The Irish in Newfoundland, Canada 1981

[Music] so [Music] [Music] oh [Music] the roach family have invited their friends around tonight and they include the powers the hennesseys the englishes and the moonies it could be a scene in west claire kerry or waterford but in fact we're over 2000 miles away in newfoundland none of these people nor their parents nor their grandparents have ever been to ireland [Music] the first irish to cross the atlantic came as early as the 1600s they were part of a great european seasonal migration to harvest cod in the seas around newfoundland the richest fishing grounds in the world we'll go [Music] [Music] and i cuts a big figure whenever i get in a boat standing room [Music] newfoundland is one and a half times the size of ireland it's a wild rugged place with a jagged coastline of almost six thousand miles the interior of the island is for the most part wilderness the only pieces of arable land lie along the edges of the coves and inlets the young irishmen who settled in newfoundland came from small farming backgrounds and was only natural that they chose these sheltered but isolated inlets for their new homes professor john mannion most of these calls along the cape shore for example initially was settled by a single person a single man who would marry a girl either from ireland or from newfoundland a newfound an irish girl and would start a family and over the generations these sons and daughters would marry and build up a vast king group so that in point lands for example you would have after three or four generations as many as 25 families of koreans or curran which is the english of that name by 1940 [Music] [Applause] [Music] pointlands is the most southern of a string of settlements established by the irish on what is called the cape shore the cape in question is cape saint mary's and it has been a landmark for generations of fishing folk battling in open boats with icy waters and freezing fog [Music] take me back [Music] let me fish [Music] [Applause] [Music] my [Music] all streaming [Music] the cabling spawn where from dusk to dawn you're baiting your tron listen to the arms listen [Music] take me back to that's when the seas roll up their thunder there let me rest in the [Music] where the earth shine out their wonders and the seasons [Music] um the irish who came to newfoundland came from within a forty mile radius of waterford which was the center of the newfoundland trade among the first to arrive in the cape shore was a man called kareem or o kurin from the southeast of ireland six generations later the korean family are continuing the work of their ancestor fishing the same waters it's only within the past five years that they've abandoned small open boats for the relative comfort of a modern fishing vessel you know the name kareen is one that while they did come from ireland as you say it's not one that it's not a common name there how do you spell it c-a-r-e-e-n do you know where it comes from at all no i worked with a man in in seven islands in 51 i believe it was yes 51 from ireland now he didn't know anything about a career either but he said he knew uh karen you know and he asked me you know would it be current you know well i said it could be you know have you or any of your family george ever been to ireland no no no would you ever expect to go there oh my no i wish i was able to go right now you know yes but but i don't know a poor fisherman he never has that kind of money either you know no indeed did you tell a wexford at all yes you know i often hear people talking did anyone ever tell you you could be taken for a wexford man by your accent i mean oh yeah father was spoken this morning all right he said you know and he talked to me he said you know he take me so expert man i don't know the reason [Music] after a long day at sea there still remains the tedious work of preparing the fish for salting and storage fish splitting is called the procedure is still much the same as it was two centuries ago [Music] as the boats return to harbor friends and families crowd the keysight to help in processing the catch a word from the wise is readily [Music] available [Music] the irish who came here two centuries ago quickly learned the skills of fishing but first and foremost they were farmers and they never lost their innate skills of working the land paddy judge who lives at patrick's cove on the cape shore embodies all the traditions of the newfoundland irish fisherman farmer like his people before him he maintains a few acres of meadowland around his home nowadays he's retired from the sea but the passing years haven't dulled the expertise with a size which he acquired as a young man [Music] [Music] could i ask you paddy about entertainment in the old days and evening times winter was the time for entertainment wasn't it winter years once was uh once october come from dead on then and we playing cars in the nights and we are playing the games we were playing falcon they were playing uh used to play action they used to play 45's and most of their own uh alcoholic beverages that was made by themselves homebrew and they could make a wonderful job there's so many more women could make that could make a juniper beer or a beautiful drink to drink if you liked