For those who have been, you know that Newfoundland is one of Canada's most beautiful islands. It has breathtaking scenery, fantastic food, a ridiculously prodigious musical scene, and some of the friendliest people in the world. You likely also know that Newfoundlanders have very distinct accents and have their own dialect, but did you know that there's a small part of The Rock where the people sound so Irish that they are frequently mistaken for people from Ireland...even by the Irish? If you're wondering how this could be, please read on.
Photo Credit: urbanguidequebec.com/irish-loop-newfoundland/
From the capital city of St John's on the Avalon Peninsula, take Route 10S, commonly referred to as "The Irish Loop". This circular drive, roughly 300 kms, takes you through such charmingly named towns as Bay Bulls, Witless Bay, Ferryland, Trepassey, and Brigus South. Not only will the scenery leave you breathless, but you'll notice the regional accent changes. Most locals sound like they could be from the Republic of Ireland, but why?
As explained in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqLuIXwsLDw , comedian Mark Critch asserts that when immigrants came to start a new life in the province, their communities didn't intermingle, which essentially created a linguistic time capsule of sorts that preserved not only the accent, but also the dialect from whence they came. Because the Irish settled so heavily in the colony of Avalon, many of their descendants still speak like their ancestors. Local Calvert resident Sean Sullivan, who runs Sullivan's Songhouse (https://sullivanssonghouse.com/), told a funny story about when he and some of his fellow musician friends where on an exchange in Ireland and were seeking refuge for an evening. He recalled how he knocked on a woman's door and explained that he was a Canadian musician playing in Ireland and was in need of lodging. She didn't believe him because of his accent and thought he was trying to pull a fast one over on her. To prove himself, he had to resort to producing his passport to legitimately identify his nationality!
Clearly, I'm not the only one fascinated by this topic. Irish YouTuber Davey Holden has also explored it with characteristic zeal. To learn how an Irish person reacts to this phenomenon, enjoy these videos linked here:
For further study on the "Forgotten Irish", explore these videos as well:
So there it is. Newfoundland has many distinct accents that change between regions and even towns. If you're ever looking to visit The Emerald Isle, but can't quite afford it, maybe consider visiting The Irish Loop, the next best thing right here in Canada.
Sláinte!
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