Ballyhoura Development is delighted to announce that the Ireland Canada Homecoming 2025, held in September last year, will feature on RTÉ’s Nationwide on Monday, 16 February at 7pm.
The Ireland Canada Homecoming marked the 200th anniversary of the Peter Robinson Emigration Scheme, a lesser-known but deeply significant chapter of Irish emigration history. In 1823 and 1825, approximately 2,500 people emigrated from the Ballyhoura region and surrounding counties to Upper Canada, settling in what is now Ottawa and Peterborough County in Ontario.
The Homecoming welcomed 190 international visitors from Canada and the United States, all descendants of families who left this region two centuries ago. Over seven days, communities across Ballyhoura opened their doors and hearts, hosting visitors for historical walks and talks, music, song and dance, and shared moments of remembrance and reconnection.
A central feature of the week was the nightly performance of The Robinson Experiment, produced by CallBack Theatre and staged at the Schoolyard Theatre in Charleville, which brought the migration story vividly to life for audiences. The programme of events also included the Peter Robinson Settler Conference, held at Saint George’s Arts and Heritage Centre in Mitchelstown, officially opened by His Excellency Dennis King, Canadian Ambassador to Ireland, and An Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
RTÉ Nationwide interviewed descendants during their visit to Cobh Heritage Centre, which opened a new interpretative wing on the Peter Robinson Emigration Scheme in May 2025. The programme also features interviews with The Robinson Experiment director John Sheehy and producer Cora Fenton at the Schoolyard Theatre in Charleville.
Canadian partners Nine Ships 1825 Inc., who led the Canadian Bicentennial in August 2025, also shared footage from those events for inclusion in the programme. Ballyhoura Development representatives, including Amanda Slattery, Development Manager, travelled to Peterborough to attend the Canadian events, alongside historical geographer Christy Roche and writer and business man Gerry Murphy, who have collectively worked for many years on researching and interpreting this shared history.
The Ireland Canada Homecoming delivered a significant local and international impact, generating an estimated €6.8 million for the local economy. A two-year marketing and engagement campaign reached 5.2 million people globally, strengthening cultural, genealogical and tourism connections between Ireland and Canada.
Speaking ahead of the broadcast, Amanda Slattery, Development Manager at Ballyhoura Development, said:
“Leading and designing this Homecoming, and bringing to life the stories of families who had almost faded from living memory, has been a real honour. The communities of Ballyhoura welcomed descendants home with such warmth and generosity, creating for many an experience of a lifetime as they reconnected with their roots. We are proud to share this forgotten migration story with a wider audience and to continue building on the strong relationships between the communities of origin here in Ireland and the communities of settlement in Canada.”
Broadcast Details
- RTÉ One: Monday, 16 February at 7pm
- RTÉ One +1: Monday, 16 February at 8pm
- RTÉ Player: Available worldwide for three weeks following broadcast
- Repeat: Saturday morning on RTÉ One - Download PIN 7039