it as a drink but from juniper did you ever tell that no that's something you want oh you are you and i never found that in a bottle what about a snatch of a song now the the you're a great hand to sing can you think of a let's say uh the one you sang the other day was uh the plains of easter snow it's a lovely song yes yes yes what do we want to do with with uh mary neil now there's a lovely song or slainey's side yeah right or down but the tan yards that's right do you give us a bit of that well i i can't give it all to you and i wouldn't because it's all like i was saying it was like i could just uh i haven't tried it i have both of you know just a 10 year old that's right i am a rambling sailor all above a hem and snail it is near the town of blake's her dirt while he calmly fell she is fairer than diana bright and free from earthly pride she's a lovely maid and a dwelling place lies near the ten yard sight poor dark brown hair eating ringless rare hangs over a snowy neck and a kill and glances over her eyes they will save a ship from wreck horror two bronze sparkling lies under her teeth like ivory white should it make a man become a [Music] we would be until our crew will father run to meet it through one kind which makes me sail across the sea and leave my love behind and here's a douchebag [Music] [Music] a few miles along the cape shore is ship cove which was originally settled by the tobins and the brennans 88 year old mrs caroline brennan or aunt carrie as she's called has a rich store of songs and anecdotes and is one of the most knowledgeable people on the irish traditions of her ancestors as you listen to her it's hard to believe that you're over 2 000 miles from the southeast of ireland her grandmother was irish but where exactly she came from mrs brennan couldn't be sure no never could find any more than waterproof i often wished i could get defined i couldn't get to ask her i couldn't find out there was a landlord in ireland you told me the landlord came to her when she was leaving and he said todd turned he said don't you go to your foolish sailor chaps he said out to that wild country stay at home here in ireland and i'll never see you dispersed yes i used to tell them stay here in ireland i'll never see your distress one of the places nearby here at least one of the places you told me had a gaelic name to it yeah in shipkov yeah what's that place uh it sounded like uh glenna kill or glanico or something like that do you know what it means uh valley of fog that's what they said and meant no to the valley of fog that the nearest university could get to it we'll use to inquire whereabouts is it it's right straight from me now right there that's where it is down on the back of there here old mr neddy brennan your husband your late husband yeah he knew where his people came from in ireland didn't he oh yes for down the brellans came from and i think the toad must come from western did it wake through but for down the brennan family came from you told me one time speaking of the gaelic that when when a knock would come on the door the old people had a they had a word or two that they used to use when the knock would come on the door do you remember what that was yes i do i heard the old man tell you he said see now to be a stormy night yes and the wind blow and somebody come to the door they all were used to commenting and he'd say to him uh what'd you say cajun hound it's sing shout out to cajun hound that's as near as i can say it like that's the game isn't it it's decay let's must be and that means half around go off round the other way that's what it would mean who's there that's what it means yes that's what i mean is that him old mr neddy you told me also had a little rhyme that he used to say over the baby in the car what tell me about that now when the baby was only a well known i suppose he would be able to sit alone but the old man had liked the pipe he he loved the little baby and he come over with the shaving he wouldn't have a match but just the shaving after the wood and he'd light it and uh put it to the point when he'd have the pipe lighting he'd hold the little shaving over and he'd do this on the bay over the baby a hug a dog a dog a donna fly mrs dishes dearer cara macchiara horror the king son from ireland to come and i got that and learned it and still i never could know what it meant and i know that he me ever know as in most rural irish homes the decor of mrs brennan's kitchen includes traditional symbols of a strong catholic belief the family rosary has been a popular devotion on the cape shore down through the generations one may wonder what the garden of gethsemane has in common with the local supermarket but it's no surprise to find pride of place given to the picture of the sacred heart [Music] [Music] is it's many years now since the irish language was spoken in newfoundland but snatches of it are still to be heard and not only in old blessings and greetings [Music] the [Music] uh [Applause] [Music] oh one of the largest settlements on the cape shore with a population of 600 is branch normally it's a bustling centre of the fishing industry but this is sunday morning and all work is laid aside as a community which is totally catholic is summoned to worship the wooden