Historical Connection

Irish and Newfoundlanders connect! Both are island peoples living at the edge of great continents, on the opposite side of the Atlantic Ocean, but the similarities run far deeper than that. Both are moving away from a legacy of economic dependence on natural resources to reliance on the value added services sector. In terms of human characteristics both peoples have fiercely independent natures and a pride in overcoming the odds.

The Irish came to Newfoundland following the voyages of John Cabot at the end of the 15th century. The first record of a Waterford ship on the Grand Banks in Newfoundland dates back as far as 1534.

By the eighteenth century merchants and fisherman from the South East Region of Ireland were travelling regularly to Newfoundland for the fishing season. One contemporary account tells of "25 sailing vessels waiting at Passage East, in Waterford Harbour, for the tide to Newfoundland". Although the majority of these early migrants returned to Ireland for the winter, later in the century some began to "overwinter" in Newfoundland.

Early in the 1800’s the population of Newfoundland almost quadrupled. In the three decades between 1803 and 1836, the population grew from 19,000 to 75,000 persons. During that period there were two major waves of migration, each overwhelmingly Irish, between 1811 and 1816 and again between 1825 and 1833.

Professor John Mannion of Memorial University, Newfoundland, has calculated that over 75% of all Irish migration to Newfoundland came from the South East of Ireland. Most of these migrants settled in the Avalon Peninsula, within 100 miles of St. John’s, the capital of Newfoundland. This migration represents the most intensive recorded transatlantic migration from one small geographic area to another. It predated by over half a century the huge waves of Irish migrations that commenced during the Great Famine years of 1845-49.

Additional Resources

Waterford Museum of Treasures in Waterford, Ireland has an exhibition on the historical connections between Ireland and Newfoundland. The exhibition includes a series of short videos covering the history, culture, linguistic, economic and political connections; several artefacts including a silver urn that was presented to the first Catholic bishop of Newfoundland, James Louis O'Donel of Co. Tipperary in 1807; and a series of photos of 19th century Newfoundland.

Click here for the museum's website.

“An Bóithrín Glas: Talamh an Éisc” documentary produced for RTE in 1999 explains how the Irish settled in Newfoundland, influenced the local customs and supported the Waterford economy.

Click here to view the video.

“Tracing the Irish: A Geographical Guide” by John Mannion traces migration from Ireland to Newfoundland from 1700–1850. It includes a list of over 1000 surnames traced by parish, town, or county of origin in southeast Ireland. Click here for the full article. “Newfoundland: The Most Irish Place in the World Outside Ireland” by Brian McGinn, an American scholar of the Irish Diaspora, describes the history of the Ireland and Newfoundland connection and gives examples of the Irish culture in present-day Newfoundland.

Click here for the full article.

"Newfoundland: The Most Irish Place Outside of Ireland" by Brian McGinn identifies a number of reasons why scholars of the Irish Diaspora call Newfoundland the most Irish place in the World beyong Ireland's shores.

Click here for the full article.