BBC Sounds Radio 3 The Essay Dig Where You Stand 5 episodes June 2024

The Arnisdale Fiddler and the Fairy
Musician Allan Henderson was taught by the great fiddler Aonghas Grant. Aonghas gave Allan the tune 'Dalshangie' and shared the story of the Arnisdale fiddler, Neil Campbell, who was on his way home from playing at a wedding in Knoydart and chanced upon a fairy. The fairy admired his playing and gave him an enchanted bow. This tune is said to have come from Neil and his enchanted bow. Allan visits Arnisdale to share the story of the tune and play it in the place it was born.

Death in the Yarrow Valley
The 'Dowie Dens o' Yarrow' is a border ballad collected by Walter Scott and published in his 'Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border' in 1802. Singer and ethnologist Lori Watson has unearthed an alternative version of the ballad which was sung by Margaret Laidlaw, the mother of the writer James Hogg. Lori explains why this version of the tragic song offers more meaning for her as she stands under the James Hogg statue in the Yarrow Valley.

Sowing Oats in Ceredigion
Singer Owen Shiers lives in Ceredigion in west Wales where he has found himself on a mission to save the ancient Welsh black oat from extinction. During his research on the crop, he discovered the work of farmer poet Isgarn. Born in 1887, he was a chronicler of working the land. Owen has set his poem 'Y Medelwr' - The Reaperman - to music and discusses its particular relevance to connecting with the land in 21st-century Wales.

Larking About in the Fields of Cornwall
'The Lark in the Morning' is an English folk song which has been sung by many artists over the years. However, singer Angeline Morrison - with the help of Merv Davey - has discovered a different version which was collected at the Falcon Inn in St Mawgan in the 1890s known simply as 'The Lark'. Angeline shares the story of the song and brings it back to life in the place it was found.

Pickin' Tatties near Arbroath
Folklorist and singer Steve Byrne sets out the concept of 'Dig Where You Stand' using an example from his home town of Arbroath on the East Coast of Scotland. Whilst digitising archive tapes from the School of Scottish Studies at the University of Edinburgh, he came across the songs of Mabel Skelton recorded by Hamish Henderson in the mid 1980s. The song 'Pickin' Tatties' struck a chord and resulted in Steve taking it back to the town and teaching it to school children. He takes us to the spot where the song was born and discusses the cultural confidence that comes from connecting local people with their own traditions. And how this concept has been utilised in other parts of the world.