“Immigrant Ways” is an initiative that complements a similar INC initiative in Southeast Ireland known as “Emigrant Trails.” The common goal of the linked initiatives is to make visible the tangible and intangible contributions of Irish emigrants who immigrated to Newfoundland and contributed greatly to the history, heritage, and culture of Newfoundland communities.
The initiative was first discussed at an economic development conference as part of the 2007 Festival of the Sea in Ireland. It was seen as a project well suited to the goals of the NLIC: celebrating history and culture, promoting local sustainable communities, and identifying and responding to community development issues.
Since 2007, the Emigrant Trails project in Ireland has published two booklets based on emigrant family names from the counties of Waterford and South Tipperary, and developed an eco-park in Dunhill with commemorative trees and a first commemorative bench unveiled at the 2013 Power Clan Gathering.
As an introduction to the history of Irish settlement in Newfoundland, we are pleased to host the online version of Dr. John Mannion’s article, “Tracing the Irish: A Geographical Guide.” It originally appeared in the Newfoundland Ancestor, the publication of the Family History Society of Newfoundland and Labrador (fhsnl.ca), in 1993. We thank both Dr. Mannion and the FHSNL for permission to include it here as part of our contribution to the Immigrant Ways project.
