'Fishing for the Parish on St. Peter and Paul’s Day' by Patricia Dohey, St. Bride's Newfoundland

Fishing for the Parish - St. Peter and Paul’s Day Accounts from St. Bride's Newfoundland
The 29th of June is The Feast of St. Peter and Paul so here’s a fantastic account from Patricia Dohey from St. Bride’s, Newfoundland that I recorded in 2019.
In this account you hear how the men of the area, including her husband, would ‘fish for the parish’ on that day i.e. any money made on the sale of the fish that they caught went to the parish/church. In the account Patricia recalls how there would be an early mass that morning and in some cases the local priest went out with the fishermen. There was no skiving off work on that day though, and you worked as hard as any other day, as it was deemed bad luck if you didn’t put your back into it.
What’s also really interesting here is we can see how the Cod Moratorium in Newfoundland back in the 1990s put an end to the tradition as it introduced legislation where certain fishing dates had to be adhered too and unfortunately the 29th fell short. The feast of St. Peter and Paul’s was also a big day on The Tilts in neighbouring Point Lance where the families would gather on that day and have a picnic of sorts. This picnic/party was done here in Wexford on this date in the past and it obviously travelled over from Ireland.
Needless to say the 29th was an important date in Ireland too. It was the date that my own parents and grandparents would dig the first potatoes and feasted on them. This potato digging date didn't transfer to Newfoundland though as the growing dates were different. The clip ends when I ask her if the men can swim. Like Ireland, most older fishermen couldn't and that is found all over the country. She ends the clip by saying "Summer wasn't play time, Summer was work time when you could make a few dollars". No time for swim, only time to fish. Powerful.
Text: Michael Fortune