By Sian Griffiths. Canada is often seen as something of a goody-two-shoes nation, and nowhere more so than its capital, Ottawa. A fascinating guide to this historic underbelly comes courtesy of the Naughty Ottawa Pub Walk, started by Glen Shackleton in the Nineties. In the early 19th Century, Ottawa was known as Bytown and was a rough logging community notorious for its gang violence.
Squeaky clean: Rideau Canal and Parliament sparkle, although they hide a sinister history. A heavy drinker, he would disappear for days or even weeks at a time on binges. Once he was so drunk that he vomited while making a speech to Parliament.
Armed with clubs, knives and swords, unemployed Irish gangs known as The Shiners clashed with the French-Canadians who dominated the only other industry in town β logging. After a stop at the bustling Earl of Sussex pub for a pint, we visit the heart of the Byward Market.
With the brothels and prostitutes came drunk and rowdy clients. The men would terrorise local residents by banging on doors demanding whisky. Brawls were common and as there was no police force, soldiers were called when things got too rough. A short distance away is the scene of the Stony Monday riot of The bloodbath ended only when a small British military detachment stepped in.
Then there was Mother McGuinty, who ran a tavern popular with Irish labourers. Buzzing: Nightlife in the Byward Market - orginally the town's red-light district - and still lively. Undeterred, they armed themselves with truncheons instead, and used them to mete out a brutal form of local justice. Popular among the upper classes, this involved a perilous descent down the waterfalls of the fast-flowing Ottawa River in a raft or a boat.
