Thomas D’Arcy Mcgee Monument Unveiled in Montreal

On June 8, 1869, you'd have witnessed Montreal reveal a monument to Thomas D'Arcy McGee, making it the first city in Canada to honor the assassinated Father of Confederation. McGee had been killed by a Fenian sympathizer just over a year earlier, on April 7, 1868. Montreal's strong Irish Catholic community guaranteed his memory wouldn't fade. There's much more to uncover about the people, the politics, and the legacy surrounding this historic tribute.

Key Takeaways

• On June 8, 1869, Montreal unveiled the first monument honoring Thomas D'Arcy McGee, preceding any similar tribute elsewhere in Canada.
• The monument stands in Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery, where McGee's family mausoleum is also located, spanning 343 acres.
• McGee, assassinated by a Fenian sympathizer on April 7, 1868, was celebrated as the most eloquent Father of Confederation.
• The St. Patrick's Society of Montreal maintains the monument under a formal agreement, reflecting the Irish community's enduring devotion to McGee.
• A separate bronze bust by Eric Jones and a nearby Whelan memorial, just 400 feet away, complement McGee's monument.

Thomas D'Arcy McGee: Irish Immigrant, Canadian Father, Political Target

Thomas D'Arcy McGee was born on April 13, 1825, in Carlingford, County Louth, Ireland, and from his earliest years he'd chart a course defined by political conviction and restless ambition. His early Irish revolutionary activities aligned him with the Young Irelanders, yet emigration redirected his energies toward North America.

He chose Canada over the United States, settling in Montreal in 1857, where he founded the New Era newspaper and entered politics. His later career advocacy for Canadian nationalism earned him the title "Father of Canadian Confederation," as he shaped the 1864 Quebec and Charlottetown conferences. He championed minority educational rights and a unified "new nationality."

Yet his opposition to Fenianism made him an assassination target, a fate he wouldn't escape. He was assassinated in Ottawa on April 7, 1868, killed by a member of the Fenians who opposed his denouncement of their extremist tactics. Prior to his Canadian career, he had served as editor of Boston Pilot, contributing significantly to Irish-American journalism and publishing works on Irish literature and history.

The Night McGee Was Murdered: and How Montreal Broke Down

Late in the night of April 7, 1868, after parliamentary debate stretched past midnight, McGee walked alone to Mrs. Trotter's Boarding House on Sparks Street. As he opened the door, a 32-caliber bullet struck the back of his head. His lit cigar fell beside his lifeless body. The bullet knocked out his false teeth and lodged in the door.

The impact of McGee's assassination hit Montreal with devastating force. The emotional turmoil in Montreal manifested in an unprecedented outpouring of grief. Eighty thousand people — roughly 80% of the city — lined the streets. Fifteen thousand mourners followed his black catafalque to St. Patrick's Church as Handel's "Death March" filled the air. It became the largest funeral procession in British North American history, Canada's first state funeral. Suspicion for the murder fell on Patrick Whelan, an Irishman and member of the Fenian Brotherhood, who sought to conquer Canada and trade it for Irish freedom from British rule. Whelan was ultimately convicted and hanged, though many believed he was wrongfully executed for the crime.

Patrick Whelan's Trial and the Road to McGee's Memorialization

Within 20-24 hours of McGee's murder, police arrested Patrick Whelan — an Irish-born tailor and suspected Fenian sympathizer — with a fully loaded .32 calibre Smith and Wesson revolver in his pocket. Charged with murder on April 9, 1868, Whelan faced an eight-day trial riddled with political interference and dubious legal procedures — Prime Minister Macdonald sat beside Judge Richards during testimony.

Star witness Jean-Baptiste Lacroix identified Whelan as the shooter, though his $10,000 reward motive undermined his credibility. Despite maintaining his innocence, the jury convicted Whelan swiftly. He hanged publicly on February 11, 1869, before 5,000 spectators, declaring he knew the real shooter but refused to inform.

Months later, Montreal presented McGee's monument — transforming a politically charged assassination into a moment of national mourning and memorialization. McGee had made himself a prime target by becoming the most outspoken critic of Irish extremists, ridiculing the Fenians as deluded and foolish while arguing that Canada under the British Crown offered Irish immigrants greater prosperity than the republican United States. Whelan's defence was led by John Hillyard Cameron, a Protestant Orangeman whose closing address acknowledged the deeply unfair circumstances stacked against his client.

Montreal's Decision to Honor McGee Before Any Other City

Montreal didn't wait long after Whelan's execution to cement McGee's legacy in stone. On June 8, 1869, the city revealed its monument to McGee, making it the first such tribute in Canada. No other city moved this quickly, and that's no coincidence.

The Irish community influence was undeniable. Montreal's strong Irish Catholic base had invited McGee in 1857, elected him to parliament, and turned out 80,000 mourners for his funeral procession. That same community drove the push for early monuments' significance, ensuring McGee's memory wouldn't disappear.

You can still see this legacy today in Rue D'Arcy-McGee and Parc D'Arcy-McGee, both unique to Montreal. The city didn't just mourn McGee — it claimed him permanently as its own. McGee had worked tirelessly to promote Canadian Confederation as a necessary defense measure against the Americans, a cause that resonated deeply with the nation he helped build. He had first made his mark as a revolutionary writer, having emigrated to the United States at age 17 where he spent years criticizing British rule in Ireland before eventually finding his way to Canada.

Who Attended the McGee Monument Unveiling in Montreal

Who exactly gathered on June 8, 1869, to witness McGee's monument revealed? Historical records don't provide a precise attendee list for the memorial proceedings, but you can reasonably piece together the likely attendee profiles based on what surrounded McGee's legacy.

Given that Members of Parliament and Senators had marched in his 1868 funeral procession, prominent political figures almost certainly attended. The St. Patrick's Society of Montreal, which had originally invited McGee to the city in 1857 and championed his career, would've played an active role. McGee was widely regarded as the most eloquent of the Fathers of Confederation, making his monument a natural draw for those who had witnessed his powerful oratory firsthand.

Irish community leaders and civic dignitaries likely filled the gathering. Montreal's population had already demonstrated extraordinary devotion to McGee, with 80,000 people turning out for his funeral. That same passionate community wouldn't have missed presenting his permanent memorial. McGee had been instrumental in convincing the Irish population to support Confederation, making his monument a point of immense pride for that community.

The McGee Monument's Current Location in Montreal

Everything connected to McGee's legacy in Montreal converges at Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery, where his family mausoleum stands on the north slope of Mount Royal. Canada's largest burial ground, founded in 1854, serves as the mausoleum's current appearance in the broader landscape of Catholic Montreal.

The monument's maintenance history traces back to a formal agreement with the St. Patrick's Society of Montreal, which added a tribute inscription in 1948. Government records in Library and Archives Canada confirm an approved draft maintenance agreement dated June 10 to December 31, 1969.

You'll also find a separate bronze bust by Eric Jones nearby, bearing the inscription honoring McGee as "the most eloquent voice of the Fathers of Confederation." The Whelan memorial stands just 400 feet away. With over 1 million people buried within its 343 acres, Notre-Dame-des-Neiges remains a profound repository of Canadian history, making it a fitting resting place for one of the country's most influential Fathers of Confederation.

McGee's former home on Ste-Catherine Street is further memorialized through two distinctive lintel stones decorated with carved shamrocks, made of Montreal limestone, which were recovered after the building's destruction by fire in 1962 and are now integrated into the Engineering and Fine Arts Complex.