The late John “Johnny” Francis O’Shea, May 15, 1932 -September 11, 2023 at home on Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada, photo above — Mr. O’Shea was a storyteller of Wolfe Island, referred to as a bard, a distinguished honor. His family ran a dairy and cheese factory on the island, and is deeply rooted in Wolfe Island history. Photo taken December 21, 2022, by Jannet L. Walsh, Wolfe Island.

Prose poem to pay tribute to Wolfe Islander’s late cultural bearer, keeper of stories

---

---

Jannet L. Walsh
August 16, 2024
Murdock, Minnesota

Tis the eve of the new electric ferry Wolfe Islander IV to start official full-time service on August 17, 2024, between Kingston and Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada, according to Ontario Transportation.

This post is to honor the late John “Johnny” Francis O’Shea, May 15, 1932 -September 11, 2023, of Wolfe Island, Ontario Canada. While working on my writing project on Wolfe Island, I had the chance to meet with Johnny twice. He was the island’s esteemed storyteller, and was referred to as the Bard of Wolfe Island. My Irish Walsh family has ties to Wolfe Island and Kingston, 1842-1877, before migrating south to Minnesota.

Johnny, the Bard of Wolfe Island, returned home on board the Wolfe Islander IV Ferry from Kingston to Wolfe Island, Saturday, September 16, 2023, and is among the few individuals, living or dead, that have been aboard all of the four Wolfe Island ferries. View obituary of Johnny O’Shea at obituary at The Whig Standard, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, published September 14, 2023.

I’ve written a prose poem to honor his contributions as a storyteller. A prose poem is a composition having traits of symbols, metaphors and figures of speech common to poetry. Learn more about prose poems at the Poetry Foundation website.

At the end the poem, you will see my notes, the author’s notes, about the poem, and a few more details about Johnny, and my connections to Wolfe Island. Special thanks to Johnny’s daughter Liz O’Shea in preparation for this blog post, and to Captain Brian P. Johnson, retired captain of the Wolfe Islander III Ferry, for his help with maritime terms for my poem. Poet Tracy Ross, one of my writing project mentors, helped edit my poem about Johnny for clarity.

Please feel free to share this post, read it while waiting for the Wolfe Islander IV to arrive, or as you pass on the Road of Water between Wolfe Island and Kingston.

I think if Johnny was still living, he’d be on the first ferry ride from Wolfe Island to Kingston. Certainly, he’d have a story to tell you!

---

The Islander Johnny O’Shea, Bard of Wolfe Island
May 15, 1932 -September 11, 2023

By Jannet L. Walsh
Written at home, Murdock, Minnesota
July 18, 2024

O holy milk cows!
In the middle of the St. Lawrence River,
out towards Button Bay on Wolfe Island,
Johnny O’Shea is on top of the pile – pitchin’ down!
The cow’s milk does not stop flowing,
and the pitchforks are never idle in the O’Shea cow barn.
There’s cheese to be made!

In the village of Marysville, it’s coffee all around at the diner.
If by chance you are sitting next to Johnny, then you are in his audience.
There are unlimited stories ready to be poured, and yarns to spin, as Johnny is here.
Listen, and listen well, unless you need to catch the next ferry to Kingston!

The bishop’s seat is in Kingston on Johnson Street at the Cathedral.
Yet, Johnny’s chair at home on the island is certainly plusher, and more comfortable.
Private audiences, and hospitality, yield unstoppable and lyrical stories on offer,
and certainly, the stories are repeated for your listening pleasure without question.

On Johnny’s final voyage home on the road of water from Kingston to the Wolfe Island,
Captain’s horns sound between the Wolfe Islander III and Wolfe Islander IV.
Maritime crews on the docks and ferries stand at attention, with hats off.
Ahoy! The ‘Bard’ of Wolfe Island is now home on the island,
and he has aged cheddar cheese for his journey!

Listen up, islanders at the foot, head, village, and out towards Horne Point!
Within Canadian waters of the St. Lawrence River, not far from American waters,
horns from the Wolfe Islander III and Wolfe Islander IV can be heard.
Ferry captains give their salute, blow their horns: 
One long blast, followed by two short blasts.

