**Never Miss a Blog Post: Subscribe to Icelandic Roots!**

Are you eager to stay informed about all things Icelandic? Look no further than the Icelandic Roots newsletter! Our dedicated team of authors and guest writers brings you insightful and engaging content on various topics related to Icelandic culture, history, travel, famous people, language, genealogy, and upcoming events.

Subscribe Today!

By Alfreda Erickson Duffy The history of the Leif Eiriksson Icelandic Club of Calgary (LEIC) was originally compiled by one of our founding members, Freda Abrahamson1, and is currently being updated by Gwen Mann. “In 1971, two newcomers from Iceland, Margret Geppert and Asthildur Gisladottir Mixa, went through the Calgary telephone book to find people of Icelandic origin. As a result, some 50 people met at the University of Calgary to discuss their heritage and explore the id

By Sharron Arksey Photo Credit: Winnipeg Free Press1 If you are a Manitoban of Icelandic descent, you likely recognize the name Haraldur Bessason (I155214). As the Chair of the Icelandic Department at the University of Manitoba for several decades and a former editor of Lögberg-Heimskringla, he was a well-known figure in western Icelandic circles. But I did not know that Bessason was born in Iceland, nor that his remains are buried there. I was surprised last year to see his

by Doreen Borgfjord McFarlane As we review the settlements in Winnipeg and the New Iceland area, no doubt many of us have reflected on the life our ancestors experienced. But what of our own life in these Icelandic settlement areas? One of our IR volunteers and author, Doreen Borgfjord McFarlane, reflects on her growing up in Winnipeg as a Canadian with Icelandic heritage. Doreen Borgfjord McFarlane There are not too many advantages to being what you might call “pretty old”

By Gerry Stefanson Gerry Stefanson is a member of the Icelandic Roots Author’s Group, and we are pleased to share his musings through poetry, a craft he has honed in more recent years. Many of Gerry’s poems have been previously published in our Newsletters. He has also published poet “Chap Books” through Spillwords. You can see more of his work, including Passages and Bouleversant HERE. For June, we are profiling the New Iceland area on Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba as part of our

Lögberg-Heimskringla , the oldest ethnic publication in Canada and the second oldest in North America will celebrate its 140th anniversary in 2026. Beginning with its first issue of 2026 in January, the paper will include articles from the time it has been in existence, culminating in a special issue devoted to the anniversary on September 15. Heimskringla was first published on September 9, 1886, with editors Freeman Anderson, Eggert Johansson, and Einar Hjorleifsson. Lögbe

By Stefan Jonasson During the last two decades of the 19th century and well into the 20th, there was an extensive Unitarian mission to...