The Irish In Newfoundland

Here is a little history of the island called Newfoundland. The Irish were great travellers and during the Christian period they spread the light all across Europe and over the western ocean to the great lands of the West. So they would have known of the islands existence since time began and certainty from St. Brendan’s time.   The Island passed to the British from the French by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. In 1765, the governors ordered that no Catholics were to remain on the island over the winter.  They were determined to prevent the Irish from settling the island.  The law stated no idle person should remain during the winter, no Papist, servant, man or woman, shall remain at any place where they did not fish or serve during the summer.  It was also stated that no more than two men shall dwell in a house during the winter except that of their Protestant masters.  No Papist shall keep a public house or sell liquor by retail.  The masters of servants were acquired to pay their passage home.  No place in Canada had more sectarian laws than Newfoundland had but their labour was needed for the fisheries so they increased in numbers.  The Irish were hard working and useful and kept coming and remained in spite of proclamations.  They had not the liberty of the birds of the air to build or repair their nests.  There was forest and rocky soil but they were denied a licence to till it.  The only resource open to them was the sea.  The wealth they won from the stormy ocean was taken from them and spent in other lands leaving them with a scanty existence.  Still the population increased.  They built towns and villages, magnificent buildings, schools and churches but is was not until 1784 that liberty of conscience was given to Catholics.    Many fled to Newfoundland in consequence of the 1798 rebellion and sought to continue to struggle there.  They secured the co-operation of a large portion of the regiment there but the plot was foiled by the Catholic Bishop O’Donnell who informed the general of the plan.   It was defeated before it began.  The islanders almost totally depend on the fisheries for their living and when it fails it causes great distress.  Potato blight came to the island in 1847 and caused much hardship.   The islands were saved thanks to the fruits of the sea.  A benevolent Irish society was formed by the Irish merchants for the relief of distress without any distinction of religion and succeeded in fostering a united nationalist spirit.  Both Protestant and Catholics got involved in the annual celebration on St. Patrick’s Day.  There was a great relationship between the Irish of all religions and all are proud of their Irish heritage, roughly half the population is Catholic. Brian Warfield Wolfe Tones 2011