsored by the Coollattin Canadian Connection, the tour kicks off in Toronto on March 9 with a book signing at the Canada Ireland Foundation evening concert, "Bound For Canada" at the Winter Garden Theatre. Proceeds from the tour will be donated to support the work of the Canada Ireland Foundation.  Highlights of the tour include presentations, interviews, and book signings throughout Southern Ontario—following the same roads that the original Irish families journeyed down—with a closing event in Belleville on March 22.

Set against the history of Coollattin Estate in County Wicklow, Ireland, Shoeboxes: From Irish Roots to Canadian Branches tells the stories of 50 Irish families who emigrated to Canada during Ireland's darkest hours, the Great Potato Famine. Sailing on "coffin ships," they made the weeks-long journey across the Atlantic to settle in parts of Southwestern Ontario.

The authors believe that there may be hundreds of thousands of Canadians that are direct descendants of Coollattin immigrants. If you have Irish roots that can be traced to County Wicklow or your family name matches one of the family names listed on the Shoeboxes website, the authors invite you to join them at any of the locations. This could be your chance to connect to your past. To register for the Shoeboxes Media Tour, or to sign up for updates, visit www.shoeboxesbook.com. You can also contact [email protected] for more information.

"Shoeboxes: From Irish Roots to Canadian Branches covers the impressive journey of Irish immigrants from famine-ridden Ireland to Southwestern Ontario in the 1850s. This journalistic collection of over 50 families who came to Canada from Coollattin Estate in County Wicklow depicts their stories in historical detail but also authentically captures the character and motivation of the time — Kevin Newman, Journalist and News Anchor.

"The book, Shoeboxes: From Irish Roots to Canadian Branches is a magnificently illustrated coffee table book with detailed maps, records, and original artwork. Each 'shoebox' contains images of many of the emigrants who left Ireland with little material possessions but with great hope in their hearts." – Dr. Mark McGowan, Professor of History and Celtic Studies, St. Michael's College at University of Toronto.

Coollattin Canadian Connection is a great opportunity to rediscover relationships and to re-establish them for future generations: www.coollattincanadianconnection.com.

Canada Ireland Foundation (CIF) celebrates and commemorates the story of the Irish in Canada: https://www.canadairelandfoundation.com/

SOURCE Canadian Coollattin Connection