Handed Down
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.
Podcasting since 2021 • 40 episodes
Handed Down
Latest Episodes
The Pretty Girl - A Moo-ving Love Song
This little Irish love song has quite a back story. To trace its origins, we have to travel back in time to a very subversive harp festival, dig into the Irish harper tradition and follow the fortunes of some proper characters. There’s a tiff b...
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Season 5
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Episode 1
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33:43
The Cherry Tree Carol - Biblical Fanfic
When a Christmas carol is also a folk ballad you know it's not going to be the usual angels/shepherds/kings extravaganza. This one doesn't disappoint, with a lovely garden, a jealous Joseph and a fruit-related miracle.But, as ever, all ...
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Season 4
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Episode 5
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18:45
Lyke Wake Dirge - Dream Visions and Necrodestinations
This unusual song was a feature of the 60s and 70s folk revival - a real show stopper and something of a curiosity. But underneath it lies a thousand years of European folklore, and a further thousand years of vivid theology.So, my frie...
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Season 4
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Episode 4
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30:11
The Rosebud in June – Seduced By A Rural Idyll
The sheep are all sheared and we’re dancing and drinking in the warm June sun. We’re transported back to simpler and more innocent times with more than a whiff of nostalgia for the loss of our connection to the land. And yet...
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Season 4
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Episode 3
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20:56
Staines Morris - Then to the Maypole Haste Away!
It's the first of May and we have a May Mini episode about the song Staines Morris, also known as the Maypole Dance. But did you know it started life in a puritan era farce? It was a joy to find out more about one of my favourite songs, and I h...
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Season 4
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Episode 2
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6:22