Summer of Sorrow

Summer of Sorrow is a 2 x 1 hour docu-drama that tells the all but forgotten story of one of the greatest calamities of the 19^th century – the Irish potato famine – and how this humanitarian crisis deeply affected the young city of Toronto.

Between May and October of 1847, Toronto, population 20,000, was deluged with a human tide of suffering – 38,000 sick, weak and desperate famine refugees from Ireland. The city’s over-taxed hospital was filled beyond capacity so temporary shelters were constructed at the corner of King and John streets where many, many people succumbed to their illnesses.

In advance of a new development, the corner of King and John is now the focus of an archeological investigation to find clues that will help historians piece together the events of the summer of 1847.  The documentary follows the archeological investigation and uses the artifacts found at the site, combined with hospital records, death registries, parish records and ships’ logs to put faces and names to the people who left Ireland bound for Canada – the stories of those who perished and those who survived and thrived, going on to make a huge contribution to society.

Filmed on location in Ireland and Canada, Summer of Sorrow reveals the heroes and the villains, the opportunistic and the saintly and the tragedies and triumphs of this extraordinary period in history.