John & Maura Mannion

Dr. John Mannion

Historical Geographer

Academic Career

• 1969-2005 Professor of Geography, Memorial University, St. John's, NL

Research

• Irish Migration, Settlement, Trade, Newfoundland, 1700-1850

• Irish-Newfoundland Identities, 1850-2000

Dr. John Mannion has researched the background of the Irish-Newfoundland experience through fieldwork and archival research on both sides of the Atlantic for most of his academic life.

His first book compared Irish immigrant adaptations in a selection of Newfoundland outports to Irish communities in New Brunswick and Ontario. It focused on farming, kinship networks, property acquisition and inheritance, and material folk culture in the 19th century.

Much of his work since then has focused on Newfoundland and has expanded thematically to include the broad patterns of Irish participation in the cod fishery from 1700, transatlantic shipping, the victualling trade, diet, the role of merchants and others in recruiting servants in southeast Ireland, transatlantic migrations, ethnicity, demography, social structures, patriarchy, and, more recently, religion, language, and acculturation.

His approach is geographical, and from that perspective he examines those aspects of the Irish-Newfoundland encounter that are culturally diagnostic, are mappable, or have landscape manifestations.

The following articles are especially relevant to the themes of the collection:

• 2011 "Point Lance: An Irish Settlement in Newfoundland" in F.H.A. Aalen, Kevin Whelan, Matthew Stout eds. Atlas of the Irish Rural Landscape (Cork. Cork University Press) 387-400.

  • PointLance.pdf

• 1993 "Tracing the Irish: A Geographical Guide" The Newfoundland Ancestor: 9, 1, 4-18.

The Irish migration to Newfoundland, and the associated salt provisions trade, represent the oldest and most enduring connection between Ireland and Canada.

Beginning around 1675 ships from the English West country called in to ports along Ireland's south coast to collect food and servants for the transatlantic cod fishery.

These migrations were seasonal or temporary. Most Irish migrants were young men working on contract for English merchants and planters. They served for a summer or two, occasionally longer, and then went home.

It was a substantial migration, peaking in the 1770s and 1780s when more than 100 ships and 5000 men cleared Irish ports for the fishery.

The exodus from Ulster to America excepted, it was the most substantial movement of Irish across the Atlantic in the 18th century.

Full List of Publications

Download the complete list of publications (PDF).

Maura Mannion

Cultural Researcher and Co-Curator of the Mannion Collection

Maura Mannion worked alongside Dr. John Mannion throughout the development of the Mannion Collection and played an essential role in its research, organization, and preservation.

She has made extraordinary contributions to preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador through her lifelong dedication to documenting the Irish experience in this province.

Together with her husband, Dr. John Mannion, Ms. Mannion co-created and co-curated the Mannion Collection, an unparalleled genealogical and historical record of Irish immigrants to Newfoundland from the 17th to the 19th centuries. Compiled over decades and now digitized, this collection provides invaluable insights into the social, cultural, and economic lives of thousands of Irish families and their descendants. It has become a globally recognized resource for scholars, genealogists, and communities, ensuring that the stories of these immigrants will endure for generations.

Ms. Mannion’s role in this monumental project was indispensable. She carried out extensive archival research, organized and indexed original records, and fielded inquiries from scholars and the public worldwide. Her work has deepened understanding of the connections between Ireland and Newfoundland and Labrador and has informed studies in history, genealogy, and even medical research.

Beyond her scholarly contributions, Ms. Mannion has been an active volunteer for decades, serving with organizations such as Oxfam, Amnesty International, and the O’Brien Farm Foundation. Her commitment to community service and cultural preservation reflects a profound love for Newfoundland and Labrador and its heritage.

Through her vision, perseverance, and generosity, Ms. Mannion has ensured that the legacy of the Irish in Newfoundland and Labrador remains a vibrant and accessible part of our shared history.

Through decades of scholarship, archival work, and community engagement, John and Maura Mannion ensured that the legacy of Irish migration to Newfoundland and Labrador remains accessible to future generations.