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July 20, 2026
By Jade Lemieux

I have always known the Magdalen Islands archipelago as a popular tourist destination and summer vacation spot for people both within and outside Québec. While I have not had the chance to visit myself yet, I have seen countless trip photos and can almost picture myself in the hilly, green landscape, looking down steep, red, rocky cliffs getting hit by wave after wave from the Gulf of St Lawrence. Situated off the continent, southeast of the Gaspé Peninsula and just north of Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton, the Magdalen Islands are home to a culturally mixed population of Francophone, Anglophone, and Acadian people. 

First land of the Mi’kmaq tribe, then taken by French settlers, the archipelago became home to several Acadian families until 1755, when many were deported by English settlers. With even more French families coming to the Magdalen Islands from Miquelon in 1793, the archipelago was already becoming home to a culturally varied population. It is not until 1822, however, that the English-speaking communities of the archipelago firmly established themselves when the Islands were handed to an English admiral. Today, certain islands in the archipelago—namely Entry Island and Grosse Île—persist as English-speaking enclaves even in a predominantly French region. Both Entry Island and Grosse Île’s communities were formed predominantly by individuals originally from the Scottish Highlands, as well as some families who moved from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. 

Their self-sustaining nature as fishing villages and their isolation from the bigger francophone communities on the province’s mainland have allowed Entry Island and Grosse Île to maintain their specific linguistic and cultural identities throughout the last two centuries. The latter, with its approximately 500 residents, is the biggest anglophone community in the archipelago. Grosse Île still remains one of the most remote sectors of the Magdalen Islands. Along with its small fishing village, it is recognized for its natural preservation with two natural reserves and sanctuaries, both holding a vast array of wildlife. If you travel to Grosse Île today, you can learn more about its history by visiting its historical heritage complex and the Little Red School museum, where tour guides offer insight into the English-speaking community and its history on the Magdalen Islands. 

Although the Magdalen Islands are primarily known for their natural beauty, which leads to their population tripling during the summer months due to tourism, Grosse Île also has quite a dark history. From 1832 to 1837, Grosse Île was used as a quarantine station responsible for public health at the Laurentian gateway. More than 4 million immigrants passed through the station in its history. The first few decades of the station’s existence are defined by constant outbreaks and virulent epidemics due to ill-equipped facilities unable to accommodate the sheer quantity of immigrants coming in from Europe, where epidemics were raging throughout the continent at the time. 1847 marks one of the darkest years in its history, as thousands of Irish immigrants attempting to escape the Great Potato Famine died from a Typhus epidemic on the Island. Grosse Île houses the largest Irish Famine burial site outside of Ireland. 

In 1974, the Canadian government recognized Grosse Île as a site of national historic significance. If you ever make your way to the Magdalen Islands, make sure to take some time visiting the Irish Memorial National Historic Site on Grosse Île to learn more about this Anglophone community’s history. Much is hiding beyond the island’s natural beauty, and it is left for you to discover. 
 

References 

Cummings, Don, and Serge Occhietti. “Grosse Île and the Irish Memorial National Historic Site.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2006, . Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.

l'île imagin'air. “Discover Grosse Ile – a Wave of Traditions.” YouTube, 10 Mar. 2016, . Accessed 17 Apr. 2026. 

Mailhot, Pierre, and Jean-Marie Dubois. “Îles de La Madeleine.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 7 Feb. 2006, . Accessed 17 Apr. 2026. 

McNaughtan, Pamela. “Getting to Know the English-Speaking Communities of Eastern Québec.” Québec Maritime, 29 Jan. 2025, . Accessed 17 Apr. 2026. 

Sévigny, André. “The Evolution of the Historic Role of Grosse Île.” Government of Canada, 1995, . Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.