When a Christmas carol is also a folk ballad you know it's not going to be the usual angels/shepherds/kings extravaganza. This one doesn't disappoint, with a lovely garden, a jealous Joseph and a fruit-related miracle. But, as ever, all is not as it seems. Continuing the theme of weird Christianity from last month's episode, we get to explore medieval mystery plays and alternative gospels, and in 5th Century Syria we discover a scholarly and forthright Mary who doesn't need an angel to fight...

This unusual song was a feature of the 60s and 70s folk revival - a real show stopper and something of a curiosity. But underneath it lies a thousand years of European folklore, and a further thousand years of vivid theology. So, my friends, we're going on a metaphysical journey to the underworld. Have you been charitable in your life? Did you give a cow to the poor, or 'hosen and shoon' to a beggar? Did you judge rightly? Have you been moving your neighbours' boundary stones? Better take...

The sheep are all sheared and we’re dancing and drinking in the warm June sun. We’re transported back to simpler and more innocent times with more than a whiff of nostalgia the loss of our connection to the land.  And yet nothing is ever quite as straightforward as it seems, and this song is no exception. While delving into its theatrical past I once again get into that most thorny of issues – what is a folk song, and what should we do with them today? But mostly I have lots of fun...

It's the first of May and we have a May Mini episode about the song Staines Morris, also known as the Maypole Dance. But did you know it started life in a puritan era farce? It was a joy to find out more about one of my favourite songs, and I hope you'll like it as much as I do. Thanks as always go to Mudcat Cafe and Mainly Norfolk websites without which I hardly know where I would start my research, and to Stones Barn who gave me the confidence to sing again. Other references: Stanes...

A chance meeting in a meadow, a false young man and a philosophical ending… it’s that folk favourite the Banks of the Sweet Primroses, beloved of collectors and Broadside publishers alike. In fact it’s part of the history of so many folk song collectors that we’ve taken the opportunity to follow one of them on their collecting expedition. But what really happened in that meadow and why did the young man get such a dressing down? We’ve got all the theories and a few of our own, and even a...

The Wexford Carol - also known as the Enniscorthy Carol - is said to be one of Europe's most ancient Christmas songs, but the truth is even more interesting. In this festive episode I take a look at the singing traditions that produced this lovely song, and put out a little theory of my own. Thank you for following the podcast during 2022, I'll keep making episodes while people keep listening. Have a wonderful Christmas! Music Wexford Carol (instrumental) All You Who Are To Mirth Inclined...

You don't find many traditional songs where the woman becomes pregnant out of wedlock and yet it all turns our wonderfully. But then Willy O' Winsbury is not your run of the mill folk song. King’s daughter Janet knew what she wanted… and it seems that her father wanted it too. Once he’d established that Willy wasn’t too foreign that is. He especially noticed his blond hair and milky white skin… oh dear. As well as picking up on some of these themes, the episode looks at the twists and turns...

Many of us know The Keeper as a slightly odd - but fun - song from our school days. All together now: JACKIE BOY! MASTER! No need to shout! reprimands a weary teacher. But away from the sanitised and bowdlerised versions of our childhoods lurks a dark song of sexual pursuit. You didn’t really think all those does were female deer, did you? We talk about Camus, the band Andrew has been a part of for four decades, and explore its influences from the Northumbrian, Shetland and Irish...

Our first ever live show was recorded on 4th September 2022 as part of the Folk at the Folk Festival. This is a field recording of an acoustic show in a beautiful but very echoey space with the bells of Gloucester Cathedral occasionally in the background, so the audio is a little different from usual. Features the following: Sainte Nicholas by Godric of Finchale (12th Century)Account of Eleanor and Rosamond from the French Chronical of London (14th Century)Fair Rosamond (trad - New...

Sitting in a quiet(ish!) part of the site, near the river, Jo tells us why The Castle of Dromore is so special to her and her daughter.

