City of Peterborough Commemorates Irish Heritage Week With Flag Raising Ceremony at City Hall

The City of Peterborough is getting green for the next seven days as it kicked off Irish Heritage Week with a flag-raising ceremony at City Hall on Monday morning.

Dignitaries and notaries helped kick off Irish Heritage Week, raising Ireland’s flag at city hall. pHOTO BY David Tuan Bui.

Members of the Peterborough Canadian Irish Club, Nine Ships and dignitaries were at the ceremony to kick off Irish Heritage Week, as declared by Mayor Jeff Leal for Peterborough.

This year is the 201st year that politician Peter Robinson administered the passage and settlement of Irish Catholic families into Scott’s Plains, now known as Peterborough.

“It's important that we remember our Irish heritage and we have the opportunity to do that every year,” said Brendan Moher of the Peterborough Canadian Irish Club. “It's important that we educate our children and educate others in the community that this community was built in many respects by the Irish in 1825 when they arrived with the Peterborough Robinson group. They've been building this community ever since (among with many other immigrants in the world and First Nations).”

@ptbo_canada The City of Peterborough raised Ireland’s flag to kick off Irish Heritage Week in Peterborough for 2026! 🇮🇪 #ptbocanada #journalism #fyp #news #irishheritage ♬ Irish Jig Diddle Leprechaun Fiddle - Viral Sound Empire

Sunday is the 26th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, starting at City Hall and running through George Street until the Peterborough Memorial Centre. This year's grand marshall is Irish historical geographer Christy Roche.

Moher encourages everyone to attend this year’s parade, regardless of anyone’s background or heritage. He says the main takeaway is that everyone has a sense of community, whether they have Irish roots or want to be Irish for a day.

“It is a way for the community to come together of every economic strata and every ethnic background, up and down George Street,” explained Moher. “It's a way to come together as a community and realize what good things we have there.”

A 5K run along George Street has returned for this year’s parade. It will raise money for Right to Heal to help those with mental health and addiction issues. The run begins at 1:30 p.m., starting at Roger Neilson Way and turning around at McDonnel Street before completing the circuit at George Street north of Lansdowne Street.

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