place

Rideau Canal Celtic Cross

2004 sculpturesMonumental crosses in CanadaMonuments and memorials in OttawaRideau Canal

The Rideau Canal Celtic Cross is a memorial in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, erected to commemorate the workers and their families that died building the Rideau Canal between 1826 and 1832. The granite Celtic cross has five engraved symbols: an Irish harp; a pick and shovel; a mosquito; a wheel barrow, and an explosion. It is erected close to Lock #1, in the Colonel By Valley, below Major's Hill Park and Château Laurier Hotel. The group of volunteers who erected the cross were drawn together in 2002 by the Ottawa and District Labour Council with the goal of erecting the memorial. The committee included representatives of the Workers Heritage Centre Museum and the Irish Society of the National Capital Region. The group had support from the Kingston Irish Folk Club, which has raised a number of monuments in the Kingston area. Upon the unveiling of the cross at the canal's first lock at the Ottawa River, the committee disbanded.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Rideau Canal Celtic Cross (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

Rideau Canal Celtic Cross
Ottawa River Pathway, (Old) Ottawa Rideau-Vanier

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: Rideau Canal Celtic CrossContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 45.42673 ° E -75.69804 °
placeShow on map

Address

Ottawa River Pathway

Ottawa River Pathway
K1N 1G8 (Old) Ottawa, Rideau-Vanier
Ontario, Canada
mapOpen on Google Maps

Share experience

Nearby Places

Major's Hill Park
Major's Hill Park

Major's Hill Park is a park in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. The park stands above the Rideau Canal at the point where it enters the Ottawa River. The parliament buildings can be seen across the canal to the west, to the north of the park is the National Gallery of Canada, and to the east are the United States embassy and the Byward Market. To the south is the Chateau Laurier hotel, built on land that was once part of the park. The neighbourhood surrounding the park was once home to those who constructed the canal. In particular, the area that is now the park was the official residence of the Superintending Engineer of the Rideau Canal, Lieutenant-Colonel John By until he returned to England in 1832. The hill was known at the time as "Colonel's Hill". By was replaced in 1832 by Captain Daniel Bolton who took up residence in By's house. In 1838 Bolton was promoted to Major. By the time he left the Bytown in 1843, the hill had become known as Major's Hill. Commemorative plaques and a statue of Lieutenant-Colonel By, Major Bolton and their successors were erected in Major's Hill Park.The residence was destroyed by fire on October 5, 1848, though ruins survive to today. The use of the area as a residence means that the park has remained a green space since the early days of Ottawa. It is now managed by the National Capital Commission, which has placed historical information in the northwest corner of the park. Due to its central location, Major's Hill Park is frequented all year round. It is frequently used as a venue for events, and is central to Ottawa's civic Canada Day celebrations. A more recent addition to the calendar is the annual 'B In The Park', which precedes the Glengarry Highland Games. Pipe bands and highland dancers from all over the world perform. It is presented by the Sons of Scotland Pipe Band of Ottawa, which claims to be Canada's oldest continuous civilian pipe band.

Parliament of Canada
Parliament of Canada

The Parliament of Canada (French: Parlement du Canada) is the federal legislature of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and is composed of three parts: the King, the Senate, and the House of Commons. By constitutional convention, the House of Commons is dominant, with the Senate rarely opposing its will. The Senate reviews legislation from a less partisan standpoint and may initiate certain bills. The monarch or his representative, normally the governor general, provides royal assent to make bills into law. The governor general, on behalf of the monarch, summons and appoints the 105 senators on the advice of the prime minister, while each of the 338 members of the House of Commons – called members of Parliament (MPs) – represents an electoral district, commonly referred to as a riding, and are elected by Canadian voters residing in the riding. The governor general also summons and calls together the House of Commons, and may prorogue or dissolve Parliament, in order to either end a parliamentary session or call a general election. The governor general also delivers the Throne Speech at the opening of each new Parliament (the monarch occasionally has done so, instead of the governor general, when visiting Canada). The current Parliament, summoned by Governor General Mary Simon in November 2021, is the 44th Parliament since Confederation in 1867. The official languages of the Parliament are English and French.