Part of the Ghost Towns of Canada series
The outport community of Ireland's Eye first cropped up in the late 1500s after England claimed fishing rights to Newfoundland's rugged waters. Its earliest inhabitants were abandoned there, seasonal workers whose unscrupulous captains left them ashore to make room for more fish on the return sailing to England. But despite an uncertain start, the little town survived and thrived through harsh weather and a total absence of amenities, not to mention a brief stint protecting their hard-earned profits from the pillaging of notorious pirate Peter Easton.
By the 1940s, still without cars, electricity and plumbing, Ireland's Eye had altered little from its beginnings. Like hundreds of other outports along the eastern sea board, however, the community could not survive the political and financial shifts that accompanied Newfoundland's entry into Confederation. Declared "uneconomical" by the Canadian government, Ireland's Eye was all but emptied during the 1960s as part of the Fisheries Household Resettlement program.
Titles included in this series:
Grosse Île, Québec
Val Jalbert, Québec
Silver Islet, Ontario
Depot Harbour, Ontario
Creighton, Ontario
Ghost Town Trail, Saskatchewan
Rowley, Alberta
Nordegg, Alberta
Barkerville, British Columbia
Sandon, British Columbia
Ocean Falls, British Columbia
Cassiar, British Columbia