church overlooking the harbour and the village [Music] it's their church in every sense they built it themselves and it's the focal point of community life in branch [Music] newfoundland has had its share of religious differences when the first irish came here the penal laws were strictly applied in what was then a british colony priests were hunted houses where mass was celebrated were burned to the ground but political affiliation is no longer along religious lines there's close harmony now between the three main religious denominations catholic anglican and non-conformist [Music] from the earliest days of the irish settlement on the cape shore the priests who ministered to the people were irish born but the newfoundland church today is part of the mainstream canadian church and it's now under the care of native-born clergy however many newfoundland priests receive their training at all hallows college in dublin one of these irish trained newfoundlanders is the parish priest on the cape shore father charlie kelly blessed are you lord god of all creation through your goodness we have this bread to offer which earth has given and human hands have made it will become for each one of us the bread of life take this all of you and drink from it this is the cup of my blood the blood of the new and everlasting covenant to be shed for you and for all men so that sins may be forgiven do this in memory of me mr linehan would you come up and give us the recitation mr tamil all come along we catch the peace we clean and dry too we cut the hay and spread it out near skies as clear and blue we feed the hens and miss the cows cut forward for the stove three o'clock each morning nearly every parish in newfoundland has a yearly open air function at which funds are raised for the maintenance of the church in the parish hall it's called a garden party but actually it seems more like a flat kill than a parish bazaar and when i die i hope i go where ah good newbies stay and when i walk up to the gate saying peter won't be shocked it's a just another new thing you're welcome to the flight anybody [Music] hey he's got to leave oh you gotta leave cotton and deliver to your league [Music] [Music] oh [Music] as i rolled out one morning in the lovely month of [Music] hella fair one and perfutian to me so bright [Music] night thought she was dying oh i was much surprised as it's been in the four new novelty as she walked a bank of sweet lucky i walk down the street how often do i meet a poor old man whose height is all right whoa wait ages for his bent in his pocket not descend and for relief he know not where [Music] it's on occasions like this that one becomes strikingly aware of the survival of irish folk customs in this part of newfoundland how did it come about on the cape shore these people who came out in 1800 settled in these very isolated coves and lived out their lives there and their sons and daughters and descendants for a century and a half with very little contact first of all with any other ethnic group even the english the other major ethnic group in newfoundland and this cultural isolation obviously was important because when you get a group like the southeast irish waterford and kilkenny and wexford men women settling there with very little contact with other groups obviously you're going to get a survival of dialect language of superstition folklore folk culture even their focus their material for culture persists so all of this was important that kind of cultural isolation was important [Music] but as well as that they the economy was important too these men were fishermen uh initially farmers but it was a small scale farming not unlike what they left farming 10 to maybe 25 acres at most and therefore they tended to use the same techniques flails for thrashing grain spades for digging the ground simple carts with horses and so forth the same kinds of technology that you have in a small form and let's say the west of ireland today and this was important i think in terms of the survival of their of their folkways alvin power is one of the senior citizens of branch he's too old now for the hard life of the sea but a former builder by trade he can still help his sons carry out repairs in the house built by his own father at the turn of the century you've lived all your life here now i live in whole life we are walking away what were you working at i work at cement and i walk labor work will you be working at the hay now on the meadows show yes next month it's a bit late isn't it they don't caught it here tonight what will they cut it with you you don't know what it saw you just heard about that oh yes you got most of them come to a machine now and what does it do with it down when they have it cut uh store it up and then or do they not dry at first destroy it how draw it with the sawn and then pack it put make cakes the hose of the paint did you take it out in the long cart yes [Music] and when the sweat stand you spread it out and hardly and store it up they kept an awful lot of cattle here and sheep and houses not so much not so much now fewer people came out from ireland how long ago would it have been now too long were they your grandfather or your great-grandparents your great-grandfather yeah and you were 76 