Traditional poems and recitations from the 19th Century by painter Clyde Henneberry of Eastern Passage. See: Helen Creighton - Fisherman's Cove - Eastern Passage - Devil's Island - Nova Scotia

5 MP3 Songs in this album (15:21) !
Related styles: Spoken Word: Novelty, Spoken Word: Inspirational, Mood: Quirky

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Clyde T. Henneberry is a Maritime oil painter, and a native of Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia. Born in 1924, he began his career as an artist in the late 1980âs. Self-educated, he took up painting after more than 45 years of lobster fishing off the coast of Nova Scotia.

He has been honored by having the Clyde Henneberry Room named after him at the Fishermanâs Cove development in Eastern Passage. His paintings of local scenes are in leading Canadian collections. He was featured in Dan Brownâs local history âThe View From Hereâ and an episode of the CBC television show "Show Off!". On November 30, 2010, local MLA Becky Kent and the Nova Scotia Legislature congratulated Clyde on his lifetime of achievements.

The Henneberry family originally immigrated to Canada from County Kilkenny, Ireland in the early 1800âs. They settled on Devilâs Island in the mouth of Halifax harbour and later Eastern Passage, when harsh conditions and the lack of opportunity brought the original community to a sad end, shortly after the Second World War.

The folklore tradition of Devilâs Island was rich, and Helen Creighton documented ancient traditional songs from Ireland, Scotland and England, in her famous anthology âSongs and Ballads from Nova Scotiaâ. She described a trip to the island to collect folksongs:

âSuch a funny little island we found it, with a total circumference of only one mile. The inhabitants are all fisher-folk, of English, Irish and Welsh descent, the Henneberrys probably having come out with Alexander McNutt early in the nineteenth century when he brought 300 Irish settlers over. They find their catch in the waters that [lie] near at hand.â

Today, the island lies abandoned, with the last buildings returning to nature as ghostly relics of the past. Clyde claims that the original settlement was named âDuvalâs Islandâ and misinterpreted as âDevilâs Islandâ.

Helen Creighton collected many songs from Clydeâs great-uncles and grandfather, some of which were preserved by the Smithsonian / Folkways record âFolk Music from Nova Scotiaâ in the mid-1950âs.

On Devilâs Island, the families made their own entertainment. In addition to folksongs performed by Ben and Edmund Henneberry, the families would gather together in the evenings to hear dramatic recitations of popular poems and verses.

Like the rhymes memorized by school children, these were often popular poems from the late 19th and early 20th Century, handed down by oral tradition and changed subtly by the performers to accommodate their audience. Often they would be clipped out of the local papers, where they had been reprinted by popular demand.

Many of these recitations travelled miles and underwent many changes before reaching the Eastern Shore. The version of the Halifax Explosion was originally collected from Miss Dorothy Hyson in the early 1930âs in Hubbards, Nova Scotia and widely reprinted. Edgar A. Guestâs poem âI Ainât Dead Yetâ, strikes a familiar chord with a modern audience.

While there are numerous variations on âThe Old Maid and the Burglarâ, (one of the oldest being attributed to Jonathan Swift), Clydeâs variation shows up in an anthology called âSongs of Mississippiâ, credited to Mr. T.A. Bickerstaff of Tishomingo.

The recitations on this CD are a portrait of a long gone era â a brief snapshot of a time when people were pleased and entertained by feats of memorization, long before the Internet or cable television. Some were made famous by Eastern Passage local Dan MacDonald more than 50 years ago.

Recorded in Clydeâs kitchen in Eastern Passage at Christmas time 2010, we hope that this portrait will make you smile for a few minutes, remembering a time when ingenuity was still an important part of entertainment.

Clyde T. Henneberry âPoems & Recitationsâ

1. The Halifax Explosion 3:37
2. Courting with Jake 5:37
3. Brother Isaacâs Sermon 3:20
4. The Old Maid and the Burglar 1:30
5. Ainât Dead Yet 1:15

Unless otherwise indicated, all selections are in the public domain. All copyright and rights in this recording are © Clyde T Henneberry, 2010. No recordings may be reproduced or used in anyway outside of this program without the consent of the copyright owner.

Produced by William Blakeney
Engineered by Mike Boyer, Lancaster Recording Studio, Saint John N.B.
Mastered at Grant Avenue Studio, Hamilton, Ontario

Thanks to: Ruth Henneberry, Maurice James Henneberry, Raymond Henneberry, Mayor Peter Kelly, Mary and Albert Conrod, Mike Boyer, Mary Ann OâHara, Tommy MacDonald, Becky Kent. Special thanks to Cindy Kennah.