The Singer, Song and Source series features a stalwart of the country’s folk scene, Pete Coe. The song is ‘Cruel Mother’ which he learned from the singing of Cecilia Costello, a Birmingham singer whose family came from Ireland. Roy Palmer and Cecilia’s grandson, Patrick Costello, have contributed to the ‘source’ section.

There is a feature on The Committee Band, who retire at the end of December after several years playing for ceilidhs, and hosting the Knees Up Ceilidhs at Cecil Sharp House.

There is also a feature on the long-established Weston Country Dance Band.

A different way or organising ceilidh events is explained in the article on Chiltern Ceilidhs.

A new full-length documentary film on morris dancing, Way of the Morris, is the subject of an article.

Tim Laycock and Colin Thompson examine a newly-discovered Dorset tune book compiled by Benjamin Rose in the early nineteenth century, and there’s a couple of tunes from the manuscript for musicians to play.

A season feature comes from Eddie Upton on the Odcombe Carol tradition from Somerset.

There’s a preview of the Intervarsity Folk Dance Festival, centring on the coincidence of anniversaries in the host city of Bristol.

And there’s also a preview of a new festival with a theme – Commonplace - at King’s Place, London.

There’s a comprehensive list of 150 folk festivals in England and Wales which is also available here: www.efdss.org/festivals/2011

Plus all the regular features – Festive Round-up, EFDSS Matters, news, reviews, letters and dance events.

The Singer, Song and Source feature is Fay Hield, who has a debut CD out on the Topic Records label in September. The song is 'The Grey Goose and Gander' from the singing of Bert Dobson, as recorded by Nigel and Mary Hudleston, who are the subject of the 'source'.

There is a feature on Contra Dancing, as experienced in the UK and the States by Henry Morgenstein, entitled Divided by a Common Dance.

The second in our series of successful dance events is Oxfolk Ceilidhs based in Oxford - Cat Kelly gives her ten top tips for running ceilidhs.

The recent visit of the Papa Stour Sword Dancers to a festival in Aberdeen is celebrated in 'Come See me dance Upon this Floor'.

In Search of Nic Jones reports on a recent emotional concert, while A Folk Song a Day tells of Jon Boden's most recent web-based initiative. There's also news of a new web-based resource of Scottish music, Tobar an Dualchais / Kist o Riches.

EFDSS on Tour reports on the recent festivals at which the EFDSS has recently had a presence.

Derek Schofield's Gold Badge citation is published.

Plus all the regular features - Festive Round-up, EFDSS Matters, news, reviews, letters and dance events.

There's a dance theme in this issue, with features on ceilidh series, a folk dance club and a morris team.

The Singer, Song and Source feature is Norma Waterson, whose song is ‘A Poor Wayfaring Stranger’, as sung by Arkansas traditional singer, Almeda Riddle. This is the first times we’ve gone outside the UK for the source in this series.

A new series of successful dance events starts off with Ceilidhs in Stroud, while over the Bristol Channel, we have a feature
on a new folk dance club in Chepstow, which was inspired by an earlier article in EDS.

Manchester Morris Men celebrate their eightieth anniversary this year, and we look back – in particular - at their north-west morris dance repertoire.

And Chanctonbury Ring Morris Men have recreated a famous photograph of an earlier version of the team, taken in 1954,
in Morris Dancing in a Sussex Village.

Pat Shaw is the subject of a review article – a new book about Pat’s folk music, dance and song interests has just been published.

Performing Englishess is the title of a feature by Trish Winters and Simon Keegan-Phipps on their recently completed
research about the recent interest in English folk dance and music.

Katie Howson reflects on three years of a very successful melodeon-making course in East Anglia, Twenty-eight and Counting.

Jack Brown’s Gold Badge citation is published.

Plus all the regular features – festive round-up, EFDSS Matters, news, reviews and dance events.

This issue has quite an emphasis on dance, in all its forms, and also focuses on Cecil Sharp, in continuing celebration of the 150th anniversary of his birth.

The Singer, Song and Source feature is Hannah James & Sam Sweeney, whose song is ‘William Taylor’ collected by Cecil Sharp in 1903 from the two sisters, Lucy White and Louie Hooper.

John Messenger of Leominster Morris describes how they celebrated the centenary of Cecil Sharp’s visit to Herefordshire, when he noted tunes from John Lock and watched the Brimfield Morris Dancers. An earlier EDS article on Brimfield, by Roy Dommett, published in 1969, is available below to download for you to read.

And 2010 is the centenary of Sharp’s first visit to Sheffield’s Grenoside Sword Dancers. The present-day team decided to celebrate in a novel way.

Cecil Sharp’s diaries from his collecting trips to the southern Appalachians of America are now available on the web. Mike Yates introduces this fantastic resource.

There’s a feature on the National Youth Folklore Troupe of England (NYFTE) by Sherry Neyhus. And there’s a celebration of Swindon Folksingers’ Club and its organisers, Ted and Ivy Poole. There’s also some comment on the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in the Branching Out column.

Jackie Toaduff was a superb clog dancer in the 1950s and 60s. Chris Metherell and Alex Fisher recall his dancing, Ron Smedley remembers his impact then, and Demon Barbers clog dancer, Laura Connolly, talks about his impact today. Jackie’s autobiography has just been published.

Caller Cat Kelly has started a scheme to encourage new dance callers. Roger Nicholls’ Gold Badge citation is published.

Plus all the regular features – festive round-up, EFDSS Matters, news, reviews and dance events.