Celebrating the Links With Ireland

Newfoundland and Labrador's Avalon Peninsula is the site of the largest concentrated migration in the Irish diaspora; it's estimated that as many as 80% of Newfoundlanders have some Irish ancestry on at least one of their family trees. Much of the landscape is reminiscent of Ireland, and even the voices of the people echo the patterns of Irish speech. Some of the most Irish regions of this very Irish place are found on the southern half of the Avalon Peninsula, located in the southeast corner of the Island of Newfoundland. The most predominant dialect here stems from the southeast corner of Ireland: Counties Waterford, Wexford and Cork. It's not unusual to find communities that treasure and celebrate that Irish heritage through festivals, theatre and community concerts. In this most Irish corner of Newfoundland, I attended a St. Patrick's Day Concert that drew tight the Celtic knot of this link with every note that was performed. There were singers, dancers, instrumentalists and skits featuring local performers. Almost the entire community turned out -- the hall was packed with locals who joined in on the choruses of the songs and whose laughter made the rafters ring during the comedy skits. The schedule was packed with a full two dozen acts, most from within the community but a handful from places an hour or so away -- "just for variety" as the organizers explained. The concert was followed by a dance with a live band; admission to both concert and dance added up to $7 per person! The performers shown below are Kelsey Arsenault, Eta Nash and Eddy Lundrigan -- and no, Arsenault isn't an Irish name, but her mother is an O'Keefe!

Experiencing the Moment

 For a long time, travel was a popular pastime for those who wanted to see the different, the unusual or the exotic; today, for more and more travellers, it's more about experiencing than just seeing.  Many of us now want to engage all five senses; we don't want the same food, climate or activities we'd find at home, we want something new and different and whenever possible, unique to the place we're visiting. We also like the idea that our travels are benefiting local people in their communities, and that we're meeting and interacting with local residents beyond the rudimentary exchanges found in restaurant or hotel service. 

We're the experiential travellers, and we're the face of travel in the future.  Gone are the "Grand Tour" days when tourists sat removed from their surroundings and simply observed. Today's travellers roll up their sleeves and get involved, both physically and intellectually, with what's around them. It's a new and truly engaged way to travel, and it's had a huge and positive impact on people in the areas we travel to. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this shift is that it's making the whole process more interesting -- and memorable -- for the people in those destination areas, too. 

Local experts are now engaging with travellers in a way they weren't able to before: there's more time to get to know visitors, and shared experiences can form the basis of genuine interest and friendship. I'm not talking about visitors and local operators singing an endless chorus of "Kumbaya", but there's far more opportunity for them to interact in such a way that encourages long-term contact if it's what both parties want, especially with the ease of communication through email, social networking and Skype.

Travellers today experience the wonders of their destination: the smell of sun-drenched fir trees along a woodland trail; the crisp, cool touch of the breeze blowing past an iceberg; the taste of fresh bread straight from a brick oven, the sound of a foghorn across the water, or the electrifying experience of looking a humpback whale in the eye.

Courage and Patience and Grit

Songwriter Mark Walker was born in Tickle Cove, Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland, in 1846. A fisherman who also served as the first postmaster in the community of Sweet Bay, Walker penned several of modern-day Newfoundland and Labrador's favourite songs, among them "Fanny's Harbour Bawn", "The Girls of Sweet Bay", "The Antis of Plate Cove" (about the forces that opposed Confederation with Canada), and "Down by Jim Long's Stage", but perhaps his best-known and most-beloved song was "Tickle Cove Pond", a song that tells the tale of an incident that took place in Tickle Cove in the spring of the year.  It was first recorded by Canadian folksinger Allan Mills in 1963. To listen to a recording of the song performed by Jesse Ferguson, click here. The lyrics follow. 

