Origin: The Banks of Newfoundland

Subject: The Banks of Newfoundland
From:
Date: 23 Nov 99 - 07:59 PM

There's a version of a song "The Banks of Newfoundland" in Songs from the Newfoundland Outports that begins THe springtime of the year has come, Once more we must away

I'm trying to find the origins of the song.

Subject: RE: Help: The Banks of Newwfoundland
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 24 Nov 99 - 12:11 AM

To save anyone else the time I went through all the songs that I could find in the DT that had "NEWF*" in their title, without finding any reference to the given lyrics. I didn't do a string search for the fragment of lyrics because I believed that they were quite generic. Regards, John.

Subject: RE: Help: The Banks of Newwfoundland
From: 1979
Date: 24 Nov 99 - 09:07 AM

I take that this is the man himself, Fergus O'Byrne that I ever heard sing the song. I've noticed a few other songs under the same title that have a few similar lyrics so maybe it's a Newfoundland spin off one of those or an alteration of one of those. I'm sure you've already thought of that but those are my suggestions nonetheless.

If this is Fergus would you be able to tell me where you got the song Jolly Jack and who was the man who sang it to you. I saw him on a CBC special not to long ago when you were with Ryan's Fancy and were down to his house twice but I forgot his name before I had a chance to write it down.
Shane Greene

Subject: RE: Help: The Banks of Newwfoundland
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 24 Nov 99 - 10:14 PM

Liam's brother sings a fine "Banks of Newfoundland" on his Irish Ballads and Songs of the Sea CD (Folk-Legacy, of course, since this is me posting this note). But another ballad of the same title, but with a different story altogether is sung by Ian Robb on our The Barley Grain for Me. Ian's song tells of a stranded crew on an ice-bound vessel reaching such a point of starvation that they draw straws as to which of them will provide meat for the rest. The captain's son gets the short straw, but the crew decides to wait until the next day, just in case. Just in the nick of time, as they say, a vessel arrives to rescue the lot of them, son included. Whew! Close call for all. Powerful ballad, powerfully sung by one of the best ballad singers in North America.

If you're a Brit, read the above sentences as if the word crew were a plural and drop the following "s" where it seems inappropriate to you. Thanks.

Sandy (Folk-Legacy's resident folk fogey)

Subject: RE: Help: The Banks of Newwfoundland
From: Liam's Brother
Date: 24 Nov 99 - 11:00 PM

Hi Fergus!

I assume you ask about this song because you don't have a copy of Songs of the Newfoundland Outports. In that collection, there are 3 different songs under the title of The Banks of Newfoundland listed in the index. The one you write about is identified as "Canadian" and listed under "fishing songs."

The informant was Jim Rice of Cape Broyle. In his notes, Ken Peacock says it has not been collected elsewhere.

I hope this is the informantion you need.

All the best,
Dan Milner

Subject: RE: Help: The Banks of Newwfoundland
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 25 Nov 99 - 12:02 PM

Ooops! Forgot to mention that there's a "Banks of Newfoundland" on Gordon Bok's Ensemble, as well. That's Folk-Legacy CD-112.

Sandy (getting forgetful in my antiquity?)