Caroline (“Aunt Carrie”) Brennan (1892–1994)

Caroline Mary Brennan (née Nash) was born on 17 July 1892 in Branch. All of her people were descended from Irish immigrants to Newfoundland. Her mother’s people founded Ship Cove with a land grant from the Saunders & Sweetman Company. And during the 1840s, her paternal grandmother, Brigid Power (known locally as “Irish Biddy”), was among the last of the emigrants brought out from Ireland by the Sweetman Company. Brigid worked in the Sweetman fish plant in Placentia when she first arrived in Newfoundland. She later married Paddy Nash of Branch. Many of Caroline’s songs were handed down from her grandmother. 

Caroline’s parents, Bernard Nash of Branch and Mary Tobin of Ship Cove, had eight children; Caroline was among the youngest. Aidan O’Hara noted of Caroline and her family:

All of her family were singers, and each had a wide repertoire of songs. Caroline’s repertoire included several songs about the 1798 period, and included ‘The Shan Van Vocht,’ ‘The Croppy Boy,’ ‘Carroll Bawn,’ and ‘Pat Brady.’ She also sang what she called her ‘Waterloo Songs,’ most of which were about the time of Napoleon ... 

She also sang what she called ‘ditties’—humorous songs—most of which she was reluctant to sing because some of them were ‘a bit rough.’ After she sang a version of ‘The Jolly Tinker’ for me, she laughed and said, ‘God, I’ll be a holy show if they hear that’ … 

But many of her songs were local Newfoundland songs, and included accounts of drownings at sea. There was great poignancy in her singing of these songs, because her son Patrick, a merchant seaman, was drowned at sea (her other son, James, was only 18 months old when he died from German measles). 

Caroline left Branch in 1906 to take up her first post as a teacher in Point Lance. She was only 14-years-old and was responsible for teaching history, geography, reading, writing, and arithmetic to the children of the community. She also taught a bit of music so that the children would have something to sing in community concerts—songs like “Jack was a sailor.” 

She only stayed in Point Lance for six months, returning to Branch so that she could finish her own exams. Caroline took her next position as the school teacher in Ship Cove, a small fishing community with a school attended by 22 pupils. She taught there for five years, until she met and married Edward (“Neddie”) Brennan in 1914 and gave up teaching for married life and its responsibilities.

Despite the hard work, Caroline continued to find time for her music. Locally, Caroline was known as a singer, fiddler, and organist. Her house was a favourite spot for sharing songs and stories, especially when Neddie or her brothers—all of whom had their own stores of music—returned from sea or a spell of working away. Caroline, though, was unusually well-educated for her time and possessed an uncanny memory for songs, stories, and information.

When she was older, Caroline’s appearances at the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival attracted a wider provincial audience, not to mention attention from song collectors and local broadcasters.

Caroline Brennan was well known throughout the Cape Shore for her kindness and compassion, willing to help anyone who found themselves in need. When her brother was left a young widower, she raised his son and namesake Henry. She also adopted two girls, Barbara and Lucy, from St John’s. As adults, Henry and Lucy married.

Caroline passed away on 15 June 1994, just before reaching the age of 102.

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Biographical Information

Courtesy of Caroline Nash

Further Reading

Memorial University of Newfoundland. N.d. “Caroline Brennan.” MUN Libraries—Digital Archives Initiative. 

Placentia Bay Historical Society, and The Research Centre for the Study of Music, Media and Place. N.d. “Caroline Brennan.” Voices of Placentia: Songs, Stories and Tunes from around Placentia Bay.

Preston, Virginia. 1977. “‘The Old Ways are Goin’—They’re Goin’ Fast’: Some People of the Newfoundland Outports and their Songs.” BA thesis, Marlboro College, Vermont, USA.