Permanent Exhibition to Celebrate the Story of the Irish in Newfoundland

‘Exhibition marks the extraordinary story of the pre-famine emigration of people from Waterford and the South East of Ireland to Newfoundland - Kelleher

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, will host the official opening of a permanent Irish exhibition tomorrow (Saturday, 19^th September 2009) in St. John’s, the capital city of Canada’s most easterly province.  The exhibition, entitled The Fishing Ground: Talamh an Éisc: The Story of the Irish on the Island of Newfoundland, depicts the close relationship that exists between Ireland and Newfoundland from the mid 1700’s to the present day.

“This exhibition is the result of a joint project undertaken by our two governments” said Minister Billy Kelleher, T.D., chairman of the Ireland Newfoundland Partnership. “It marks the extraordinary story of the pre-famine emigration to Talamh anÉisc of people from Waterford and the South East of Ireland, and the permanent mark their presence has made on their new homeland. It will be a permanent and fitting celebration of the close historic and cultural links between the people of Ireland and Newfoundland, forged over three hundred years of shared history.”

The Irish Government will be represented at the opening by Mr. Declan Kelly, Irish Ambassador to Canada. The Newfoundland government will be represented by the Honourable Shawn Skinner, Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development and Chair of Ireland Business Partnerships (IBP), and the Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Recreation.

The Irish migrations to Newfoundland took place mainly between 1750 to 1820, and so preceded the Great Famine by many decades. Nonetheless, Newfoundland has been described as the most Irish place in the world outside of Ireland. Almost half the modern population of the province are descendents of Irish immigrants. Names like Murphy, Power and Walsh are prevalent, and the distinct local accent has clear hints of its Irish roots from Counties Waterford, Wexford and Kilkenny. Irish migrants to Newfoundland were mostly opportunistic young workers, and initially seasonal migrants, from Southeast Ireland who began to work in Newfoundland’s thriving cod fishery, almost a century prior to the great famine.

While in Newfoundland, Ambassador Kelly and representatives of the Ireland Newfoundland Partnership, will met with local business and education institutions to advance initiatives in the areas of petroleum researcher and marine sciences. The Ireland Newfoundland Partnership facilitates mutually advantageous cooperation with Newfoundland, as outlined by a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Taoiseach and Premier in 1996.