Newfoundland Irish

Newfoundland Irish is a dialect of the Irish language specific to the island of Newfoundland and widely spoken until the mid 20^th century. It is very similar to the accent heard in the southeast of Ireland, due to mass immigration from the counties Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford and Cork.

The Irish language was commonly spoken among the Newfoundland Irish until the middle of the 20th century. There is direct evidence to suggest that as high as 90% of the Irish in Newfoundland spoke only Irish as their mother tongue. Records from Newfoundland's courts, where defendants often required Irish-speaking interpreters, indicate that the dominant language of the Avalon Peninsula was Irish rather than English. Ecclesiastical documents from previous centuries bolster this case—for example, in letters to Dublin requesting a Franciscan missionary for the parishes of St. Mary's and Trepassey, Bishop James O'Donel indicated that it is absolutely necessary that he should speak Irish. The Irish dialect of Newfoundland, however, is not believed to have any native speakers alive today.

Newfoundland is the only place outside Europe with its own distinctive name in the Irish language, Talamh an Éisc, literally "Land of Fish".

See Also

• Irish Newfoundlanders

External Links

• Newfoundland: The Most Irish Place Outside of Ireland

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