A quiet story about an island community, the families who carried it with them, and the memories still held close around Trinity Bay.
The island that came along
“Easy now, b’ys. This is one of them stories you don’t rush through.”
Kite looked across the water toward Ireland’s Eye, in Trinity Bay. From shore, the island sat quiet beneath the sky. But Kite knew a quiet place could hold a mighty lot of life.
People were living on Ireland’s Eye as early as 1675. It was a fishing place, close to the sea that fed the families there. Over the years, homes and boats gathered around the harbour. There was a church, a school, and neighbours who knew one another’s voices. In 1911, the population reached 157.
“Can you imagine all those voices carrying over the water?” Kite said softly. “The boats coming in. The children heading to school. The sound of the church bell telling everyone the day was moving along.”
But the fishery began to decline, and getting to a road meant a long journey across the water and land. The nearest road connection was at New Bonaventure, about thirteen kilometres away. In 1959, families began moving under the government’s resettlement programme. By 1966, just sixteen people remained on the island. Many went to New Bonaventure, Trinity, and the Clarenville area.
Kite watched the waves for a moment.
“Leaving a place doesn’t mean leaving it behind,” he said. “You bring the stories with you. You bring the sound of home, and the names of the people who made it home.”
Ireland’s Eye’s church had been part of that community’s life. When the families moved, the church’s windows went to L’Anse-au-Loup, and its bell went to Dover. The island’s people had scattered, but pieces of the place travelled on—finding new homes where they could ring and shine for others.
Kite tucked his wings close.
“Some people have Ireland’s Eye in their hearts because their family came from there. Some remember the island from stories told at the kitchen table. And some have made the crossing themselves. However it lives with you, it deserves to be remembered with care.”
He gave the water a little nod.
“So that’s Ireland’s Eye, b’ys. An island community shaped by the fishery, and carried forward by the people who remember it. I’ll be quiet now and let the stories have their turn.”
History credits
The history in Kite’s tale is based on Memorial University’s Maritime History Archive and Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador’s account of centralization and resettlement.
Sources: Memorial University: Ireland’s Eye · Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador: Centralization, the Smallwood Years
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