Sam Henry (musicologist)
| Sam Henry | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Samuel Henry 9 May 1878 Coleraine, Northern Ireland |
| Died | 23 May 1952 (aged 74) |
| Occupation | customs officer, pension officer, antiquarian, lecturer, writer, photographer, musician, folklorist, folk-song collector |
| Children | Olive Mary Henry Craig |
Samuel "Sam" Henry (9 May 1878 – 23 May 1952) was an Irish customs officer, pension officer, antiquarian, lecturer, writer, photographer, folklorist, and folk-song collector. He also played the fiddle and the tin whistle.
He is best known for his collection of ballads and songs in Songs of the People, the largest and most comprehensive collection of folk-songs from Northern Ireland assembled between the wars (1923 – 1939), when he was Song Editor for the Northern Constitution, a weekly newspaper in Coleraine.
Henry was born and educated in Sandleford, Coleraine, Northern Ireland. He came from a prominent Coleraine family and was the youngest of five sons: his brother William was town clerk of Coleraine; Robert, principal of the Model School; James, vice principal of the Hon. The Irish Society’s Primary School; and Tom, a civil servant. In 1897, when he was 19, Sam passed two examinations, one as teacher and the other as an exciseman, choosing to follow the latter career.
According to his daughter, Mrs Olive Mary Henry Craig, Henry was a "very large man, tall, broad and burly" who weighed over sixteen stone (225 pounds, over 100 kilograms). He rode a bicyle and also used a car in his travels around the northern counties, as well as the public transport system (bus and train). Henry described himself as "an ardent amateur naturalist, archaeologist, antiquarian, genealogist, and photographer." He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland and could therefore append the letters FRSAI after his name. He was also an amateur ornithologist regarded as an authority on the birds of the north of Ireland. As a well-known lecturer who communicated his enthusiasm and knowledge of his special hobbies to other people, Henry contributed many articles on such matters to the local papers.
After service as a customs & excise officer in England (1903-4), Henry returned home, where he served mainly around Coleraine. When Lloyd George instituted the Old-Age Pensions Act 1908, Henry was appointed to administer it in his area, while still carrying out his duties for the Inland Revenue.
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