Two hundred years

On April 18, 1825 at the Wellington Hotel in Charlottetown, the Benevolent Irish Society of PEI (BIS) was formed. The May 6, 1825 front page of the Island Register newspaper recorded the event in the following manner: “At a meeting held at the Wellington Hotel in Charlotte Town on April 18, 1825 for the purpose of establishing a charitable society on this island to be denominated the ‘Benevolent Irish Society of Prince Edward Island’ the following Rules and Regulations were submitted to such meeting and agreed to be adopted.”   

Founding officers were elected at the first meeting: Frederick “Fade” Goff (president), Francis Longworth (vice-president), J. B. Palmer (second vice-president), and Charles DesBrisay (secretary). The Society’s first patron was Lieutenant-Governor John Ready, an Irishman who came to PEI in 1824. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, other BIS branches in Emerald, Souris, and St. Patrick’s/St. Ann’s were established. The other branches eventually folded, but BIS Charlottetown has had 200 years of continuous operation.

During the first 150 years of existence, particular emphasis was “to provide relief to the poor regardless of race or religion.” The City of Charlottetown was divided into wards, each with a charity committee. Individuals could approach the ward committee with a request for assistance. To raise money for its many charitable activities, which included supplying coffins, financing funerals, and buying food, fuel and clothing for those in need, the Society organized concerts, plays and picnics. 

St. Patrick’s Day has always been important to BIS members. In 1826, the first March 17 traditional dinner was celebrated and in 1866 the first St. Patrick’s Day Parade took place in Charlottetown. The tradition remained until 2010 when aging membership caused it to be discontinued. St. Patrick’s Week plays were performed in Charlottetown from 1880–1989 and served as fundraisers for the BIS. The play was brought back in 2019.  

For the 200-year anniversary of the Society, the BIS is holding major events across PEI starting April 18 with the Wellington Hotel Launch from 2–4 pm. Members of the public are welcome to attend and view some of the artifacts collected over 200 years of existence. 

Additional upcoming events include: the Confederation Centre exhibit – Benevolent Irish and Social (June–September); a three-day Celtic Heritage Fair (August 8–10); free concerts at the Tignish Legion with Fiddlers’ Sons (August 3), the Emyvale Community Centre with Taylor Johnston and Ward MacDonald (August 5), and the Kinkora Community Centre with Fullerton’s Marsh (August 10); four concerts with Richard Wood & Friends (August 7, 9, 12, and 14); historic Irish walking and self-driving tours of Charlottetown, Eastern PEI and Western PEI; and traditional instrument workshops for harp, tin whistle, and fiddle.

Visit benevolentirishsocietyofpei.com for more information.