It’s now time to head up the hemlock hill.
All the residents there are deep in their eternal sleep:
Receive an alert of all hands-on deck!

There’s a new storyteller, bard, ready to take on audiences in heaven.
Put the water on to boil, and fill up your cup of tea, Saint Peter! 
Johnny O’Shea’s stories are starting now!
Cheese will be served.

Copyright © 2024. Jannet L. Walsh. All Rights Reserved.

---

Author’s notes — This prose poem is written to celebrate the life of the late John “Johnny” Francis O’Shea, May 15, 1932 -September 11, 2023, respected resident, and esteemed storyteller of Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada.  Wolfe Island is located in the archipelago of the Thousand Islands, between Canada and the United States in the St. Lawrence River. The island can only be reached by ferry from Kingston, with limited summer access from Horne Point on the island, to Cape Vincent, New York.

I was fortunate to meet with Johnny twice in December 2022, on Wolfe Island, and anticipated interviewing him again in summer 2023, but he passed away while I was on Wolfe Island.  My words in this poem are meant to highlight his contributions to the cultural heritage of Wolfe Island, considered to be the “Bard of Wolfe Island” by residents.  There is no badge or award for the honor of bard or storyteller, simply respect gained by the local historians, storytellers, and the community to keep oral history and traditions alive. Storytelling is deeply rooted on Wolfe Island, and the Irish culture. It’s estimated Johnny O’Shea’s family arrived about 1846, if not earlier, from Ireland. Johnny’s ancestors Thomas Shea and Ann Murphy were married February 5, 1847, Canada, so 1846 is a very reasonable guess. Genealogy and family history is not always exacting, often not at all, but more like piecing a crazy quilt.

My brief visits with Johnny O’Shea allowed me to take a glimpse of my storytelling roots on the Wolfe Island, and a look back to my own Walsh family origins on the island, Seventh Line Road north of Baseline Road, about 1850 to 1877. See YouTube video by Mike Hill, Aerosnapper, about my September 10, 2023, talk with the Wolfe Island Historical Society.

My oral storytelling tradition and skills were passed down from my late grandpa Martin J. Walsh Sr., Murdock, Minnesota, and likely from his Wolfe Island born father, Michael J. Walsh Jr., 1858. And since an understanding of history and heritage runs deep for my family, I found a tradition with nearly all families I encountered on Wolfe Island.

Although the O’Shea family, and my Walsh family are not known to be related, we are forever connected through the Irish Diaspora, Wolfe Island, and the gift of the gab, or simply put, storytelling.

This prose poem uses two phrases, or parts of phrases, known to be used by Johnny. The first phrase is: “I’m top of the pile – pitchin’ down!” I heard Johnny tell me this saying in 2022, at his home on Wolfe Island, and was highlighted in his obituary in The Kingston Whig Standard, September 14, 2023.  The other phrase is, “It’s now time to head up the hemlock hill.”  His daughter Liz O’Shea, of Calgary, Alberta, noted the translation means it’s time to go to sleep.  There is no hemlock hill on Wolfe Island, but there is an area called the Ridge near the head of the island.  Johnny is buried at Sacred Heart Cemetery on Wolfe Island, across from the Roman Catholic parish church, Sacred Heart of Mary Church.

 Although Johnny O’Shea, the late ‘Bard’ of Wolfe Island is gone, it seems only fitting he has stories to tell in heaven, if Saint Peter allows.  It would be hard to think he could be stopped!

I think Johnny might say in heaven: “I’ve got a story to tell you.  Let’s eat some cheddar cheese first.  It’s from my dad’s cheese factory, Wolfe Island Cheese Factory. This 70-year-old cheese might taste pretty good up here in heaven, maybe better than down on earth.”

I will leave a bit of suspense about the details of the cheese.  A storyteller needs to keep the attention of an audience! 

Please follow update at my website, JannetWalsh.com.

Wolfe Island Historical Society, 2008
Listen to Brian Johnson, Arthur Keys and Johnny O’Shea

---

About Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada – Wolfe Island is in St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario, almost four miles from the port of Kingston, accessible by ferry, and the largest island in the archipelago of the Thousand Islands. 

