Emmanuel James Hann was born in Port aux Basques on March 28, 1917. His parents, Sophia and Andrew, played musical instruments, and Manny began playing fiddle at a young age, learning tunes by ear after hearing them only once or twice. He played in a local band for a time before leaving to serve in England during World War II. He served for two years in the Navy and would sometimes play and entertain aboard ship. He later worked for the Canadian National Railway until his retirement in 1981. He married Martha Fudge from Burnt Islands, and they had two children, John and Gail. Manuel Hann passed away on February 12, 1995 

Collector’s Note: I don’t have much on tape from my visit with Manny, and he hadn’t played in quite a few years, as evidenced by his comment: “I haven’t played it in so long now I got a job to do it.” He no longer owned a fiddle but played a few tunes on mine. Another comment he made after playing the tune I have titled Man Hann’s Jig was: “The old fellas used to play that see,” which suggests that this tune, and perhaps the others, were local. Man Hann also played Swallows Nest, Off She Goes, Paddy on the Turnpike, Rakes of Kildare, Soldiers Joy.