In short
BBC World Service “In the Studio” follows English folk musician Sean Cooney as he researches and writes songs about dogs throughout history, inspired by his wife Emily’s retired guide dog Nessie.
Key claims
Cooney says dogs’ stories require “back to basics” research and that the human-dog bond is a partnership, not one-way leadership.
Notable examples
the 1953–54 story of sheepdog Tip, who guarded shepherd Joseph Tagg’s body on Howden Moor for 15 weeks; Cooney also references songs about Gafua Hussain (free food for refugees) and Johnny Longstaff (Spanish Civil War).
Guests
Sean Cooney (singer, one-third of The Young ‘uns; Sheffield-based). Additional people featured: Emily Cooney (guide dog user; Nessie’s handler), Nessie (retired guide dog), and organisers Tom and Sam (a new Sheffield communal singing group).
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOExploring Sean Cooney's Music
1:15 to 2:34
Discover Sean Cooney's journey as a folk musician and storyteller.
“musician Sean Cooney, best known as one-third of the award-winning singing trio, The Young 'uns.”
The Inspiration Behind Dog Songs
2:34 to 3:25
Learn about Sean's personal connection to dogs and their stories.
“Sean's wife Emily is partially sighted, and after retiring her guide dog Nessie after eight years of service, Sean's found himself thinking about other dogs around the world whose bravery has changed lives.”
The Story of Tip the Dog
3:25 to 6:10
Listen to the poignant tale of Tip, a dog’s loyalty to its owner.
“I'm spending the entire day with Sean where he now lives in Sheffield to find out about his research, his inspirations and how he turns powerful stories into song.”
Sean's Songwriting Process
6:10 to 11:02
Explore Sean's approach to songwriting and the research involved.
“kind of songs for dogs throughout history.”
From Folk Clubs to Global Stories
11:02 to 14:00
Understand how Sean transitioned into writing impactful songs today.
“Back at the car park, yeah, that was nice.”
Exploring Hartlepool's Folklore
14:00 to 14:50
Discover the inspiration behind songwriting and human resilience in Hartlepool.
“in the old part of Hartlepool, the headland.”
The Connection Between Dogs and Humans
14:50 to 17:45
Learn about the emotional bond between dogs and humans through storytelling.
“find myself in a privileged position where people now approach us as a band, the Younglings and me individually, to kind of turn their own stories into songs, which is a real beautiful privilege.”
The Connection Between Dogs and Humans
18:22 to 18:51
Learn about the emotional bond between dogs and humans through storytelling.
“This is the book that will open the hearts of Miss Mary Bennet.”
The Atmosphere of Folk Singing
19:53 to 22:48
Experience the communal spirit of singing in intimate settings and its impact.
“I'd seen Sean sing before in larger venues, so I was intrigued to see how the songs were going to sit in a much smaller, more intimate space.”
Debuting 'Tip on the Moor'
22:48 to 28:01
Witness the live performance of Sean's song about a heroic dog named Tip.
“How long has this group been running for?”
Show all 11 chapters
The Power of Community Singing
28:01 to 29:53
Explore the emotional impact and community aspect of folk singing.
“But hearing everyone joining in with that was great.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Tom Raine:This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.
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1:06Tom Raine:Welcome to the documentary In the Studio from the BBC World Service, the programme that explores the process of some of the world's most creative minds. I'm Tom Rain, a broadcaster and audio producer, and in this episode I'm following English folk musician Sean Cooney, best known as one-third of the award-winning singing trio, The Young 'uns. Sean's one of my musical heroes. Like me, he's from the north-east of England, and his songs have become cornerstones of modern British folk music. He tells stories of miners, doctors, activists, and everyday heroes from both the past and the present.
1:42Sean Cooney:So The Young 'uns sing folk songs, folk songs that tell stories, folk songs that hopefully bring people together, folk songs of yesterday, maybe more importantly folk songs about today.
