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Handed DownAuthor: Jenny Shaw
Handed Down celebrates traditional songs and the people who sing them. The show is presented by Jenny Shaw, an amateur musician and professional writer. Each episode is full of music, tales and curiosities as we delve into the history a single song, often with the help of a fellow folk musician, to uncover the strange stories and colourful characters that lie beneath. These are the songs that have been handed down from our ancestors. This podcast and the people involved in it help keep them alive so that we can hand them down in turn to future generations. Language: en-gb Genres: Music, Music History, Music Interviews Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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As I Roved Out - Heartbreak, Famine and Class Struggle
Episode 1
Sunday, 11 January, 2026
It's not often that I'm stumped by a folk song, but this is one tricky little character. It is also beautiful, graceful and weirdly catchy... and extremely elusive. Nonetheless, there's quite a bit to say about land, class and medieval shepherdesses, though surprisingly little about parted lovers. Given the setting and context, romantic heartbreak suddenly doesn't feel like the end of the world.Somehow we end up in Scotland, though only tentatively, and discover a mystery. But then we get to hear the song itself which, as ever, is balm to the soul.MusicA clip of Bridget Tunney singing As I Roved Out. See and hear the full version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOlZhqrVrQUMy Lagan Love (traditional, Donegal)The Frost is All Over (traditional, Donegal)L'autrier Jost' Una Sebissa (Marcabru, 1129-1150)The Airy Bachelor (Traditional, Donegal)All music performed by Jenny Shaw unless otherwise stated.Referenceshttps://balladindex.org/Ballads/K150.htmlDavid Hammond (1979) Review of “The Irish Song Tradition” by Sean O’Boyle. The Canadian Journal of Irish Stories, 5 (1) pp124-127Land hunger, unemployment and poverty in pre-Famine Roscommon, Galway & Mayo | Divergent Pathshttps://faculty.washington.edu/petersen/lba/marcabru.htm Text of Robene and Makyne: https://ia600308.us.archive.org/29/items/robeneandmakynea00henruoft/robeneandmakynea00henruoft.pdf
