Tickle Cove Pond

Tickle Cove Pond (The Song)

The popular Newfoundland folk song “Tickle Cove Pond”, written by Mark Walker (1846-1924), discusses an event in which a man was hauling wood across the pond with the assistance of his horse as spring was nearing. The man’s horse, known as “Kit”, seemed to send weary signals to the man, however he pushed on and they both fell through the ice. The song goes on to tell how community members, including William White and William Over, rushed to the scene to help the man and pull Kit out of the water. One line from the song reads:

“To help a poor neighbour is part of their lives;

The same I can say of their children and wives.”

This beautiful song encapsulates what it means to be a Newfoundlander – being kind, compassionate, and lending a helping hand whenever possible.

The song has stood the test of time and has been recorded by several popular NL artists including Ron Hynes, Sullivan and Slaney, Great Big Sea, Connemara, and Mathew Byrne. Please see the below videos for a couple of these versions!

Dory Races

Tickle Cove Pond has also been known to host dory races amongst local residents of the surrounding area, with the earliest dating back to sometime between 1860-1875. It was later brought back in 1939 for only a single year due to the eventual start of the Second World War. In more recent times, the races were revived through an annual festival called the “Tickle Cove Dory Days”. This was a two-day event that included a garden party, beer tent, an evening dance, and of course, dory races. The last Tickle Cove Dory Days ran from 1997 to 2014.