Strong ties through time.

I had the opportunity at the end of June to talk about my research here in Shawville at the University of Cambridge in England. Cambridge recently celebrated its 800th anniversary as a community of scholars. In the shadow of Cambridge’s sense of time my claim that this community shares a long collective memory might seem somewhat hollow. In fact, it is not difficult to demonstrate or explain Shawville’s sense of having a long shared past. Many of you have spoken to me about your parents, grand parents and even great grand parents as part of your sense of belonging here. The sense of continuity in this place is strong. It is also possible in many cases to stretch that sense of continuity across the sea to Ireland and the shared experiences of emigration and settlement in the Ottawa Valley. One of the stories shared with me recently told of a husband and wife from Shawville who visited Ireland and found their separate ancestors lying side by side in the same village graveyard, clear evidence of continuing connections within the community over time and distance.
I want to test my sense that the community of Shawville (representing the English-speaking community in the Pontiac) has a collective memory and shared worldview coloured by its roots in Protestant Ireland, and the experiences of emigration and re-settlement. Stories told at family gatherings, experiences of “The Glorious 12th and connections to the Orange Lodge, visits “home” to Ireland, or family connections across the Ottawa Valley will all be interesting and valuable in my research!