Barrhaven O’Barrhaven has a strong Irish heritage

Go around Barrhaven, and you’re likely to encounter Barrhaven’s Irish roots.

Our brief history is populated by names like Berrigan, Long, Madden, Mulligan, Nesbitt, Stinson, Tierney, plus those we now spell differently, like Neill and Gleeson, originally Neil and Gleason.

Poorer farmers from the British Isles, including many from Armagh,

East Barrhaven Ward Report

Wilson Lo,

Councillor

Mountshannon, Shandon, and Tipperary, Ireland, settled in what’s now Barrhaven on plots of land with less fertile soil and fewer transportation links. The wealthier farms were located closer to the Ottawa River along modern-day Richmond Road, where the more fertile soils and better transport links were located.

As I wrote two weeks ago, Barrhaven’s history is short, but it’s worth learning about. It’s not all Irish, but much of it is.

The land the poorer settlers were able to afford, the eventual need for a road connecting the

Rideau River with Richmond Road (what’s now Jockvale Road), and a pivot from the original plans for a racetrack by

Mel Barr on the Larkin farm (two more Irish names) culminated in what’s now our home.

Barrhaven is going through some truly monumental growth. It’s the luck of the Irish catching up with us. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!