Songs of the Ridings

In this lively volume the listener encounters a chorus of Yorkshire voices, each rendered in the region’s own dialect and cadence. The poet‑collector spent a decade wandering the dales, recording the speech, stories, and stubborn humor of farmers, miners, mill workers and fisherfolk. What began as a scholarly pursuit of words has blossomed into vivid character sketches that feel like intimate conversations over a hearth. The poems include monologues from a steadfast local preacher, a pragmatic farmer, and even a witty lamplighter, all speaking with the unmistakable twang of the Ridings.

Listening, you’ll sense the landscape as much as the language – the rolling hills, the clatter of looms, the distant toll of church bells. Each piece captures a slice of everyday life, from a baker’s pride in a fresh loaf to a miner’s quiet reflection on the darkness below. The result is a mosaic of humor, resilience and melancholy that invites you to step into a world where poetry lives in the mouths of ordinary people.