Canada Day is celebrated across Waterford City
Iconic buildings across the city were illuminated in red to mark the occasion, including Reginald's Tower. Photo: Patrick Browne
Waterford City has gone red to celebrate Canada Day and the county's unique historical connection with Newfoundland.
For the event, which took place on Monday, July 1, iconic buildings across Waterford, including Reginald’s Tower, Bishop’s Palace, William Vincent Wallace Plaza and City Hall, were all lit-up in red, in recognition of the shared history, heritage and cultural connections between Ireland and Canada.
Between 1790 and 1830, 35,000 Irish people entered the former colony, with Waterford the primary port of embarkation. Three centuries of shared history with St. John’s means you can travel over 3,500km from Waterford, arrive in St. John’s and still hear familiar accents and colloquialisms from the locals there.
Mass emigration from the South East to Newfoundland from the mid-18th century onwards created strong historical links and many people in St. John’s will know their ancestors boarded ships to Canada on what is now called Canada Street, or that their home was called St. John’s after St. John’s Parish in Waterford City.
Jocelyn Black, Senior Publicity & Communications Executive with Tourism Ireland, said: “We are delighted that Waterford is joining in Canada Day celebrations to showcase their deep connections with Canada and to symbolize the friendship between the island of Ireland and Canada.
“Ireland is renowned for its warm hospitality, and what better occasion to emphasize the bonds between our nations than by celebrating our people, unity, and shared humanity – along with commemorating the historical connections that unite us.”
Mayor of Waterford City & County, Cllr. Jason Murphy, said he was “thrilled that Waterford is joining in this celebration, which highlights the very real connections between Ireland and Canada, and in particular the shared history of Waterford and Newfoundland.
"We wish the people of Canada the very best on their national holiday and invite them to come and explore Waterford City and County and the strong connections between our two countries.”
Waterford City was twinned with St John’s in Newfoundland in 2003 to recognise and celebrate the historical connections. Couples from St. John’s in Newfoundland still return to St. John’s Church in Waterford City to get married.
In Newfoundland, July 1 is also a day of remembrance for the hundreds of soldiers from the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, who died on this day in 1916 in Beaumont-Hamel, at the Battle of the Somme, in France during the First World War.