In cuttin' and haulin', in frost and in snow

We're up against troubles that few people know

And it's only by courage and patience and grit

And eatin' plain food that we keep ourselves fit

The hard and the easy we take as it comes

And when ponds freeze over we shorten our runs

To hurry my haulin' with spring coming on

Near lost me a mare out on Tickle Cove Pond

Chorus:

Lay hold William Over, lay hold William White

Lay hold of the cordage and pull all your might

Lay hold of the bowline and pull all you can

And give me a lift with poor Kit on the pond

I knew that the ice became weaker each day

But still took the risk and kept haulin' away

One evening in April bound home with a load

The mare showed some halting against the ice road

She knew more than I did as matters turned out

And lucky for me had I joined her in doubt

She turned round her head, with tears in her eyes

As if she were sayin', "You're riskin' our lives"

All this I ignored with a whip handle blow

For man is too stupid; dumb creatures to know

The very next moment the pond gave a sigh

And down to our necks went poor Kitty and I

Chorus

For if I had taken wise Kitty's advice

I never would take the shortcut on the ice

Poor creature she's dead; poor creature she's gone

I'll ne'er get my mare out of Tickle Cove Pond

Chorus

So I raised an alarm you could hear for a mile

And neighbours turned up in a very short while

You can always rely on the Overs* and Whites

To render assistance in all your bad plights

To help a poor neighbour is part of their lives

The same I can say for their children and wives

When a bowline was fastened around the mare's breast

William White for a shanty song made a request

There was no time for thinkin', no time for delay

Straight from his head came this song right away

Chorus Final

Lay hold William Over, lay hold William W

Lay hold of the cordage and pull all your might

Lay hold of the bowline and pull all you can

And with that we brought Kit out of Tickle Cove Pond

 

*It seems the surname Oldford, often associated with this song, is not one of long standing in Tickle Cove.  The name Over, originally Ovier, was referred to in the song when it was penned by Walker.  Reference.

A Different Season

Although summer is the season that draws the most visitors to Newfoundland and Labrador, each region of the province has its own intriguing options for every season of the year; for winter sports like skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiling, central and western Newfoundland as well as Labrador, with its annual Winter Games are perfect destination areas. The maritime climate of theSt. John's in winter shows a different face from the one it displays in summer, but it's equally beautiful and there are plenty of interesting things to see and do. It's true that St. John's gets some

wintry weather, but it seems as though there's a sapphire blue sky for every steely grey one. This is the time of year when cultural events abound. Folk Night, produced by the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts Society, is a weekly event that brings the best of the province's traditional music to the stage of the Ship Pub in central St. John's. The artists shown here are noted musicians Fergus O'Byrne and Fergus Brown-O'Byrne..

The Arts and Culture Centre, located on the campus of Memorial University, features a wide range

of performances from theatre to dance to symphony, with pop, country and folk acts thrown in for good measure. With a total capacity of just over a thousand, it's a formal yet relatively intimate venue and there's literally not a bad seat in the house. Closer to the center of St. John's are the Holy Heart Theatre with a fine and varied roster of acts, and the Resource Centre for the Arts, a well-appointed and truly intimate performance venue located in the historic Longshoremen’s Protective Union (or LSPU) Hall.

Be sure your stay includes a Friday night, the busiest night in the vibrant music scene that keeps St. John`s hopping. There`s music of almost every style at George Street pubs like the Fat Cat, O`Reilly`s, Sundance, Trapper John`s and more, but one of the outstanding venues is Erin`s Pub, located on Water Street just a couple of blocks from the busy George Street strip, where a traditional instrumental session rocks the house in the early evening -- it makes a great starting point for a downtown pub crawl, but be warned: you just might find yourself wanting to extend your stay in St. John`s!

