A great big sea hove in Long Beach, and Granny Snooks she lost her speech.

— Lyrics, Great Big Sea Hove in Long Beach

It’s not everyday the happenings in Lisbon, Portugal can silence Bonavista’s Granny Snooks but that’s just what happened in 1755.

On November 1, 1755 an earthquake struck Lisbon, Portugal. It was devastating. Thousands died and there was tremendous destruction, virtually levelling the city.

The earthquake, which occurred under the ocean floor, southwest of Portugal, caused a tsunami which spread outward through the Atlantic. Eventually the tsunami reached England, Brazil and Newfoundland.

The ocean rose and came far ashore at Long Beach in Bonavista.

The following is an account, written by Phillip Toque in 1846:

It has been asserted that this tsunami, and its impact on Long Beach, is the inspiration for the Newfoundland folk song ’Great Big Sea Hove in Long Beach.’

Is this fact? Well, maybe? Circumstantially, there is a reasonable case — in 1755 there was a great big sea hove in Long Beach, Bonavista and the song is about a ‘sea hove’ in Long Beach. 

But if 409 seasons of CSI have taught us anything, it’s that circumstantial evidence is not proof. The Lisbon earthquake is a good, sensible origin story for the song but there are alternate explanations. 

For the moment, I’m running with the Lisbon earthquake version of events. The Discovery Geopark does as well, so I’m in good company.

What is less debatable is that the song Great Big Sea Hove in Long Beach inspired the name of folk rock group Great Big Sea. Band member Alan Doyle discusses the process of settling on the name in his book Where I Belong.

So, in a roundabout way, a 250 year-old disaster in Portugal has influenced Canadian culture for generations, first through a folk song, then a rock band.

That’s kinda cool.