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The publication of folk songs collected by The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould in Devon and Cornwall made them accessible to the general public, but left Sabine wondering just how he could reach an even wider audience?

His answer was to get on the road for a series of 'gigs' that were were probably the first ever traditional folk song tour of England!

Phew! Rock and Roll....

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*PLEASE VISIT MY NEW WEBSITE mikebosworth.uk Lots of info about my connection to folk music and The Reverend Sabine Baring Gould as well as upcoming gigs, contact details etc AND A CHANCE TO LISTEN TO CLIPS AND BUY A COPY OF MY CD ' By Chance It Was'.
*theparsonandthesongmen@outlook.com if you have any questions about the podcast series, or The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould. Also please contact me if you would be interested in booking me for a talk/gig.
*Jon Tidball, podcast series producer - jontidball@hotmail.co.uk.
*Please follow the facebook page for these podcasts:
https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Parson-and-the-Songmen/100093220748945/
*Thimblerigg videos on YouTube for more songs collected by The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=thimblerigg+videos
*Sabine Baring-Gould Centenary Celebration Group - 1924 to 2024 for more https://www.sbgcentenary.co.uk/
*Mike O'Connor. Cornish-based musicologist, folk singer and story-teller.
http://www.lyngham.co.uk/
*Barbara Griggs. Harpist and early music specialist. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Children-Arganteilin-Harp-Cornwall/dp/0954106857

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Spring has arrived here in North Devon, and it would seem to have had quite an effect on Mike who is full of vim and vigour ( or possibly something stronger...)

In this first episode of the the third series of The Parson and the Songmen we are back in Devon to celebrate spring, and there is a distinctive feminine theme running through the podcast.

Confused? Well let's find out where Mike will lead us now. Happy listening!

Support the show

*Please can you help by supporting the show. I have always kept the episodes commercial-free, but in order for the podcasts to continue I do need some support, due to ongoing running costs. So, please support me (if you can) by donating. For details of how to make a donation click on support. Any help would be appreciated but if you were able to make a donation of $15 or more then I will send you a copy of my CD By Chance It Was, on receipt of a mailing address!
*theparsonandthesongmen@outlook.com if you have any questions about the podcast series, or The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould. Also please contact me if you would be interested in booking me for a talk/gig.
*Jon Tidball, podcast series producer - jontidball@hotmail.co.uk.
*Please follow the facebook page for these podcasts:
https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Parson-and-the-Songmen/100093220748945/
*Thimblerigg videos on YouTube for more songs collected by The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=thimblerigg+videos
*Sabine Baring-Gould Centenary Celebration Group - 1924 to 2024 for more https://www.sbgcentenary.co.uk/
*Mike O'Connor. Cornish-based musicologist, folk singer and story-teller.
http://www.lyngham.co.uk/
*Barbara Griggs. Harpist and early music specialist. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Children-Arganteilin-Harp-Cornwall/dp/0954106857

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Hardly seems a year since the last compilation of music from the first series. But yer us be! Season Two is now complete and we'll finish off in viddy style with the now customary(!) selection of songs from the shows. Geddon Boy!

Here is the track listing, or click on CHAPTERS (above) if you want to go to an individual track.

1. The Highwayman
2. Glory Of The West
3. The Village Shop
4. Tristan's Lament
5. Come My Lads
6. The Merrymaid
7. Medhel An Gwins
8. I Rode My Little Horse
9. Bold Gambling Boy
10. The Legend Of Tamara
11. The Ivy And The Holly
12. Mademoiselle Parisott's Hornpipe

Support the show

*Please can you help by supporting the show. I have always kept the episodes commercial-free, but in order for the podcasts to continue I do need some support, due to ongoing running costs. So, please support me (if you can) by donating. For details of how to make a donation click on support. Any help would be appreciated but if you were able to make a donation of $15 or more then I will send you a copy of my CD By Chance It Was, on receipt of a mailing address!
*theparsonandthesongmen@outlook.com if you have any questions about the podcast series, or The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould. Also please contact me if you would be interested in booking me for a talk/gig.
*Jon Tidball, podcast series producer - jontidball@hotmail.co.uk.
*Please follow the facebook page for these podcasts:
https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Parson-and-the-Songmen/100093220748945/
*Thimblerigg videos on YouTube for more songs collected by The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=thimblerigg+videos
*Sabine Baring-Gould Centenary Celebration Group - 1924 to 2024 for more https://www.sbgcentenary.co.uk/
*Mike O'Connor. Cornish-based musicologist, folk singer and story-teller.
http://www.lyngham.co.uk/
*Barbara Griggs. Harpist and early music specialist. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Children-Arganteilin-Harp-Cornwall/dp/0954106857

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Well, we've missed All Fool's Day by a day, but let's celebrate this custom anyway. In this podcast Mike takes a look into its origins and tells some stories about one of Cornwall's great historical pranksters, as recorded by The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould.

