This episode traces Griffintown’s history from its Indigenous roots and early French contact through the fur trade, the fall of New France, and the rise of British rule. It covers the Lachine Canal’s mid‑1800s construction by Irish immigrant labourers and the rise of industrial capitalism. It highlights Griffintown’s 1791 founding, when land was illegally sold to Mary Griffin, and ends with the 1847–48 Irish immigration crisis, when 70,000 arrived and 6,000 died of typhus at Windmill Point—remains later uncovered in 2019 during REM construction. The episode emphasizes preserving the legacy of these Irish immigrants.

In this five-part series, Griffintown: A People’s History, historian Dr. Matthew Barlow recounts the fascinating social history of Griffintown, a former industrial neighbourhood just south of downtown Montreal, that has all but disappeared.