It occurred to me to ask this here, because it's something which bothers me a little. Northern England has an extremely rich folk tradition and I don't, for example, need to look further than Lancashire, the North East or Northumberland for a plethora of great songs and tunes. But what happened to Cumbria?

I'm ancestrally Cumbrian, but I usually live in Birmingham these days. Cumbria is steeped in centuries of mythology, and I never met a Cumbrian who was short of a good story! But where are all the folk songs? I don't count 'D'ye ken John Peel?', because it's been done to death.

If you're wondering why I've asked this question, it's because I sing a bit myself at informal pub sessions - or I did before you know what came along - and I'd like to learn some songs from the old country, but I'm struggling to find any good ones.