Support the show

*Please can you help by supporting the show. I have always kept the episodes commercial-free, but in order for the podcasts to continue I do need some support, due to ongoing running costs. So, please support me (if you can) by donating. For details of how to make a donation click on support. Any help would be appreciated but if you were able to make a donation of $15 or more then I will send you a copy of my CD By Chance It Was, on receipt of a mailing address!
*theparsonandthesongmen@outlook.com if you have any questions about the podcast series, or The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould. Also please contact me if you would be interested in booking me for a talk/gig.
*Jon Tidball, podcast series producer - jontidball@hotmail.co.uk.
*Please follow the facebook page for these podcasts:
https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Parson-and-the-Songmen/100093220748945/
*Thimblerigg videos on YouTube for more songs collected by The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=thimblerigg+videos
*Sabine Baring-Gould Centenary Celebration Group - 1924 to 2024 for more https://www.sbgcentenary.co.uk/
*Mike O'Connor. Cornish-based musicologist, folk singer and story-teller.
http://www.lyngham.co.uk/
*Barbara Griggs. Harpist and early music specialist. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Children-Arganteilin-Harp-Cornwall/dp/0954106857

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Recently, Mike went to visit the force of nature that is Moe Keast at her home in Bodmin, Cornwall. Moe is a traditional singer and storyteller and has been a regular at Bodmin Folk Club, with a short break for bringing up children, almost since the first evening in 1968!

Moe has been a Cornish Bard for 25 years under the name of 'Myrgh Cana Hengovek', translating as, 'Daughter of Traditional Singing', and is very proud of her Cornish Heritage. She has played many festivals including Sidmouth, Whitby and Lorient in Brittany and has appeared in all the Celtic Countries. Moe seems to be part of the very earth of Cornwall, and is certainly, One Of A Kind!

Support the show

*Please can you help by supporting the show. I have always kept the episodes commercial-free, but in order for the podcasts to continue I do need some support, due to ongoing running costs. So, please support me (if you can) by donating. For details of how to make a donation click on support. Any help would be appreciated but if you were able to make a donation of $15 or more then I will send you a copy of my CD By Chance It Was, on receipt of a mailing address!
*theparsonandthesongmen@outlook.com if you have any questions about the podcast series, or The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould. Also please contact me if you would be interested in booking me for a talk/gig.
*Jon Tidball, podcast series producer - jontidball@hotmail.co.uk.
*Please follow the facebook page for these podcasts:
https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Parson-and-the-Songmen/100093220748945/
*Thimblerigg videos on YouTube for more songs collected by The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=thimblerigg+videos
*Sabine Baring-Gould Centenary Celebration Group - 1924 to 2024 for more https://www.sbgcentenary.co.uk/
*Mike O'Connor. Cornish-based musicologist, folk singer and story-teller.
http://www.lyngham.co.uk/
*Barbara Griggs. Harpist and early music specialist. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Children-Arganteilin-Harp-Cornwall/dp/0954106857

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Gool Peran Lowen! Or for those whose Cornish may be a little rusty, Happy St Piran's Day!

St Piran is generally regarded as the patron saint of Cornwall and the 5th March is St Piran's Day which is celebrated in Cornwall in much the same way as St Patrick's Day is celebrated in Ireland.

But who was St Piran, and why is he so special to the Cornish? Find out now in this twenty-second episode of the second series of 'The Parson and the Songmen'.