This 48-square-mile island has been home to several European ethnic groups, cheese factories, and dairy farms, along with a history of fur trading. Wolfe Island is the native homeland of the Tyendinaga Mohawk, kawehnóhkwes tsi kawè:note, meaning Long Island Standing. Wolfe Islanders are completely dependent on access to mainland Canada by the Wolfe Island Ferry III to Kingston, soon to be replaced by a zero-emission ferry, Wolfe Island Ferry IV. Locals reference the journey the ferry takes in the St. Lawrence River as a water road, or Highway H₂0.

---

Wolfe Island Historical Society Talk, September 10, 2023

Title of talk — Walsh expedition to Wolfe Island 2022-2023 – ‘Irish Bard’ Jannet L. Walsh finds roots in Ontario, Canada, Wolfe Island Historical Society
Location — Wolfe Island United Church, 52 Victoria St, Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada.
Video online from talk — View link to video at YouTube by Mike Hill, Wolfe Island Historical Society talk – a Journey from Ireland to Minnesota. 
Attendance — About 35-40 people attended talk
Date and time — September 10, 2023, 1:30 pm

Link to the pamphlet mentioned in talk — Catholic Colonization in Minnesota Revised Edition, 1879, author Catholic Colonization Bureau of Minnesota, Archbishop John Ireland, view at The Project Gutenberg EBook.

---

Thank You!

There were numerous people, and organizations, in Kingston and Wolfe Island, I received help along the way during my time in Canada. Listed below is a short listing of organizations or businesses I received help from, transportation by ferry, resources, or assistance around Wolfe Island. Special thanks to the Wolfe Island Historical Society staff for all their help locating resources, farms, and finding my forgotten Canadian family history.

• Wolfe Island Historical Society
• Aero Snapper Kingston, Mike Hill
• Fargo’s General Store, Wolfe Island
• Horne’s Ferry, Wolfe Island to Cape Vincent, NY
• Hotel Wolfe Island
• Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Wolfe Island
• St. Mary’s Cathedral, Kingston
• Simceo Ferry, Wolfe Island to Simceo Island
• Wolfe Islander III, Kingston to Wolfe Island
• Wolfe Island Pub and Pizzeria, WIPP

I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council and the McKnight Foundation for founding my grant, and all current and future professional and artistic opportunities as the result of the writing project to Kingston and Wolfe Island, Ontario, Canada.

Best wishes,
Jannet L. Walsh

---

Genealogy, family history resources

---

Artist Grant – Learn more about supporting agencies of this project

This activity is made possible by a grant from the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council with funds from The McKnight Foundation.

The Southwest Minnesota Arts Council (SMAC) is a non-profit organization committed to promoting and encouraging the development of the arts in the eighteen counties of southwestern Minnesota by serving as a source of funds and technical services which enable local organizations, educational institutions, and individuals to sponsor and/or create and promote the arts in their communities.

The McKnight Foundation, a Minnesota-based family foundation, seeks to improve the quality
of life for present and future generations. Program interests include regional economic and community development, Minnesota’s arts and artists, education equity, youth engagement, Midwest climate and energy, Mississippi River water quality, neuroscience research, international crop research, and rural livelihoods. Founded in 1953 and independently endowed by William and Maude McKnight, the Foundation has assets of approximately $2.2 billion and grants about $90 million a year. 

Minnesota Residents – Search for similar arts grants at regional arts councils at the Minnesota State Arts Board website.

---

Book — Please find full details, summary, reviewer’s comments on my book page, Higgledy-Piggledy Stones.

Irish Diaspora Writing Project — Please see details and previous blogs and stories posted about my Irish Diaspora writing project at my project page, and learn about my grant from Southwest Minnesota Arts Council Artist Growth Grant, McKnight Foundation, 2022-2024.

---

*Jannet L. Walsh of Murdock, Minnesota is a photographer, writer, and educator. She is the author of a creative nonfiction quest narrative “Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota,” publication 2023 by Shanti Arts Publishing. Walsh is recipient of a Southwest Minnesota Arts Council Growth Grant funded by the McKnight Foundation, 2022-2024. She is also recipient a 2024 Minnesota Arts Board Creative Individuals Grant. Board Grant. You can follow Walsh on Facebook and Twitter, and on her other social media channels, with the hashtag #IrishFamilyHistoryDetective.