I met up with Louisa on the final day of the festival. Her favourite song is the beautiful The Flower of Magherally, and she sang a wonderful verse with the unorthodox accompaniment of a drumming workshop.

We're in the bar at Shrewsbury Folk Festival. Katie Whitehouse talks about running a management agency for folk artists, and why Reg Meuross's song England Green and England Grey will be a folk song for future generations.

Backstage at Shrewsbury Folk Festival, Marion talks about the music of the late Sandy Denny, and why The Lady is her favourite folk song.

Backstage at the Turtle Doves stage of the Shrewsbury Folk Festival, Phil Beer told me why he loves the song Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy.

Irish singer Molly Donnery shares her favourite folk song, My Belfast Love, shortly before going on stage with The Haar at Shrewsbury Folk Festival.

Singer songwriter Reg Meuross shares his favourite folk song, Bob Dylan's Girl from the North Country

In the first of a mini-series of short interviews at the Shrewsbury Folk Festival, Iain talks about his favourite folk song Flower of Scotland and sings a very beautiful version.

Put on your Sunday best, we're going to the fair! A handsome young man, a  moonlight tryst and a young woman is left to bear the consequences. It's an age old tale, but why did it become so popular in the early 19th Century? We might have the answer. We're also looking more widely at English fairs through the ages; the fun, strange and sometimes scandalous things that happen there, and the songs people sing about them. This episode features bit of mild swearing thanks to our cheeky friend...

It's another epic ballad this week as I catch up with Franz Andres Morrissey to learn more about this song, that was originally collected in Scotland. We also chat about the ups and downs of the Swiss folk scene, have a good old gossip about Robert Burns, and I learn where Martin Carthy gets his tunes from. Brown Adam, or Broun Edom, is a rare song with some old, even pre-Christian, themes and motifs. It unfolds in true storytelling style and includes such colourful characters  as a False...

Bessy (or Betsy) Bell and Mary Gray were two bonny lasses, and they may even have been historical figures, but the plague came from yon borough town and slew them both regardless. And thus was created a most romantic and picturesque place of pilgrimage. Bessy Bell is also a tune and we take a look at it's surprising history, from being scrawled in a book of sermons to the part it played in the heyday of a theatrical phenomenon. The tune we sing today isn't the traditional one; a quite...

It's May. The meadows and hedgerows are in bloom, the sun is ablaze and the lark is on the wing. Song: The Lark in the Morning - CS Poem: The Lark Ascending (extract) by George Meredith Tune: The Lark Ascending by R Vaughan Williams/The Lark in the morning (jig) Poem: The Green Cornfield by Christina Rosetti Song: All Things Are Quite Silent - Carys Poem: Extract from The Night's Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer Song: The Skylark, words by Fredrick Tennyson, tune by Neal Jolly - Neal Jolly Poem:...

When I interviewed The Haar about the song Wild Rover, we had such a great chat about music that there was just too much to fit into a single episode! So, for all you music lovers out there, here are Molly, Cormac, Adam and Murray talk about their musical backgrounds and why they love traditional music so much. Do buy their new album Where Old Ghosts Meet because it's excellent, and while you're at it you might want to snap up their equally wonderful first album too. The Haar are: Adam...

The Wild Rover is a sailors' song, known in most of the places where seafarers from these isles gathered.  But I can guarantee you've never heard it done like this before! In today's episode I'm with The Haar, shortly before the release of their new album Where Old Ghosts Meet. We chat about this song, described as being like a handshake for sailors meeting in far away places, and why they chose to add a new verse. They also talk about their approach to traditional music, and improvising in...

We're diving even deeper into this Lancashire favourite, thanks to today's guest Colin Ormston. His research uncovers an enigmatic pair of brothers and a treasure trove of songs and local lore, and we get to hear the original tune and arrangement of this popular song. You can find Colin's research and copies of the two original songbooks here and his folk website here. You can also hear his music on Youtube. The original podcast with guest Peter Madeley can be found here. Music...