Raised on songs and stories

Last week's Dragon Folk Club session was a refreshing change. We thought it was going to be a game of "to me to you" with our version of the Chuckle Brothers the only performers present, but no we were blessed with the only slightly late arrival of Steve C and Jane. Steve would join us with some singing and Jane would give us some of her excellent stories.

Colin started the evening with Ted Edwards' Coal hole cavalry which certainly got us warmed up in the vocal department. Simon brought to mind the very recent death of Bernard Cribbins with Right said Fred, written by Ted Dicks and Myles Rudge.

Steve C gave us The Blarney roses (roud 6329) and Jane's first story, which she gave the title "The Violinist" introduced us to the reaction of an elderly violinist to a new preacher who condemned "the devil's music" and what that led to years later.

As some of you know, I keep a database of songs which have been sung at Dragon Folk Club sessions. It goes back a few years now but isn't complete even over that time. This week there were four songs which I had to add to the list.

1) I remember The Shan Van Vocht (roud V33975) being sung at the club before, but it hadn't previously found it's way into the database. On this occasion it was sung by Colin. The title seems to be a phonetic rendering of the Gaelic "An tSean bhean Bhocht" - "The Poor Old Woman". The song dates from the Irish rebellion of 1798. It gained notoriety in nineteenth century Ireland as a seditious text. In the 1890s it was adopted as the title of a popular historical novel and of a nationalist magazine, both of which, in the face of the growing sectarian division over Irish Home rule, sought to vindicate the republican legacy of the United Irishmen.

2) Steve C sang The bold poachers (roud 1686).

3) Colin sang Dougie MacLean's Rescue me.

4) Steve C, clearly a fan of Steeleye Span, was familiar with their version of Mantle of green (roud 714). He wasn't entirely happy though with the version of the words they used so he had researched other versions. Those however didn't seem to fit Steeleye's tune, so Steve made his own version of the words based on several other versions.

Colin asked Simon to finish the evening which he did by singing Stan Rogers' Northwest passage.

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

(Number of people present - 4 of whom 4 performed)