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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.

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*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 we join The Reverend Sabine Baring Gould and Freddie Bussell for two songs they collected from Samuel Gilbert, landlord of the Falcon Inn at St Mawgan (or Lanherne in the Cornish language). The two songs could well have origins far to the north, and to finish off Mike provides a theory as to why there may well have been so much footfall through Cornwall from 'up country'.

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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A Happy New Year To You All!
Join Mike in this first podcast of 2025 for the 18th episode of the second series of The Parson and the Songmen. This time around Mr Bosworth looks into the tradition of wassailing, which can involve drinking and making lots of noise... sounds a lot like Mike really!

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