1:56Tom Raine:Through his writing, Sean has given voice to people often forgotten by history, or whose stories just haven't been told yet. One of my favourites is about Gafua Hussain, a man who would travel 2 ,000 miles from the north-east of England to Greece to give out free food to refugees from a bus, hence the lively ballad Gafua's Bus. Another is The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff. It's a full-length album and theatre show about the journey of a man from Sean's hometown of Stockton, from the hunger marches of the 1930s and the Battle of Cable Street, to fighting fascism in the Spanish Civil War. But today, Sean's exploring something even more personal.
2:34Tom Raine:Sean's wife Emily is partially sighted, and after retiring her guide dog Nessie after eight years of service, Sean's found himself thinking about other dogs around the world whose bravery has changed lives. He's been building a collection of songs celebrating these remarkable animals, from dogs who've saved children in floods to the loyal companions that have stuck by their owner's sides through thick and thin.
2:55Sean Cooney:These stories are kind of, yeah, it's been such a privilege sort of coming across them and researching them and finding them. Getting Nessie in 2016 just changed our, certainly changed Emily's life as the guide dog user and our whole family really. So it just felt like a fitting time when she retired and thinking about the impact he's had on our life, to think about the impacts that all these dogs have had on lives of so many people around the world.
3:23Tom Raine:On this episode of In The Studio, I'm spending the entire day with Sean where he now lives in Sheffield to find out about his research, his inspirations and how he turns powerful stories into song. To see how the project has been taking shape, I'm meeting Sean on a cold winter's morning in the Peak District where one dog's story in particular has left a mark. Hiya, Sean. Hi, Tom, how are you doing?
3:45Sean Cooney:I'm all right, how are you?
3:46Tom Raine:Yeah, good. Good, nice to see you.
3:48Sean Cooney:You too. Welcome to this beautiful spot here. So we're in the Dark Peak. We're just by Lady Bower Reservoir. We're talking like 15 miles west of Sheffield in the Peak District. And we've come on possibly the coldest day of the year so far. It's so cold. You did warn me last night when you said it's a bit nippy. And I've arrived three degrees. Oh gosh, I was really worried we wouldn't get up here. actually with road closures and ice and stuff but the sun's shining, we're raring to go, I've got the dog with me
4:17Tom Raine:So this is Nessie, the famous Nessie
4:20Sean Cooney:Nessie the retired guide dog She's coming into the mic now trying to say hello She was my wife's guide dog for nearly nine years and retired just the summer gone so yeah, enjoying her being a lady of leisure So why have we come here specifically?
4:35Tom Raine:Where are we walking to?
4:37Sean Cooney:Yeah, well on a day like this in December, Nessie nearly on a day like this in December 1953 there was an old shepherd called Joseph Tagg who was 86 years old and well known in the area and him and his ageing sheepdog Tip were tramping up the fells here and unfortunately Joe Tagg died on the hills and they looked for him for weeks but he was never found until one incredible day in March 1954, 15 weeks later, two men who were working for the waterboard were walking up Ronksley Moor and they found the body of Joseph Tagg. Wow. And they found Tip, his dog, still alive, guarding him by his side. I mean, I don't know how possibly she could have done it, but people say she would have hunted small kind of creatures and stuff.
5:36Sean Cooney:We'll just have to stop there because Nessie's doing a poo.
5:40Tom Raine:what a blatter
5:42Sean Cooney:yeah and yeah so for 15 long weeks Tip the dog had waited there by guarding the body of Joe Tag it's such an incredible story and so all the people around here clubbed together and put up a memorial stone which is still there in honour of Tip and this devotion and loyalty of of a dog and that bond between human and dog which is kind of you know thousands of years strong which has really kind of inspired me and this latest project I'm doing, kind of songs for dogs throughout history. Yeah, so I've never actually been up here to see it myself. Oh, fantastic. This will be the first time I'm seeing it as well.
6:18Sean Cooney:Yeah. Yeah, well, I'd better pick up this poo.
6:23Tom Raine:Where was it? Just there. When you're reading a story like that, the story of Tip, which is really sad, but also remarkable of loyalty and strength, is it the facts that get you started? Or is it more how it actually made you feel? When it comes to writing a song, where does it start?
