May Day 2026

(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session fell on 1st May, so the theme had to be May Day. As always the theme was entirely optional. Some people had prepared appropriate songs, others mangled their songs or introductions to fit, and others quite reasonably went ahead and sang what they sang.

It was great to see a turn-out of 11, just the same as the week before, and a level we would be very happy to maintain, so do come along whether you're a regular, it's been a while or it will be your first time. We really are very friendly and definitely non-judgemental.

Two of those present were happy to be our audience: Heather's friend Hazel, and Sheila who was with Paul and Denny. It was Sheila's first visit; she seemed to have enjoyed it and said she was surprised how many of the songs she knew - I saw her joining in quite frequently.

Colin, MC as usual, started us off with The month of May (roud 153).

Stuart and Carrie sang I wandered by a brookside (Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Hougthon, Barbara Berry) and Fresh as a sweet Sunday morning (Bert Jansch).

Paul gave us The Galway shawl (roud 2737) and Denny followed up with the Swinton May song (roud 305).

Stan added the first new entry of the evening in the Dragon database with I will love you all my life (* Charlie Landsborough).

Heather's first song of the evening was Day trip to Bangor (Debbie Cook).

Simon had been stuck on the motorway, but having arrived and bought a drink from the bar, it was his turn straight away and he plucked out Phil Tanner's version of Barbara Allen (roud 54, child 84). And so the first rotation was completed.

Keith G arrived some time later on a rare visit complete with a new keyboard, which he used to give us Is you is or is you ain't my baby (Billy Austin, Louis Jordan). His second offering was a medley of songs which included among others excerpts from: Love letters (* Victor Young, Edward Heyman), Georgia on my mind (Hoagy Carmichael, Stuart Gorrell) and Perfect day (* Lou Reed).

Other songs new to the Dragon database last week were:

•  Stuart and Carrie - Tin man (* Dewey Bunnell)
•  Stan - Someday soon (* Ian Tyson)
•  Carrie - Sunshine in Leith (* Craig Reid, Charlie Reid)

It fell to Denny to finish the session. She said she thought of May as the start of the festival season and sang a song she proposed as a good one to start off a folk festival: Come by the hills (W Gordon Smith).

Now listen to a selection of songs sung during this session.

(Number of people present - 11 of whom 9 performed)

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though no always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).

St David's Day 2026

Llwyn Celyn, Cwmyoy, Monmouthshire
(Photo: Simon Meeds)

It was that time of year to celebrate St David and by association to sing songs with some connection, however tenuous, with Wales or the Welsh. Bearing in mind that our singers had less notice than usual of the theme, and some hardly any notice at all, we didn't do too badly. As sometimes happens, some songs had their words mangled to fit, but we didn't quite get to the point of singing of whaling songs!

It was good to see Heather again, as usual with her non-singing companion Hazel. We did however have a newcomer to the Dragon. Angela has been following us on Facebook for a while and while she didn't perform, she was definitely seen singing along and should she return, which we hope she does, I suspect she may find something to sing now she knows we are a friendly audience.

Colin, MC as usual, started the ball rolling on theme with Hob y deri dando.

Heather's first song was The bunch of thyme (roud 3).

Simon referred to Welsh traditional singer Phil Tanner before singing The Gower wassail song (roud 209).

Paul sang When Jones's ale was new (roud 139), an English song which has its origins in the 16th century.

Denny brought the first rotation to a close with the much more modern Day trip to Bangor (Debbie Cook), a song which appears to tell the story of a seaside trip to Bangor in North Wales, which while in a coastal position is not renowned as a resort. Rumours spread that the song was inspired by a trip to Rhyl, 30 miles East along the coast, but "Rhyl" didn't scan and was replaced, much to the angst of the councillors of that town. Cook however stated that the song was specifically written about Bangor.

The only song of the evening not found on YouTube and therefore not included in the linked playlist was Colin's Children born to the valleys (# Dawson Smith). The song was included on a frustratingly elusive album of songs based the epic Welsh novels of Alexander Cordell.

There were just two songs sung during the evening which were new to the Dragon database. The first was The jovial man of Kent (*), sung by Paul to the same tune as When Jones's ale was new. This song was written by Charles Dibdin (1745-1814).

The other "new" song came from Heather and was Caravan song (*) written by Mike Batt for the 1978 film Caravans in which it was sung by Barbara Dickson.

The evening was finished by Colin singing the unofficial national anthem of Wales, Land of my fathers (Evan James, James James).

Now listen to a selection of songs sung during this session.

(Number of people present - 7 of whom 5 performed)

In the above report songs new to the Dragon database (though no always new to the club) are marked with an asterisk (*) and any songs not included in the "a selection" playlist are marked with a hash (#).

St David's Day 2023

After a good run of well peopled sessions we were down to a core of two last week. With one of those due to be absent this Friday (10th March) it's really important that you make an effort to join us whether you are a regular, an occasional visitor or a first timer.

There will be no theme, we don't bite and anything goes as long as it's acoustic. So, whether you mostly sing, play, recite or just listen, you will be equally welcome to experience our free entry, warm welcome, great acoustics and the reasonably priced bar.

Join us this or (almost) any Friday from 8:15pm in the pool room of The Bridge Inn, Shortwood, Bristol (UK), BS16 9NG.

Once at the pub, if you need help to find us, be sure to mention "Dragon Folk Club" at the bar and you should be pointed in the right direction.

And now back to last week. With the theme of St David's Day there was some effort made to sing things Welsh or about Wales or the Welsh, and then as usual that was stretched a bit: to wales, New South Wales, and a few songs which missed the mark, but never mind.

MC Colin started us off with Welsh history 101B (Heather Rose Jones) which Simon followed with Fiddler's Dram's Day Trip to Bangor (Debbie Cook).

Simon read a poem by recently deceased, adopted Welshman, Les Barker. The poem in question was The Ice Cream Bells of Porthcawl. This required the reader to pronounce that well-known Welsh village name which also gave one of Colin's songs its title; that title being Llanfairpwllgwyngyll...gogogoch!, a parody of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, written by Kristof Robertson.

Most of the other songs not included in the "a selection" playlist linked below were sung by Colin from the pen of Dawson Smith. He sang three of these: Rebecca, Rebecca about the Rebecca Riots, Children Born to the Valleys, and From Green to Black.

Simon finished the evening with the Bristol-based Welsh Back Quay written by local shanty singer Ian "Nobby" Dye.

Now listen to a selection of songs sung during this session.

(Number of people present - 2 of whom 2 performed)

St David's Day 2019

Last week's session was on St David's Day so that was our theme. Unfortunately we were still at rock bottom for attendance. We manage to have good sessions but it would be a lot more pleasure if you were with us to add your contributions and to enjoy the banter.

Colin ably MCed as usual and introduced the theme with Welsh History 101 by Heather Rose Jones.

Derek's first contribution may seem a little negative about those from across the Wye but in fact he has plenty of historical justification for singing Taffy Was A Welshman (Roud 19237) because the first verse appeared in something like its current form in Nancy Cock's Pretty Song Book, printed in London in about 1780.