Miramichi, New Brunswick is the Celtic capital of New Brunswick. Recently a group of towns incorporated together to form this new one with an unusual name, which means “Happy Retreat” in Micmac. Go down to Water Street in Miramichi, formerly Chatham, and you might be able to see a tall ship come into the harbor. It might be a replica of the Jeanie Johnston from Tralee, Ireland, one of the coffin ships, which carried the Irish immigrants here in the late 1840s and 50s. The ship comes in under motor power, rather than sail. On the wharf are exhibits about Irish immigration in the Miramichi area.   Take a tour around the lower part of the town and visit St. Michael’s Minor Basilica. Some stories about the area. In 1847 the ship Looshtauck arrived from Ireland, originally destined for Quebec. 146 of the passengers had died from typhus at sea and the living ones were quarantined on Middle Island in the Miramichi River. Of the 316 passengers remaining an additional 96 died. Two other ships were also quarantined there. The dead were buried on the island. Another story tells the tale of Sister Marie Inconnu, a well-loved and trusted member of the Arcadian community at French Fort Cove. She was entrusted with the treasure of the widows and orphans, while the camp was under attack from the British. The widows had died and so she was the only one who knew where the treasure was hidden. One day she was accosted by two men mad with leprosy, who wanted the treasure so that they could leave Miramichi. After beating her, one drew his sword and beheaded her. They threw the head into the river and left the body to rot on the bridge. No one has yet found the treasure and it is rumored that Sister Marie, the headless nun, haunts the area watching over the lost treasure.

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