6:43Sean Cooney:It's an interesting one, really, because all these big emotional subjects I've written about over recent years, like one woman asked me to write a song about a brother who died in the Lockerbie bombing. Another person asked me to write a song about their friend Richard Moore who was blinded as a kid during the Troubles. These are huge subjects and take great care and delicacy as needed to tell these people's stories. It felt different this time around writing about dogs because, I mean, in many cases with a story of tip, there's not much known, you know, there's a couple of newspaper cuttings, you know, there's legend associated with it.
7:17Sean Cooney:So it just felt, it was almost like, in many cases, like back to basics, really. Well, we've got a story, it's a short story because there's not many facts there. How are we going to sort of tell it in a way that conveys, you know, the emotion of how I first felt when I read about this amazing dog. As a folk singer, as we get near a day, I went down, we can really hear it. It's so loud now, isn't it? As a folk singer, you draw on what's come before, you look for folk songs about dogs, and you think, well, to sort of honour tip and to commemorate this story in musical form, it needs to be something that people can join in with.
7:59Sean Cooney:Absolutely. And hopefully give people around here are something else to sort of have to celebrate this lovely local story. I think it's just this behind us. Is it just... No, it's just behind us here where we're past here.
8:13Tom Raine:Oh, here it is. Kind of gravestone-looking monument. Yeah, here we go. Here we are. Yeah, like a headstone. Oh, it's beautiful, with the reservoir in the background. Yeah, and the snow on the fells. Snow on the fells. And the autumn colours. Do you want to read it out for us? Yeah, absolutely.
8:29Sean Cooney:In commemoration of the devotion of Tip, The sheepdog which stayed by the body of a dead master, Mr Joseph Tagg, on the Howden Moor for 15 weeks from the 12th of December 1953 to the 27th of March 1954, erected by public subscription. Oh, it's really special to be here. It really is. We've got it all to ourselves at the minute. What do you think, Nessie? Yeah. Hey. Good girl. I haven't got any treats.
9:00Tom Raine:He's looking for treats.
9:02Sean Cooney:Right, let's make our way back, shall we?
9:04Tom Raine:Yeah, brilliant. Brilliant. Right, Tip.
9:11Tom Raine:So how does the song about Tip sit within the rest of the album so far? I know you're still a work in progress, but how is it looking at the minute? Do you reckon you'll open with this song, or have you not really thought about that yet?
9:22Sean Cooney:I don't think so. I think I do... I've got seven songs at the minute. I don't know really because I still don't know what it is if it's I mean it's obviously a bunch of songs which the ones I've written I'm very proud of and it will be as good a piece of work as I can get it we're going back down here yeah I think it's more of a although it's got a nice chorus it's more of a it kind of feels like a bit of a lament as well whereas my song about Barry it almost feels like a sea shanty yeah yeah you know he could like belt that out as an opener
9:55Tom Raine:whereas the one with Tip yeah it's got that A mixture of sort of melancholy, but also you can sing and celebrate. Yeah. You kind of picture sort of holding a dram of whiskey or something and sort of let's raise a glass to tip.
10:08Sean Cooney:Yeah, that's lovely. Sort of feeling. That's the kind of thought, almost like a shepherd's gathering or something, you know, on a winter's night by a fire. Whereas other ones, yeah, I mean, the Swansea Jack ones, I wanted that to be sort of upbeat and snappy, and that's kind of a... I always imagine that as a kind of join in, one of those little refrains. But then there's other sort of more... There's one song on there about a guide dog called Roselle who belonged to Michael Higson who was working in the North Tower of the World Trade Centre on the morning of 9-11. And Roselle led him down 78 flights of stairs that day.
10:46Sean Cooney:And his book about it is just phenomenal. It's called Thunder Dog. So when I was writing the song for Roselle, that felt like a song of more thought and depth. So I think there's a big sort of mix of stuff that are going to be on there. Here we are, back at the car park. Back at the car park, yeah, that was nice. We went the wrong way, just the once.
