Question 1 It was during the years of the Great Famine in Ireland in 1847 that "the Irish came to Canada." False. The period in which "the Irish came to Canada" was really in the pre-Famine years between 1800-1840. It was this wave of Irish immigrants who had the most significant impact on the formation of Irish Canada. These Irish immigrants came with the economic resources to establish themselves in Canada. In contrast, the Famine Irish were mostly destitute and would take a longer time to firmly establish themselves in the Canadian mainstream. During the Potato Famine nearly two million fled Ireland and hundreds of thousands came to Canada. But the majority of the Famine immigrants stayed in Canada only temporarily before moving on to the United States. Next Top of Page