Well it is most gratifying to hear how this song is spreading. As far as I know, I am the first one to have sung it in the States (either by myself, with the Johnson Girls, or my husband Dan Milner). Yes, I have sung it at the Getaway, NEFFA, NOMAD, in the States and at Bodmin (the home club in Cornwall where I first heard it) Warwick, and Sidmouth, in the UK, and anywhere else I can to get out the word. (Sorry we had to cut it from our set at the Mystic Sea Song Festival.) Roger Bryant has a gem here. When the Johnson Girls sang it for him in Bodmin, it really was hard to get through it without a tear. It is important to spread the message of this song. It is a powerful song in its own right, but is particularly close to my heart. My own great grandfather emigrated from Cornwall (Calstock, specifically) in the late 19th century when there was a mass exodus of Cornish people (90,000 or more) due to the collapse of the (tin) mining industry. Now I had the answer to why my own great grandfather was in the mining industry in this country, first in Pennsylvania, I believe, and then in upstate New York. It was a revelation to find out that the last mine in Cornwall, Crofty, closed in 1998, not 1898. The three main industries of Cornwall were mining, fishing, and farming. We all know that mining and fishing are all but extinct, and with last year's hoof and mouth disease, the agriculture was also hit hard in that part of the country. Tourism is now it's main industry. Go there, visit, spend your time and money, and discover one of the most wonderful places you will find on earth, especially because of its people. (Being in NYC and asking people to come here in the wake of Sept. 11, is a similar plea.) Also, someone with an entrepreneurial spirit, should try to get "The Cry of Tin" over here in the states. Chock full of more great stuff from the very taltented Cornish writers. Keep this thread alive!
Fair winds,
Bonnie Milner