could you tell me who were the names of the people that came out from ireland now you're a people i i wouldn't know what nick nice up here no yeah but you mentioned some of them now your carries yeah right who are they now what do you want to pause no who were the first i wouldn't know bd power i don't know if she defaults to them well next with the boss from here who came with bitty now you are a big crowd become a crafting boat at that time i [Music] you were saying that your was it your grandmother came from ireland yes what was her name nancy deveraux do you know where she came from in ireland uh uh tiffany in temporarian cork yeah did they ever mention any other places in ireland where they came from oh yes sure well i used to be telling them about it you know stories though yeah you know places whether it be singing songs oh my god the president which now though i'm saying you know you know they were trained singers and they were saying dancers if you see them stefan i don't know how these good in arms today is what they are still step dancers yeah my goodness occasions of heaven if you only just see them dancing yeah they get you in my clothes like like like that on each side of my hands the women are the men but then they were yeah women all the winners were twice as twice twice their dancers as the name is that right my goodness gracious you couldn't believe it you wouldn't believe with your joys without you seeing it that's as good as that how long ago mick would you say that the people came here from ireland yeah there are over 100 years ago yeah they were they were they'd be way over 100 now damn demolition people demo my grandmother now and my grandfather too his name was sam tamnish was he the first to come no he wasn't bound here your grandfather was born here yeah yeah my grandfather now he was my father's father yes you know he was in the car's hand and how old are you now i'm 89. you're a young 89 yeah 89 deal what about the uh the fishing now you spent most of your life at the fishing oh yeah [Laughter] where are you yeah what does that mean no high line on always knew how to get it yeah i walked out but in the summer time you'd go out into the meadow and do some more wouldn't you oh my god yes i'll what the handle happened no more machines no no no no no i saw it how does heavy work after a day's fishing you go you go and you take off your fence and get in your eyes and more way in your life did you meet your heart leave understand you know the song and you keep that up until yes keep it up come home at nine o'clock in the night in branch like every other parish in newfoundland the annual garden party is the social event of the year yet while he can relax with his people and is fully accepted by them as the son of a local fisherman father kelly is under no illusions about the problems which beset his parish it has its quota of broken marriages vandalism and the consequences of excessive drinking unemployment is high jobs are scarce and there's a steady drain of young people from the area in search of work in other parts of newfoundland and mainland canada [Music] but such worries are forgotten today as young and old come together for a few hours fun laughter and enjoyment six to zero [Music] okay [Music] do what he wants mary what did you ever hear about ireland from the old people well actually that's all you ever heard about was ireland you know right from the time i was small it was ireland was just like home you know yeah to the old people it was the old country yeah did they do they know which part of ireland they came from oh yeah they always knew but what places did they mention in waterproof yes you know some of them from cork but mostly it was the powers in the nashes and the englishes did they ever talk about um beliefs and and and cures and all kinds of things like that they ever pick you ever because there wasn't i'm not that old but uh you know when i grew up they were part of it they were part of how you cured you know your eye eyes or toothaches or anything it was always the old cures and old poultices and you know and all the songs and especially the songs yes you know and the reservations did you ever hear the folks in branch talk about where they came from in ireland yes i often heard my grandmother tell me you know you know i don't remember a handwork hill but uh you know some somewhere over there some of her people uh something you know something to do with the irish you know i haven't heard or telling when you know when i was just when i was younger you're not really on half another's healing day did he ever tell stories about ireland or sing songs about her well they always say she always sang sang about ireland you know all the time i remember when i spoke to smile when i was young and she used to be i was there singing songs no but every song was all you know an irish song every sanctuary thing was ours are the young people aware of this connection anymore i don't know i think we were the last since electricity came and television they're not as aware i think the ones in the 20s we were very much aware you know but i think it's only i think the fact that the folklore people are getting interested and are starting to say that is making the young people interested