11:07Tom Raine:Just the one wrong turn.
11:08Sean Cooney:No one fell in, no one got wet. Do you want an ice cream?
11:11Tom Raine:Yeah, why not, yeah. Yeah, three degree weather, I'd love one. After seeing where the inspiration begins, I wanted to understand more about Sean's songwriting craft. We drove over to Sean's house in Sheffield to take a look at some of the stories he was researching, as well as finding out more about his actual songwriting process. Yeah, love one, please. Thank you. Cheers. So then, this is where the magic happens, I guess. I mean, I guess the kitchen maybe isn't where you'd be...
11:42Sean Cooney:Sometimes it can be. It changes, really. I mean, my office is kind of full of stuff, so I tend to just sort of write whatever, really. I kind of like writing songs lying on bed, on the bed, yeah. A little bed office thing, and it's a bit lazy. Often it's, I'm so lucky here at the south side of Sheffield, we've got a lovely park, and we're only five minutes from Ecclesall Woods, and I spend a lot of time with the dog there walking around, and sometimes there's a spark of inspiration that takes something in a different direction, so that's part of the process, yeah.
12:15Tom Raine:You've got an absolute insane array of dog books. right in front of us. It was only about 10, I think. Only 10. We've got so much material here. We've got 5 ,000 years of the dog in art. Oh, yeah. Ah, Thunderdog, the story of, is that about Rizel? Yeah, 9-11, yeah. And we've got Judy. We've got loads of stories. I mean, clearly, so much research goes into the songs that you write
12:41Sean Cooney:and the things that you do. But I just love it so much. And I think writing those kind of more meaty songs about real people led me to an intensity of research that I had to do to sort of do justice to people's stories, people's lives. And so I've just kind of maintained that thing, really, of do as much research as I possibly can around a subject. And so this is scraping the surface, really, of what I'd like to do if I had more time with dog research.
13:12Tom Raine:So when did you start out as a songwriter? How did you get into it?
Read the full transcript
13:15Sean Cooney:It was finding the folk clubs when I was a teenager with Michael and David and the young ones, that really led me to finding my voice, really, because here was a community of people who got together, and it didn't matter if you had a big voice or a little voice, if you could sing in tune or not. If you had a song or a story or something to share that meant something to you, it was respected, and I just love that, I still do today. I suddenly found songs and culture related to the landscape that was around me, and I realised that you could, You could sing a song in your own accent, you know, without an instrument, telling a story about something that meant something to you or other people.
13:55Sean Cooney:And that was just life-changing. I left university, I did a bit of travelling, and I came to live with my mum and dad right by the sea in the old part of Hartlepool, the headland. And we started a folk club there in about 2007. And I'd meet characters in the pubs, I'd meet fishermen who told me amazing stories. So that's what I started to do. I started to write songs about the history of Hartlepool. and Teesside and then realised a few years down the line that, well, why am I writing about these things that have happened? You know, the people who were writing the good songs 200 years ago were writing the songs of the times they were living and the things that meant something to them.
14:33Sean Cooney:And so that became a bit of a change of direction, really, to start writing about things that were important to me in the 21st century and incredible stories of human resilience and inspiration that were occurring around the world. That kind of led to this, find myself in a privileged position where people now approach us as a band, the Younglings and me individually, to kind of turn their own stories into songs, which is a real beautiful privilege.
15:02Tom Raine:So what do you think connects a lot of these stories of dogs that you've found? Are there common themes that you're finding as you're writing some of these new songs?
15:11Sean Cooney:That's a very good question. I mean, I'm struggling to sort of categorise it already. I thought maybe they might have a different section of the album or the project or whatever it's going to be. It might be a section about the dogs who wait, the dogs who work, the dogs who serve. But I think all of the stories that I'm intending to write are all stories that have moved me. And I think, yeah, getting back to that, why am I doing this? Am I putting the kind of too much human emotion into these sort of animals? But I think that there's great acts of, you know, dogs and humans, it's a partnership, isn't it?