Exploring the Port au Port Peninsula

On the west coast of Newfoundland lies a small, triangular peninsula connected to the island by a narrow isthmus. Accessed via Stephenville on Route 460, the Port au Port Peninsula is a little gem of beautiful coastal scenery and Acadian heritage. It divides Port au Port Bay, to the north, and St. George's Bay to the south. Stephenville itself, named after early resident Stephen LeBlanc, was the site of an American military base, Harmon Air Force Base, from the time of World War II until 1966. Today, the town is the service centre for the peninsula, with hotels, restaurants and shopping --

during July and August it's home to the popular Stephenville Theatre Festival. Route 460 continues along the southern coast of the peninsula past Felix Cove, Campbell's Creek and Jerry's Nose (was there ever a better place name?) to Sheaves Cove where a small side road leads to a seaside park with an impressive waterfall and some beautiful wave-sculpted rock formations. Another scenic park can be found at the tip of Cape St. George, where a distinctively-shaped rocky headland called The Boot stands amid tall red cliffs. At this point a turn onto Route 463 leads to the community of Mainland, where Red Island lies offshore. The island was named by Captain James Cook during his exploration of the region in 1767. The settlements in this area, like Three Rock Cove, Salmon Cove and Lourdes, lie on a broad coastal plateau. From Lourdes, a side trip to Long Point provides an opportunity to see a little-visited part of the province. The point extends over 20 km to the northeast, marked by sand dunes and summer cabins. The road to Long Point leads through Black Duck Brook, the home of fiddler and composer Emile Benoit, whose unique

style made him one of Newfoundland's most beloved musicians. Listen to one of his best-known compositions here. Back on Route 463, the village of Piccadilly is the site of Piccadilly Head Park, a camping and picnic park with white sand beaches and woodland walking trails. The Port au Port/Bay St. George area has a very active Folk Arts Council, which hosts a Folk Night on the last Saturday of every month in Stephenville as well as several instrumental sessions per week. There are accommodations in both Stephenville and Cape St. George and restaurants in several communities around the peninsula. The Newfoundland and Labrador tourism information website and local tourist bureaus can provide more information.

Living the Tradition

One of my favorite annual events took place on Sunday afternoon. Young Folk at the Hall is a musical concert sponsored by the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts Society to foster and encourage a love of traditional music in the province's younger residents. It's organized by a man who has the status of musical legend in NL, Fergus O'Byrne, who came here in the 1970s as a member of the Irish band Ryan's Fancy. This was the eleventh year that YFATH has taken place, and each year's crop of young performers seems to be better than the last. The thirty or so participants get together on two successive Saturdays to form a number of smaller groups, then choose repertoire and rehearse. They have literally only a few hours in each other's company to put together a set featuring the musical talents of the group's members.

The "Young Folk" involved range in age from seven to seventeen, and there are a wide range of skill levels present. That's the idea; kids mentoring other kids and helping one another learn more about the traditional songs and tunes of Newfoundland. One of the most heartening facets of the program is that for the last several years, young people who have graduated from the program have returned to facilitate the experience for the new, younger participants. The smiles on their faces during the performances -- and during the standing ovation at the end of the concert -- are a clear indicator that these young people are having a great time, and it's a great time that doesn't involve video games, computers, TV or a trip to the mall.

The choice of material is surprisingly varied, with traditional and contemporary songs, instrumental tunes, and a wide range of instruments from fiddles and tin whistles to cello and mandolin. Songs are often arranged so that each member of the group contributes a verse, so every participant is featured at least briefly. It's inspiring to watch the spirit of cooperation and camaraderie that's demonstrated by these young people. It's also wonderful to watch them develop polish and professionalism year by year as they take part in Young Folk; seeing the shy seven-year-old becoming a poised and confident nine- or ten-year-old and stepping in to mentor younger participants. Young Folk at the Hall not only encourages an appreciation of the traditional music of the province, it provides an opportunity for young people to stretch their wings as performers, and to develop a passion for the musical heritage that sets Newfoundland and Labrador apart.

Photos: 1) Hayleigh McGrath; 2) The Pull Hair Dummies (William Corbett, Leslie Amminson, Bryan Snow, Victoria Smith, Chelsea Parsons) 3) Ellen Power 4) Finale with all participants performing "Mussels in the Corner".