Sea shanties in Poland, on Radio 4

Subject: Sea shanties in Poland, on Radio 4
From: GUEST, Topsie
Date: 25 Mar 07 - 12:45 PM

There was a programme on BBC Radio 4 this afternoon about a sea shanty festival in Poland, available on: 'Listen again'

Scroll down to 'L' and click on 'Landlocked in Krakow'.

Subject: RE: Sea shanties in Poland, on Radio 4
From: GUEST,Dolphin
Date: 25 Mar 07 - 01:07 PM

Yes it was really enjoyable - but then as my husband was there promoting "The Bosun's Locker" book we have recently published - and contributed too the programme it was especially enjoyable!

He tells me it was a great weekend !!!

Subject: RE: Sea shanties in Poland, on Radio 4
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 25 Mar 07 - 01:46 PM

I was driving back from Bournemouth to Harrow, on the M3, this afternoon singing along (in English) to the Poles' rendition of "Yarmouth Town". The programme (in which John Hegley goes to the Krakow shanty festival and writes a shanty) is being repeated on Saturday night at 11.30. I suppose sending a poet from landlocked Luton to landlocked Krakow makes some sort of sense...

Stan Hugill and Hughie Jones get mentioned, and the popularity of shanties in Poland during the years of Communist rule, but not Jim and Johnny, despite their having won the Eastern bloc's answer to the Eurovision Song Contest. No mention of Doncaster's Landlocked, either. But it was only a half-hour programme.

Kitty

Subject: RE: Sea shanties in Poland, on Radio 4
From: Barry Finn
Date: 26 Mar 07 - 02:41 AM

Thanks Topsie
That was great thanks for the link, some real nice singing. I was surrprised to hear the familar voice of Marek, I haven't seen or heard of him since we last met at Mystic in 1994. We 1st met & sang together at the 1992 tall ships op-sail in Boston.

Barry

Subject: RE: Sea shanties in Poland, on Radio 4
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 26 Mar 07 - 03:42 AM

Going out to a festival south of Katowice in May. Planning to have a sing with some of our friends from a group called Banana Boat.
If only our folk world could attract the number of younger people like they seem to do in Poland.
Festival organisers should look out for this group they are a lot of fun and extremely talented

Subject: RE: Sea shanties in Poland, on Radio 4
From: Barry Finn
Date: 26 Mar 07 - 08:05 PM

When the Polish wishbone schooner the Zawisza Czarny was in Boston they paid very close attention to the traditional education of the cadets. Of course under the direction of 1st mate & lasion to the captain for the cadets shantyman & concertina player Marek Siurawski with educational staff John Townley singer, guitarist, concertia player & maritiime fiddler & singer Simon Spalding, how could they not fall in love with shanites with this kind of exposure. During their demonstrations those onboard played & those that didn't play sang & those that couldn't danced. They all did their parts & were amazing. I believe there was plenty of sponsership from the public & private sector that helped, along with the likes of Marek, that got their shanty movement running with a bone in it's teeth. Listen to Marek's interview.

Barry

Subject: RE: Sea shanties in Poland, on Radio 4
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 27 Mar 07 - 05:27 AM

GUEST Guest

Banana Boat were at a festival in Cobh, Ireland last June (and the previous year?). A great bunch of lads who knock a lot of fun out of what they do. We had some very late nights!

Regards

Subject: RE: Sea shanties in Poland, on Radio 4
From: MartinRyan
Date: 27 Mar 07 - 04:23 PM

In fact, I hear The (Irish) Press Gang were part of the program! Must check out that link before it disappears!

Regards

Subject: RE: Sea shanties in Poland, on Radio 4
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 27 Mar 07 - 04:25 PM

Yes, Martin, the Irish Press Gang were part of the programme!

Kitty

Subject: RE: Sea shanties in Poland, on Radio 4
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 28 Mar 07 - 10:18 AM

Yeah - I enjoyed that. It's an odd sort of craze in Poland at the moment. Holding the festival in Krakow, about as far inland as you can get in Poland reminded me that about 20 years ago, as part of an arts festival, I ran a sea shanty/maritime music concert in Sean's Bar in Athlone - as far from the sea as you can get, in Ireland!

Regards

Subject: RE: Sea shanties in Poland, on Radio 4
From: greg stephens
Date: 28 Mar 07 - 10:24 AM

Martin Ryan: are your sure about Athlone? I thought that was Mullingar's claim to fame.

Subject: RE: Sea shanties in Poland, on Radio 4
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 28 Mar 07 - 10:32 AM

Not a lot to choose between, I suppose! However: there are two places within a bosun's whistle of Athlone which lay claim to being the "centre of Ireland".One is a small tower on an island in Lough Ree, just above the town. The other is an obelisk about 5 miles a way. You pays your money....

Regards

Subject: RE: Sea shanties in Poland, on Radio 4
From: GUEST,Stephen Allen
Date: 31 Mar 07 - 06:57 PM

I am trying to learn a shanty in Polish.

Can you help?
[e-mail]

Subject: RE: Sea shanties in Poland, on Radio 4
From: mn
Date: 25 May 09 - 07:29 PM

HI!

I can recommend you Polish websites about shanties!
- www.szantymaniak.pl
- www.szanty24.pl

On www.szantymaniak.pl - click "WYKONAWCY" -> see how many shanty & modern shanty & maritime folk bands we have...
Click "FESTIWALE" -> we have 50 shanty festivals per one year!

Greetings from Poland!
M.N.

Subject: RE: Sea shanties in Poland, on Radio 4
From: Bruce D
Date: 25 May 09 - 07:52 PM

My father (who is officially the last man alive to have sailed the Cutty Sark) was on the Polish Sail Training Ship "Dar Mlodziezy" when it visited Sydney Australian in 1988 for our Bicentenary, remarked that he found it extremely funny that orders where given in Polish and the cadet's "sang" shanties in English.

Bruce D

Subject: RE: Sea shanties in Poland, on Radio 4
From: mn
Date: 26 May 09 - 08:15 PM

Do you know any Polish shanty or folk bands?
I think Marek Siurawski (changed surname to Szurawski few years ago) or the band Cztery Refy should be known abroad.

And, of course, Warsaw Village Band :)

M.N.

Subject: RE: Sea shanties in Poland, on Radio 4
From: Barry Finn
Date: 26 May 09 - 08:18 PM

Marek's been to the New England area a few times & is known in these parts
Have you got a way, I can connect with him? I'be been trying now for a few yrs with no luck. I was with him last in 94 or 95.

Barry

Subject: RE: Sea shanties in Poland, on Radio 4
From: Barry Finn
Date: 27 May 09 - 02:59 AM

The name of the band Marek sings in is "Stare Dzwony" or translated is "Old Bells"

Barry