St.Lunaire/Griquet
Griquet harbour today
St. Lunaire and Griquet are adjacent fishing harbours where French cod fishermen established fishing stations in the early 1500s. The stations were well used by the time explorer Jacques Cartier visited in 1534. In spite of its early fishing activity, Griquet Harbour and St. Lunaire Bay were not mapped until the arrival of Guillaume Liberge de Granchain, a French navy captain who had assisted the Americans during their Revolutionary War. At the time, British and Newfoundland fishermen were contesting the legitimacy of the French Shore fishing regulations. The King of France requested that Granchain put forward a plan for guarding French fishing rooms. He mapped the harbour and established his own fishing premises on what is now called Granchain Island. Today, the island is also called French Beach by local residents.
Permanent settlement did not come to St. Lunaire and Griquet until the 1800s when English-speaking guardians put down roots in the region and were soon joined by seasonal Newfoundland fishermen from southern outports. Although the French Shore Treaty did not end until the Entente Cordiale of 1904, the French had already left the area’s fishing grounds some 50 years earlier.
St.Lunaire/Griquet Photos : ( Click each for full size )
Granchain Island from St. Lunaire
Guillaume Liberge de Granchain
St.Lunaire/Griquet : The Ogham Stone and the Story of St. Brendon
A mysterious stone was discovered near St. Lunaire with carvings scratched on it reminiscent of early Irish writing known as Ogham. Although the carvings have never been confirmed as Ogham symbols, the undecipherable markings are a reminder of the story of St. Brendon, the 6th century Irish priest. The story of St. Brendon’s travels suggests that he might have sailed as far west as North America during a seven-year voyage to the legendary Isle of the Blessed.
Historical research states that there are some 400 Ogham inscriptions on stone in the British Isles and Ireland. It is thought that the Ogham alphabet was created in the 4thcentury but its use and meaning are still in dispute by scholars today.
Photos : ( Click each for full size )
Ogham Stone at St. Lunaire
St. Brendon's voyage is celebrated on the French Shore Tapestry