15:52Sean Cooney:That's key, I think, to the guide dog thing. It's not that the dog is leading you. You're working together with the dog. And I think that's a crucial thing that a lot of people don't grasp. And I certainly didn't grasp it until this wonderful dog here, Nessie, came into our lives. So I think it's a two-way thing. Hopefully this whole project can celebrate that and encourage other people to sort of share amazing stories of animals who have made a difference in people's lives.
16:23Tom Raine:Yeah, looking away from the books and towards Nessie who's in the corners sleeping. You must have been working on writing a song about her. I mean, and how does it work when you're not approaching historical stuff, but you're looking at a more personal story in your life. I mean, that's what I always, almost like,
16:45Sean Cooney:from a sort of puritanical folk singer's point of view, it was almost like, well, you never write about yourself, never convey your own emotions. It's not your story that we tell. That's what pop singers do. You tell other people's stories. But, you know, I think the big driving force of this has been Nessie's role in our family life. so I couldn't not include her in this so I have it's almost like too emotional to sort of think about writing a song but I need to I think I need to write all the others and then
17:12Tom Raine:you'll come to that one last
17:14Sean Cooney:yeah and save it and also that is like you know she's getting old that's the thing about dogs they don't live very long so you know when you get them and when you love them you know that it's not going to be forever and that's I think that's an emotion in all of these in all of these stories, all the dogs I'm looking at on the books in front of me, the people who loved them and the people whose lives they impacted so powerfully have said goodbye to them and that's part of this project as well, I think, is kind of coming to terms with that.
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19:53Tom Raine:and where his songs truly come alive. I'd seen Sean sing before in larger venues, so I was intrigued to see how the songs were going to sit in a much smaller, more intimate space. Right, hello, Sean. Sean's just arrived in the pub.
20:06Sean Cooney:Yeah, hi, Tom. Yeah, welcome to the Hallamshire house. Yeah, all set up for a good night here. They've got some sort of mood lighting thing going on with candles, which is a bit weird, but the room's filling up nicely and people are ready to sing.
20:21Tom Raine:I mean, without making you sound like you drink to, much you've spent quite a lot of time in pubs over the years how how central were pubs to the early days of the young ones I mean obviously you got your name from the older folk singers calling you the young ones in the back yeah but as a testing ground almost for singing and for also learning about folk history yeah those places were crucial yeah I think it's I mean it's organized folk clubs
20:48Sean Cooney:that 99 % of them met in the back room of pubs. David used to take a digital recorder around and sort of record everything. We got some really precious recordings because a lot of the people we got to know in those days, you know, they've all passed away now because they're all of a certain age then. So we've got these precious early recordings of singers. But yeah, it was very much like we couldn't, you know, the YouTube wasn't really, hadn't really taken off then. And folks just weren't easy to find, weren't easy to get hold to. so you'd go to the club and you'd hear a song and you might timidly ask the person who sang it if they could give you the words and then maybe the next week you might have a go yourself.
21:26Tom Raine:So have you decided what you're going to sing tonight? Are you going to do tip? Yeah, do you think I should? Yeah, I think it'd be nice to do it because it's the local one. It'd be nice to see you sing that for the first time and people say how it lands.
21:40Sean Cooney:That's right, ever since you left my house this afternoon it's been in my head, I've been singing it. me and Patrick were singing it in the park oh really? yeah I hope I've got to pitch it right actually because it's a bit like I don't want to do this thing where I start too high and start squeaking and I start again but you know that's the friendly environment you can do that often people stop halfway through and say oh I've forgotten the words and then people help
22:05Tom Raine:them out you know. I was going to ask if you still get nervous singing in front of people but in a group like this surely it must be feel quite warm.
22:14Sean Cooney:I mean, it depends what it is. If it's something new like this, then yeah, I am, because I haven't... Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whereas if it's like a young 'uns gig, it doesn't matter how many people were in front of it, except if I know the songs and you've got two lads with you on stage, it doesn't feel as bad. But it's the uncertainty. It's the new stuff, really. So, yeah. I'm sure it's going to be great. I'm really looking forward to hearing it. Well, after hearing it this morning, it was fantastic. Oh, thank you. And I hope you enjoy it too.
