Irish Benevolent Society of London & Area

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Irish Benevolent Society of London & Area Working together in harmony for the purpose of preserving our Irish heritage and performing works of benevolence. The President holds office for two years.

On March 12th, 1877 in London, Ontario, Canada, a small group of Irish born and others of Irish descent from different religions and politics organized The Irish Benevolent Society. Its purpose was, and remains, to provide opportunities for members and their friends to engage in benevolent activities and to preserve their Irish heritage. Item 17 of the Society’s Constitution and By-laws is a good example of one of the unique features of this organization:

At the election of officers it has been a rule of the Irish Benevolent Society and shall so continue that Presidents shall be alternately Protestant and Catholic. The Executive Officers are equally representative of the Roman Catholic and Protestant religions. The ability of this group to work in harmony to the benefit of their community continues to provide a fine example of mutual respect. The Society’s history became the subject of a book entitled “The Luck of the Irish in Canada: A History of the Irish Benevolent Society of London and Middlesex” by Gordon J. Sanderson. We have created this page to further promote our mission statement and celebrate our Irish culture. We will be posting acts of kindness, events, historical information, images, art/music, videos, community connections, information on searching Irish genealogy and other Irish content. We hope you will share your stories as well!

10/14/2026
Ray Bassett was the Irish Ambassador to Canada from 2010 to 2016. He visited London ON in 2016, and has very fond memori...
08/15/2026

Ray Bassett was the Irish Ambassador to Canada from 2010 to 2016. He visited London ON in 2016, and has very fond memories of hie visit with the members of our Society. He has written this book on the Good Friday Peace Agreement. The Traveller's Tale, is now available on Amazon Canada. https://a.co/d/00pOEVWf

☘️ How Irish Are You, Really?We all know everyone's a little bit Irish on St. Patrick's Day… but have you ever wondered ...
08/15/2026

☘️ How Irish Are You, Really?

We all know everyone's a little bit Irish on St. Patrick's Day… but have you ever wondered if you actually are?

Heritage Day is the perfect time to find out.

Start at our Genealogy Corner, where you can dig into your family roots, ask questions and perhaps uncover an Irish connection you never knew you had. Bring along the names, dates and places you know — you never know where the trail might lead.

Then take a deeper dive into the story of the Irish who made their way to this part of Ontario. Stop by Middlesex Centre Archives and discover the people, families and communities who came before us. The local Irish history is fascinating — and there's far more of it than you might expect.

And while you're exploring the past, make time for a chat with the folks from the Donnelly Museum. If you know the story of the Black Donnellys, you'll know why. And if you don't… well, you're definitely going to want to hear it.

Family roots. Local history. A little mystery.

It is Heritage Day, after all. Come discover your connection to the story.

We might be just a little excited about this one…Ben Heffernan is performing at Irish Heritage Day🎶The London singer-son...
08/15/2026

We might be just a little excited about this one…

Ben Heffernan is performing at Irish Heritage Day🎶

The London singer-songwriter has taken his music across Canada and Ireland, earned a Canadian Folk Music Award nomination and built a reputation as one of our city's standout musical talents.

And on August 16, he's joining us at Fanshawe Pioneer Village.

Heritage Day will always be about celebrating the traditions we love — the fiddles, the dancing, the songs and the stories — but Irish culture has never stood still. We're delighted to add Ben's contemporary sound to this year's mix of craic agus ceol.

If you already know Ben's music, here's your reason to come.

If you don't, here's your chance to discover him.

Ben Heffernan • Live at Irish Heritage Day
📅 Sunday, August 16
⏰ 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
📍 Fanshawe Pioneer Village

And that's only one part of the day…

08/12/2026

Some days, before you can walk back through the door, you sit in the driveway for ten extra minutes. Not because you don't love them. Because caring for someone with vascular dementia asks something of you that no one else quite sees. The steady face. The endless logistics. The quiet grief of watchi...

08/11/2026

"We've done everything we can do." For a patient, few sentences land harder. It is the moment the folder closes, the options run out, and the path forward seems to simply end. But that sentence describes a limit of what is currently standard. It does not describe the limit of what is being studied.....

🇮🇪 COME FOR THE CRAIC. STAY FOR THE FISH & CHIPS. 🇮🇪Heritage Day just got a little tastier.This year, Fish & Chips will ...
08/11/2026

🇮🇪 COME FOR THE CRAIC. STAY FOR THE FISH & CHIPS. 🇮🇪

Heritage Day just got a little tastier.

This year, Fish & Chips will be available for purchase at Fanshawe Pioneer Village from CCraklins Best Fish & Chips— crispy, hot and just the thing to enjoy while you take in a full day of Irish music, dancing, sport, history and plenty of craic.

Come hungry. We’ve got you covered.

📅 Sunday, August 16
📍 Fanshawe Pioneer Village

Irish Heritage Day — a little taste of Ireland, right here in London.

Address

London, ON
N5X4J8

Telephone

+12262344406

Website

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