What is your favourite folk song?

[TheYearOfSmallThings]

I've just accidentally listened to Dougie McLean singing Green Grow The Rashes (Scots), and realised pretty much all the folk music I know is Irish.

What is your favourite folk song of any nation but sung in a normal voice (no fonny nonny no and I don't want to be picturing morris dancers).

Love folk music, so haunting and evocative. Some favourites:

Dick Gaughan - Both sides of the Tweed
The Unthanks - Bonny Lad
Steeleye Span - All things are quite silent
Fairport Convention - Farewell Farewell

Anything by the Whistling Donkeys (Irish sorry), but especially Grace and Fields of Athenry.

Black Velvet Band too as my mum sang it to me when I was little.

I went to see them in a big pub in Hendon a few years back - they do an excellent Beeswing.

I like singing and love folk. If anyone needs a singer. But I’ve never sang to an audience haha

And me. Great song.

Karine Polwart is probably my favourite folk artist right now. If you have a chance to do singing workshops with her (she does a fair few) I would highly recommend, they're so good.

There's a lovely set of albums KP is on, called Spell Songs. Barely a bad song on any of them.

Young uns, Katherine Priddy and Stornoway are also great.

What I love about folk is that so many people pass it on. I really enjoyed the lockdown viral wellerman shanties. Bees wing is so beautiful, I had a version by a female vocalist that I cannot track down to work out who it was.

Then there is riotous fun like levellers and 3 daft monkeys.

Siobhan Miller is an amazing Scottish folk singer - absolutely love her version of Wild Mountain Thyme

Miriam Backhouse's Gypsy Without A Road album contains some fantastic songs.

The waters of Tyne is really beautiful.

Ooh The Unthanks are really great too.

But actually I think my very favourite ever folk song// arrangement is this one by now disbanded group: https://theballinawhalers.bandcamp.com/track/the-wreck-of-the-dandenong

Close seconds include:

Waterlilly by Karine Polwart
Ten Thousand Miles by Coope Boyes Simpson.
Reason to Believe by Karen Dalton
Hard Love by June Tabor
Let the Cards Fall by The Breath.
Yes, I like maudlin tunes 😂

Red and Gold by Ralph McTell gets me, he has written so many good songs. The Hiring Fair, From Clare to Here etc. He wrote a superb song for Remembrance, The Unknown Soldier which makes me ugly cry every time.
Also love Bellowhead, Jon Boden’s solo music is worth checking out too.
Runrig of course…

Bella Hardy - The Dark Peak and The White is an incredible album but I'm biased, I live in the Peak District amongst the places she sings about!

I also love Let No Man Steal Your Thyme by Pentangle.

Maybe a bit predictable but Donovan- Catch the Wind and more modern day John Flynn.

My mum used to sing us the Raggle Taggle gypsy song.
My favourite folk song is the Keswick Hounds reminds me of all the singing in the pubs in the Lake District when I was little.
I cannot sing the fields of Athenry without crying. Such a sad song.
Loving this thread!

I like Karine Polwart singing The Wife if Usher's Well and The Dowie Dens of Yarrow. Tearherkers both.

Fergal Sharkey She Moved through the Fair

Paul Weller Black is the Colour

Seth Lakenan Kitty Jay

Agree for similar reasons! love her "the Navigator's Bride"

I was just coming on to say Paul Wellers black is the colour!

I highly recommend the Joy of Living tribute to Ewan McColl.

I probably don’t know enough pure folk, but I do love The Seekers because of my mum, so especially Sinner Man and The Carnival is over by them

Barbra Allen by Simon and Garfunkel

Percy’s Song that I think qualifies (need to be the demo version) by Bob Dylan, also his version of House of the Rising Sun (which I appreciate he stole of someone else). Also The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll.

Also Gloomy Winter’s Noo Away by the Tannahill Weavers - I never realised that Michael Nyman had stolen a folk song for The Piano till I heard that

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=SU0HLLfSVEI&feature=gws_kp_track&cbrd=1

That's my favourite. Followed by 'for want of a dil doul/the maid's complaint'. Yes, there is a significant difference in tone between them.

There are a ton of Scottish folk bands making quite jolly stuff

Skerryvore for a big rock bagpipe sound
Talisk or elephant sessions for a dance folk sound

BBC iplayer Celtic connections

Katrina polwart folow the heron home is beautiful though

@Lollygaggle Jack Thackray is a favourite in our house, my kids love Sister Josephine!