Irish people have always been great travellers and, wherever you go in the world, you can be pretty sure that someone from Ireland got there before you. That’s certainly the case here in Canada: I was pleased to find that it was Irish fishermen from County Cork who discovered the country back in 1536! Although we must not forget Saint Brendan, who had already been there in the sixth century. In both cases the early explorers landed on the east coast, today known as Newfoundland – the name says it all. Irish writer Tim Pat Coogan has described Newfoundland as “the most Irish place in the world outside of Ireland” – in terms of language, surnames, place names and traditional music.

Canada – a new country built on fur and timber: ‘The Lumbermen’s Camp’ (top), and ‘The Drive’ (bottom) – thanks to Frank Runnals for letting us use these…