Empress of Ireland travelling exhibition at the Canadian Museum of Civilization this week

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

For immediate release

Gatineau, Quebec, June 4, 2013 — The Canadian Museum of Civilization is pleased to welcome an exhibition from the Site historique maritime de la Pointe au Père on the RMS Empress of Ireland, a Canadian vessel that brought tens of thousands of immigrants to our shores, and which tragically sank in the St. Lawrence River on May 29, 1914. This travelling exhibition will be on display at the Museum until June 7, 2013, part of a summer tour of major Canadian cities.

Through this exhibition on the Empress of Ireland, the Site historique maritime de la Pointe au Père seeks to inform visitors about the history of this Canadian Pacific-owned vessel and to reach out to descendants of those immigrants who came to Canada onboard this ship.

The exhibition includes photographs of the ship and passenger lists from 1906-1914, including the list of passengers on board at the time of the tragedy. Visitors will come away with a better understanding of the Empress of Ireland’s important legacy and the fascinating but tragic story of its sinking in 1914. This disaster, overshadowed by the outbreak of the First World War, remains to this day the largest maritime disaster in Canadian waters.

The story of the Empress of Ireland will also be highlighted in an exhibition developed by the Canadian Museum of Civilization. The exhibition will feature the most comprehensive collection of artifacts and archival material related to the sinking of the Empress of Ireland. The collection, recently acquired by the Museum, is comprised of more than 400 items, including the ship’s fog bell and navigational instruments. The exhibition will open to coincide with the 100th anniversary of this tragic event in 2014.

More information is available at www.historymuseum.ca or by calling 819-776-7000 or
1-800-555-5621.

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