Halloween 2019

Is it a bat? (Photo: Simon Meeds)

Our Halloween session was slightly curtailed by the rugby las Friday. Specifically The Bridge Inn closed early in preparation for an early opening on Saturday for the World Cup semi-final. Given that England is through to the final this Saturday we are expecting a similar approach so please make an effort to be there for a prompt start at 8:15pm on 1 November. Don't worry if you do turn up later, we will continue without a break until we are asked to leave... last week it was a little before 10pm. The session will be Campfire themed, to mark Bonfire Night on the following Tuesday.

Your campfire songs will be very welcome together with anything relating to bonfire night, attacking parliament, fireworks or anything else you can think of. Themes are never compulsory though so if you don't have anything relevant just turn up and show us what you can do, which may even just be listening and joining in the banter and a chorus or two.

The Yorkshire Irishman

This isn't the usual report of a session at the Dragon Folk Club. A report of last week's session will come in due course. Rather this goes back to the previous week when I wrote that 'this inspired Derek to sing a song which included the line "the land between England and Ireland, it's covered in water you know", although unfortunately I wasn't able to trace it.'

Derek gave me a little help and with that I was able to find that I had correctly identified it in a previous blog post when he sang it in April 2014.

Derek said that he found it in a book at Cecil Sharp House when he was a student. The book was The Ballads and Songs of Yorkshire: Transcribed from Private Manuscripts, Rare Broadsides and Scarce Publications; with Notes and a Glossary by C J Davison Ingledew, M.A, Ph.D, F.G.H.S. And no, I didn't remember all of that from what Derek told me, nor did I note it down but in fact excerpts of the book are available on Google Books, but unfortunately not page 255 where you would find, to give it the full title, The Yorkshire Irishman; or, the Adventures of a Potato Merchant.

Land and sea

Ravenscar from Boggle Hole (Photo: Simon Meeds)

With Geoff back from his chess-related activities and occasional visitor, Richard on board we had a perfectly adequate showing for last Friday's session. It was the last session for a while without a theme. We start this Friday (25 October) with Halloween, so ghosts and magic and things that go bump in the night are all fair game together with more traditional religious themes from All Saints.

Back to last week, MC Colin started us off with Dominic Behan's The Sea Around Us. This inspired Derek to sing a song which included the line "the land between England and Ireland, it's covered in water you know", although unfortunately I wasn't able to trace it. (See The Yorkshire Irishman for an update)

Barely there but not down the plughole

(Photo: Simon Meeds)

Despite the return of Simon from his hols, last week's session was once again barely quorate but many songs were sung - 31 in fact - before a slightly early finish as Colin ran out of songs he had prepared.

It was indeed Colin who set the ball rolling with Rigs Of The Time (Roud 876) which Derek followed with Bonny At Morn (Roud 3064). Simon's first was Mary McCloud's parody, House Of The Rising Damp and Mike gave us What's The Life Of A Man (Roud 848).

Derek suggested that Colin may have picked Leonard Cohen's most cheerful song in Hallelujah. I don't know about that but I thought you might like an analysis of the song's meaning and history.

A Grand Conversation in Shortwood

(Photo: Simon Meeds)

In 1904 Ralph Vaughan Williams met an ancient bellringer in Sussex, by the name of Henry Burstow, and collected from him A Grand Conversation On Napoleon (Roud 1189) a song so long, tedious and verbose that even your Substitute Scribe has never contemplated singing it. 

And so it was that (in spite of my appeals last week for more bodies) our total turnout of √9 abandoned hope of a singaround and instead set out on a Grand Conversation, occasionally supplemented with short illustrative musical  interventions, which I hereby list.

I am, in the words of J. Eric Bartholemew, giving you all the right information, but not necessarily in the right order. Musical pieces are given in italic.

Fly fishing on the Devil’s Coast

School’s out! Oh no – it’s back in again!

Imitation, as my old granny and Charles Caleb Colton used to say, is the sincerest form of flattery, and the Regular Scribe had barely packed his little bag and set off on his hols, when the rest of the scavenging pack were picking through his repertoire. Derek began with the Belfast version of Johnny Todd (Roud 1102), and at various times of the evening came Kipling’s Smugglers’ Song (Geoff), Oh no sir no (Roud 146) and When All Men Sing (Keith Scowcroft/Derek Gifford) (both Colin).

Anniversaries - don't extract the urine

Gresford Mining disaster memorial (Photo: Richard Hoare)

Friday's session once again saw Steve C joining us. We're not doing too badly recently for bums on seats but with me, the scribe absent for the next two weeks, the deputy scribe will be taking over and more singers and audience are definitely required.

Colin, back in his role as MC after a week's break, started the evening off with Pleasant And Delightful (Roud 660, Laws O30) accompanied as usual by strange sounds and gestures from others present.

Derek noted that his favoured cricket side, Glamorgan had won the Second Eleven 20 20 (SET20) competition and sang a strange song of celebration which went something like "Glamy, Glamy, Glamorgan".