07/23/2025
Author Leonard Cusack will be giving a free lecture on Owen Connolly on August 5, at 7 pm, at the Irish Hall, 582 North River Road. It is part of the 200-year anniversary of the Benevolent Irish Society on PEI.
OWEN CONNOLLY (PEI'S MOST FAMOUS IRISH ENTREPRENEUR)
Owen Connolly immigrated to P.E.I. from Ireland in 1839. He was a teenager with very limited resources. Within two years he was a tenant farmer in Watervale where he endured the hardships of pioneer life. In 1852, Owen and his young wife Anne Hughes moved to Charlottetown where they opened a small general store and an inn. Within a short time Connolly was wholesaling goods to other merchants, especially to small rural stores. As his wealth grew, he expanded into exporting, importing, banking and branch stores. Besides his mercantile business, Connolly had the uncanny ability to accumulate property in Charlottetown and throughout eastern P.E.I. at bargain prices.
With hard work, perseverance and a brilliant business mind, Connolly became one of the wealthiest men on P.E.I. by the 1880s.When he died in 1887, Connolly’s will revealed that he wanted the profits from his estate to assist poor, Irish Catholic boys gain an education. From 1888 to the present day, trustees have operated and managed the Connolly Estate. Over this period of time the estate has paid out over $3 million to assist Irish Catholic students attending post secondary studies.
As part of the 200-Year Anniversary celebration of the Benevolent Irish Society in 2025, the Society is proud to feature at the Irish Hall a very select group of local and international speakers on Irish subjects.
