Nancy Mallett & Shannon Quigley read from John Young’s diary about his 1847 arrival in Toronto

Interior rotating shot of bound paper diary with black and white photograph of middle aged man with receding brown hair, long side burns, in dark suit and black collar on cover. Cover text: Diary and Letters of John Young. 1827 - 1904.

They’d changed to a lake boat in Kingston, and they left the dock there and they thought they were going onto Toronto.

Interior shot of engraved image of map of Kingston area, with water in black and white, land demarcated in light shades of yellow, red, blue, and brown.

Interior shot of Nancy Mallett to camera.

But then they pulled into another dock that was crowded with Irish, and many of them were sick, and they were quite afraid for that. They packed the ship, and they could hardly move.

Interior close up shot of cover image photography of John Young Diary. Camera pans left.

So they, they go down to Toronto, and he said:

Image dissolves into wider angle image of north shore of Lake Ontario map from Kingston to Toronto. Camera then pans down and left showing all of Lake Ontario including western and southern shores.

We kept along the north shore of the lake, touching at one or two places til we arrived at Toronto.

Interior shot of younger woman with long dark hair, dark top, wearing silver earings, looking down and reading from diary which is off screen. Three framed paintings in background. On screen text: Shannon Quigley. Nancy Mallett’s Great Niece.

There is a long strip of land that juts out for a mile or two then turns round west enclosing a first-rate harbour.

Interior shot of Nancy Mallett reading from diary, her finger tracing the passage as she speaks.

Toronto lays on the mainland within the bay upon a gentle slope with many handsome hotels facing the water, with their tin roofs glittering in the sun.

Exterior shot of blowing leaves in foreground, red top of white lighthouse in background comes quickly into focus. On screen caption: Gibraltar Point Toronto Islands.

There is a lighthouse at the extremity of the tongue of land

Interior shot of black and white illustrated map of shoreline, with Sandy Shoal and Gibraltar Point indicated in foreground.

Dissolves into interior shot of illustrated map of Toronto shoreline, with waterfront in foreground, Rees’s Pier indicated in middle ground, Front Street and House of Assembly building and park indicated in background. Camera pans diagonally right.

We here got rid of most of our living cargos.

Interior shot of Nancy Mallett reading from diary and looking up to camera, her finger tracing the passage as she speaks.

whom they treated just like cattle driving them about, and tried to do the same with us, but we rebelled.

Interior shot of Shannon Quigley reading from off screen diary.

They were all turned out, and kept back with sticks, till their luggage would be tumbled out after them.

Interior shot of Nancy Mallett reading from diary and looking up to camera, her finger tracing the passage as she speaks.

Father, William, and Robert, they were his older brothers helping with the ship, looked after ours and managed to get it all laid in one place, and then got it put on board the “Eclipse” Steamer for Hamilton, and soon after we were all safely on board.

After two or three hours until we came in sight of Burlington Bay, and soon went through the canal into it, and got our first sight of Hamilton.

And then we got up to the wharf. Hugh, and William Wright, they were his brothers-in-law, were there waiting for us,

Nancy Mallett laughs.

and we had a happy meeting after all our troubles.

Nancy Mallett laughs again and looks up to camera.

I just wonder how long they had been waiting for them.

Nancy Mallett laughs again.

Final image of water with onscreen Ireland Park Foundation logo. Celtic style music playing.