Where Did Newfoundlanders Come from?

A large majority of the present-day inhabitants of Newfoundland and Labrador are the descendants of people who migrated here from relatively small areas of southwestern England and southeastern Ireland between the mid-17th century and the mid-19th century.

Why did the Irish come to Newfoundland?

Newfoundland and Labrador's cod fishery was the strongest pull factor attracting Irish immigrants from the late-17th through early-19th centuries because it provided a readily available source of employment for unskilled workers.

Who originally settled Newfoundland?

History. Long settled by indigenous peoples of the Dorset culture, the island was visited by the Icelandic explorer Leif Eriksson in the 11th century, who called the new land "Vinland". The next European visitors to Newfoundland were Portuguese, Dutch, Spanish, French, and English migratory fishermen and whalers.