Browse "People"

Article

Irene Spry

Irene Mary Spry (née Biss), economic historian (born 28 August 1907 in Standerton, Transvaal, South Africa; died 16 December 1998 in Ottawa, ON).

Editorial

Irene Parlby and the United Farmers of Alberta

The following article is an editorial written by The Canadian Encyclopedia staff. Editorials are not usually updated. Most Canadians, if they have heard of Irene Parlby, know her as one of the “Famous Five.” This group of five Alberta women were plaintiffs in a court case that argued women were indeed persons under the British North America Act (now the Constitution Act, 1867) and thus entitled to be named to the Senate. It was a landmark case in the long struggle by women to achieve political and legal equality in Canada. But Parlby’s historical significance rests on much more than just the Persons Case.

Article

Irene Pavloska

Irene Pavloska (b Lévi). Mezzo-soprano, b St-Jean, Que, 17 Feb 1889, d Chicago 12 Feb 1962. Raised in Montreal, where her parents settled when she was three, she began piano lessons when she was six. She later studied for 18 months with Clara Folin in Frankfurt while in boarding school there.

Article

Irene Salemka

Irene Salemka, soprano (born 3 October 1928 in Friedensfeld, MB; died 27 August 2017 in Collingwood, ON). Honorary LL D (Saskatchewan) 1972.

Article

Irene (Todd) Baird

Irene (Todd) Baird, novelist, columnist (b at Carlisle, England 9 Apr 1901; d at Victoria, BC, 19 Apr 1981). Born in England, Irene Baird immigrated to Vancouver with her parents in 1919, where she later met and married Robert Baird. In 1937 she and her family moved to Victoria.

Article

Irene Uchida

Irene Ayako Uchida, OC, geneticist (born 8 April 1917 in Vancouver, BC; died 30 July 2013 in Toronto, ON). Dr. Uchida pioneered the field of cytogenetics in Canada, enabling early screening for chromosomal abnormalities (i.e., changes in chromosomes caused by genetic mutations). She discovered that women who receive X-rays during pregnancy have a higher chance of giving birth to a baby with Down syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities. She also discovered that the extra chromosome that causes Down syndrome may come from either parent, not only the mother. Click here for definitions of key terms used in this article.

Article

Irene Weiss Peery

Irene (Joan) Weiss Peery (b Weiss, m Peery). Pianist, teacher, b Cardston, Alta, 11 Apr 1946; B MUS (Juilliard) 1970, M MUS (Juilliard) 1972, DMA (Peabody Cons) 1987. At eight she was performing major works in Alberta festivals, winning every class she entered for the next eight years.

Article

Irenee Byatt

Irenee (Irene) Byatt. Contralto, actress, b Vancouver 3 May 1926. After lessons in Victoria, BC, she studied 1948-50 with Albert Whitehead at the RCMT, and 1950-4 with Roy Henderson in England. In 1953 she sang in Messiah at Albert Hall with the London SO under Sir Malcolm Sargent.

Article

Irish Canadians

The Irish have played an important role in the history of Canada. From their early settlements in Newfoundland, to the larger waves of migrations in the 19th century and the present, the Irish have been ever-present in the Canadian landscape. Irish Canadians have contributed to Canadian society and its economy, and the Irish-Canadian identity continues to be expressed and celebrated. According to the 2021 census, 4,413,120 Canadians reported having Irish origins.

Infographic

Irish Culture in Canada

Article

Irish Famine Orphans in Canada

Thousands of children became orphans during the 1847 Irish famine migration to British North America. Public authorities, private charities and religious officials all played a part in addressing this crisis. Many orphans were placed with relatives or with Irish families. A considerable number were also taken in by Francophone Catholics in Canada East, and by English-speaking Protestants in New Brunswick. Although many families took in orphans for charitable reasons, most people were motivated by the pragmatic value of an extra pair of hands on the farm or in the household.

Article

Irish Rovers

The Irish Rovers are a Celtic folk and pop group, founded about 1964 by 5 Irish-born musicians who emigrated to Toronto in their teens. Brothers Will and George Millar were child entertainers in their hometown of Ballymena near Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Article

Irish Rovers

Irish Rovers. Irish-Canadian pop group formed in Calgary in 1964 by the brothers Will Millar (singer, banjoist, guitarist) and George Millar (guitarist), a cousin, Joe Millar (accordionist), and Jimmy Ferguson (singer).

Article

Irma LeVasseur

Irma LeVasseur, MD, first French-Canadian female doctor and founder of the Hôpital Sainte-Justine in Montreal and the Hôpital de l’Enfant-Jésus in Québec City (born 20 January 1877 in Québec, QC; died 18 January 1964 in Québec, QC.) Dr. LeVasseur was one of the very few female doctors of her era and was a pioneer in pediatric medicine. She devoted her life to sick children, founding major institutions that continued her work after her death.

Article

Iroquoian

Iroquoian describes an ethno-cultural and linguistic group of Indigenous peoples that historically lived in the Great Lakes area. Indigenous nations described as Iroquoian include the Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, Neutral, Tionontati (Petun), Wenro, and Erie.