Support the show

*Please can you help by supporting the show. I have always kept the episodes commercial-free, but in order for the podcasts to continue I do need some support, due to ongoing running costs. So, please support me (if you can) by donating. For details of how to make a donation click on support. Any help would be appreciated but if you were able to make a donation of $15 or more then I will send you a copy of my CD By Chance It Was, on receipt of a mailing address!
*theparsonandthesongmen@outlook.com if you have any questions about the podcast series, or The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould. Also please contact me if you would be interested in booking me for a talk/gig.
*Jon Tidball, podcast series producer - jontidball@hotmail.co.uk.
*Please follow the facebook page for these podcasts:
https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Parson-and-the-Songmen/100093220748945/
*Thimblerigg videos on YouTube for more songs collected by The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=thimblerigg+videos
*Sabine Baring-Gould Centenary Celebration Group - 1924 to 2024 for more https://www.sbgcentenary.co.uk/
*Mike O'Connor. Cornish-based musicologist, folk singer and story-teller.
http://www.lyngham.co.uk/
*Barbara Griggs. Harpist and early music specialist. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Children-Arganteilin-Harp-Cornwall/dp/0954106857

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In this episode of The Parson and the Songmen, Mike investigates the possibility of missing Cornish folk songs. Is there a religious connection and will he solve the case?

Support the show

*Please can you help by supporting the show. I have always kept the episodes commercial-free, but in order for the podcasts to continue I do need some support, due to ongoing running costs. So, please support me (if you can) by donating. For details of how to make a donation click on support. Any help would be appreciated but if you were able to make a donation of $15 or more then I will send you a copy of my CD By Chance It Was, on receipt of a mailing address!
*theparsonandthesongmen@outlook.com if you have any questions about the podcast series, or The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould. Also please contact me if you would be interested in booking me for a talk/gig.
*Jon Tidball, podcast series producer - jontidball@hotmail.co.uk.
*Please follow the facebook page for these podcasts:
https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Parson-and-the-Songmen/100093220748945/
*Thimblerigg videos on YouTube for more songs collected by The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=thimblerigg+videos
*Sabine Baring-Gould Centenary Celebration Group - 1924 to 2024 for more https://www.sbgcentenary.co.uk/
*Mike O'Connor. Cornish-based musicologist, folk singer and story-teller.
http://www.lyngham.co.uk/
*Barbara Griggs. Harpist and early music specialist. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Children-Arganteilin-Harp-Cornwall/dp/0954106857

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Recently, Mike went to visit Barbara Griggs for a chat about the place of the harp in Cornish music. What you are about to listen to is a fascinating podcast, brought to life by the engaging, informative, and witty explanations from Barbara.

"After many years playing Early Music on recorders and viols, I took up the harp when moving to Cornwall. This led naturally to an interest in the early music of Cornwall and historic harps. Playing the folk music of Cornwall introduced me to many Cornish musicians, in particular Mike O’Connor, with whom I have collaborated in the production of 'Above the Tin Stream' and 'The Quay Street Harper'. Our latest book, 'The Children of Arganteilin', is the story of the harp in Cornwall".

Both Bards of the Gorsedh, Mike and Barbara realised that the other Celtic lands of the British Isles all have a well-documented tradition of harping, but that this had received little attention in Cornwall. 'The Children of Arganteilin' gathers information on a thousand years of Cornish harping, drawn from manuscripts, lexicons, account books, iconography, wills and newspaper reports. Here are the harps and the harpers, from titled ladies to medieval church musicians, the rag and bone man and the renowned performer. Here is the history of the harp in the land west of the Tamar and a vision of its future.

Support the show

*Please can you help by supporting the show. I have always kept the episodes commercial-free, but in order for the podcasts to continue I do need some support, due to ongoing running costs. So, please support me (if you can) by donating. For details of how to make a donation click on support. Any help would be appreciated but if you were able to make a donation of $15 or more then I will send you a copy of my CD By Chance It Was, on receipt of a mailing address!
*theparsonandthesongmen@outlook.com if you have any questions about the podcast series, or The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould. Also please contact me if you would be interested in booking me for a talk/gig.
*Jon Tidball, podcast series producer - jontidball@hotmail.co.uk.
*Please follow the facebook page for these podcasts:
https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Parson-and-the-Songmen/100093220748945/
*Thimblerigg videos on YouTube for more songs collected by The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=thimblerigg+videos
*Sabine Baring-Gould Centenary Celebration Group - 1924 to 2024 for more https://www.sbgcentenary.co.uk/
*Mike O'Connor. Cornish-based musicologist, folk singer and story-teller.
http://www.lyngham.co.uk/
*Barbara Griggs. Harpist and early music specialist. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Children-Arganteilin-Harp-Cornwall/dp/0954106857