Marty Cullen’s song and story-filled odyssey around Ulster

Ireland’s northernmost province has a rich history of music and storytelling. From the towering mountains of the borderlands, to the barren hills of Donegal; tales of things human and mythical are told through poetry, recitation and song, leaping from the landscape into the listener’s imagination. In these two series, presenter Marty Cullen takes a literary and musical journey around his homeland, introducing us to the traditional songs and stories that have been passed down through the ages and talking to the next generation to carry this torch.

Songs of Ulster sees him travelling across six counties to meet talented emerging artists who step outside the studio to perform unaccompanied, singing folk songs rooted in their locality. He listens to the traditional come all ye’s, laments and ditties of Armagh; the local favourites from the land of ghosts and giants, Tyrone; the songs of pain and promise that reflect the beauty of Fermanagh; and the familiar chants from West of the Bann. In Down, he hikes from coast to summit to hear ballads of highwaymen and unrequited love, and in Antrim, he discovers a region of emerald glens and lyrical weavers, where the songs of the county fuel the passion of its people.

In Stories of Ulster, Marty mingles with traditional storytellers from around the province to hear legends of fairy folk, gods, fighters, bandits and ghosts – alongside more down-to-earth border tales of sly characters, sausage smuggling and homemade veterinary surgeries. Here are stories of a selkie’s return to the sea; Cú Chulainn’s playboy antics; rapparees, resurrections and restless souls; and rural yarns featuring a swinging plough, a wily butcher and a quick-witted, risk-taking Monaghan man...

Production credits

Presented by Marty Cullen

Songs of Ulster featuring: Eileen McKee, Sinead Murphy, Pearse McMahon, Oonagh Mc Ardle, Cathal O'Neill, Niall Hanna, Julie-Ann McCaffery, Damian McKenna, Maria Maguire, Dermot Mulholland, Emma Lusby, Jack Warnock, Sinead Rooney, Ciara McCrickard, Jennifer Orr, Mairead and Ethlinn Walls, and Meabh Meir

Stories of Ulster featuring: Steve Lally, Bernadette Layden, Joe Brennan, Frances Quinn, Madeline McCully, Niamh Daly, Doreen McBride, Tony McMinn, Terry Conlon and Frank McCarron

First broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster on the following dates:

Songs of Ulster

Armagh 14 May 2017

Tyrone 21 May 2017

Fermanagh 28 May 2017

West of the Bann 4 June 2017

Down 11 June 2017

Antrim 18 June 2017

Stories of Ulster

Of Fairy Folk and Magical Beings 31 March 2019

Of Gods and Fighting Men 7 April 2019

Of Rapparees and Resurrections 14 April 2019

Of Yarns and Tall Tales 21 April 2019

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