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Duffy Homestead holds 3rd annual Irish Pioneer Harvest Festival

October 2, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By Riley Murphy

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Irish Pioneer Harvest Festival, a celebration of Irish Heritage and Harvest, was held for the third time at Duffy Homestead this past weekend.

The Duffy Homestead story began nearly 200 years ago when Irish immigrants Andrew and Eliza Duffy and their children arrived in Canada in 1830.

Elizabeth established a farm near Bolton, and its legacy has endured all these years.

In 2018, Alan Duffy, a seventh-generation descendant, reclaimed the homestead and its lands, and, with his family, is dedicated to restoring the farm and homestead.

They aim to revive the heritage site, cultivating crops their ancestors grew, and preserving the property as “a testament to Irish emigration, pioneer living, and historical restoration for the community.

Owner of Duffy’s Homestead and Chairman of the Duffy Heritage Foundation, Alan Duffy, explains that in Ireland, there are four festivals, one of which is the Fall Harvest Festival, which they honoured that day.

The day was complete with a celebration of the harvest of honey, maple syrup, potatoes, and apples from the orchard.

A live Irish folk group performed, along with Irish dancers.

Pints of Guinness were also served.

Duffy shared that although the sign says “Duffy’s Homestead,” it could be any pioneer homestead.

When Eliza Duffy came to the area in 1832, he says, there were only seven buildings in Bolton, and they were all log cabins.

Duffy says the day is about recognizing and celebrating “where we are and how far we’ve come.”

Those in attendance could take tours around the Duffy Homestead, grounds, trails, barn, and cellar. 

In attendance at the event was His Excellency John Concannon, Ambassador of Ireland to Canada, as well as the Consul General of Ireland in Toronto.

Residents and community members can visit the Duffy Homestead Museum for themselves; the museum offers walk-in visit days as well as private tours.

Two upcoming walk-in visit days will be held on Saturday, October 4, and Saturday, October 11, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

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