but the ones who are 15 and 16 i don't think they know as much as we did because we're so many old people you know so many of you who spoke so irish and who always talked about ireland you know and most of them are dead now how irish are the people on the cape shore in their traditions would you say well it depends on how you define irishness if you're looking for survivals of 18th century ireland and i'm thinking in terms of the folklore folk music and other aspects of the full culture and indeed part of the the folkways their ways of of working the land and the sea i would say that the cape shore would represent a more irish typically 18th century irish pattern than we have in ireland today and this is understandable because these people were so isolated and therefore you get a kind of fossilization of 18th century patterns but at the same time we have had over the past century at least but especially since the war the last war world war a gradual modernization of irish traditional society along the cape shore with an importation of american and canadian ideas and artifacts and goods and services and therefore today you get a mixture coexisting side by side these residual 18th century irish traits with the modern material culture and ideas aspirations of contemporary canada and united states five years ago the people of branch got a government grant and built themselves a swimming pool it's the first in the cape shore and a welcome development the seas around newfoundland are too cold for swimming so this pool provides an opportunity for the children of the area to acquire a skill their parents or grandparents never enjoyed [Applause] it's a sign of the times what's likely to become of the irishness and the folk traditions of communities such as this that's a good question uh personally i believe that within time and i think very shortly the great tradition and the folklore and so on from a practical point of view of living it being expressed in in daily living and so on will be lost i believe it will be purely an academic study the memorial university has given great emphasis and having in fact established a department a folklore department to sort of recreate and relive the great oral traditions that have been handed down to us basically from ireland a song verse play and so on and dance as well they've been retained in writing but i believe because of our young people and not taking the interest that their parents and forefathers and swan have taken it's going to be lost and that'll be detrimental i believe for the past two days there's been a wake in patrick's cove from all over the cape shore people have come to pay their last respects to ignatius mcgraw this morning after a funeral mass in the local church he's being laid to rest in a windswept cemetery on a hill high over the cove despite the increasing influence of modern north american ideas there are still no funeral parlors or crematoria on the cape shore the dead person is waked at home among his own people and his funeral is an occasion for communal prayer then may he see the light of your presence lord jesus in the kingdom where you live forever and ever leave our brother ignatius to rest in peace eternal rest grant unto him oh lord let your perpetual light shine upon him may the souls and all the souls of the faithfully departed to the mercy of god rest in peace amen may almighty god send his peace upon all who are gathered through the father the son and the holy spirit amen with the death of ignatius mcgrath the cape shore loses one more contact with his traditionally irish past he belonged to the last generation which had little contact with the outside world one cannot help wondering what traditions died with him or whether the values embodied in the way of life of his generation will continue with his grandchildren will he become fossilized in doctoral theses by folklore students from the universities of north america the headstones over the graves of ignatius mcgraw and his contemporaries could well bear the words of the blasket islander tommaso griffin marlowe bay garla haitian the likes of us will never be here again the cape shore is no longer an isolated place the new road to branch connects with the trans-canada highway and people can tune into television stations in mainland canada and the united states like everywhere else in north america there are gas stations and drug stores beer parlors and ice cream parlors although these signs spell change for the irishness of the cape shore the roots of two centuries of settlement by the irish run deep unlike their distant cousins in boston and new york it's not justin patrick's day that they celebrate their irishness among the people of the cape shore in newfoundland any day could be saint patrick's day [Music] [Music] oh [Music] you

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Id: Sr9Ogfpd1SA

Length: 46min 35sec (2795 seconds)

Published: Wed May 19 2021

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[u/Prestigious_Theme371]

More Irish than Irish 😂

[u/Tipperary555]

Radharc was a great show

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RTE Archive link

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The Black White Irish Of Montserrat Newfoundland. 👍🏻