22:40Tom Raine:Thought music at its core is communal. It's about groups and communities sharing stories with each other. I went over to chat to the two organisers of this singing group, Tom and Sam. How long has this group been running for? I think it was about March of this year that we started it, so however many months that is, what is it? It's eight months now, isn't it? This is the eighth one. It's quite a new group. It is quite new, yeah. Yeah, I was under the impression that it was sort of a long-standing, long-running kind of traditional folk group, but it's quite interesting. Yeah, it kind of feels that way, but it's just really taken off.
23:15Tom Raine:So yeah, we're really excited at how popular it's been really. And what is it that brings people to the group every week? What makes it so special, do you think? Can you put a finger on it? We've got quite an atmosphere here. I think a lot of it is that there aren't any instruments, which is quite... there were only a few sessions in Sheffield where there aren't any instruments, so if you're not confident playing your instrument, then you can just sing and that's what you can kind of come with. yeah and I think we've got a really good age spread as well there's a lot of people who've been singing songs for 60 50 60 years but there's also a load of younger people coming through as well so it's like it's got really good energy to it good yeah really good mix of newer music as well along with like the old classics but yeah also I guess the fact that we don't have it we don't do it we don't sing in an order as well so anyone can sing at any point so it's not you're not restricted it's not that you know when you're about to sing that you're not waiting for your turn to sing you can just start singing at any point when no one's singing so it brings like an energy to the room where at any point you could be the next one singing so it's no pressure everyone everyone sort of feels a bit like oh you know maybe i'm going to sing after the next song and you know so it gives a bit of energy to it and why uh do you think that this kind of communal singing matters why is it important to people it's just just feels great it's just like something to look forward to like everyone's happy um you get to learn new songs yeah it's just really connecting isn't it it's uh you know most people everyone there's gonna be about 50 50 odd people are gonna turn up and they've all spent a lot of time learning and crafting these songs and they're gonna share them and then they're gonna get support from the whole group everyone's gonna join in um yeah it doesn't really matter what ability you are everyone's gonna be with you and on you know going along with on the ride with you so it's yeah just feels really supportive yeah beautiful That's such an amazing community feel.
25:08Tom Raine:How is it having Sean come to the night as well? Yeah, it's pretty good. You enjoy it? Yeah.
25:14Sean Cooney:Yeah, it's nice that Sean, I think, tests out some of his songs on us. So we're sort of privileged to get the, what do they call it, the debut kind of song.
25:25Tom Raine:So that's pretty exciting. Oh, well, I'm really looking forward to the night. Better let you get ready. Oh, yeah. We're looking forward to hearing your song as well. Yes, I have brought a song, so we'll see.
25:43Sean Cooney:Evening, everybody. I'm Sean, and as you can see, there is some recording going on. Basically, I'm writing songs about dogs at the minute, and I love to sing a song about a local dog whose name was Tip, a hero dog from the 50s. and the chorus is, tip on the moor, tip on the moor. How loving and loyal was tip on the moor. There will be dogs just as faithful, I'm sure, but there'll not be another like tip on the moor.
26:15Tom Raine:Sean delivered a beautiful rendition of his song to the punters in the pub and it was so successful that he even managed to get a dog barking in the back. People in the pub were slowly starting to join in as the song progressed and by the end he had the entire place belting the song together in unison.
26:32Sean Cooney:Oh, thanks so much everybody. Cheers.
26:37Sean Cooney:Thank you very much, thank you.
26:43Sean Cooney:Thanks so much for that. Thanks, guys.
26:46Tom Raine:Alright, we've just come out of the singing session for a bit of a breather. It's getting really warm in there on the really cold night. What a gorgeous night it's been.
26:53Sean Cooney:Yeah, what a community of people. Just absolutely amazing. It's only been going a couple of months. and it's just full of lovely people just sharing songs, all kinds of ages, all kinds of subjects, just a welcoming, warm atmosphere. So it felt like the fitting place to try out Tip Song. I mean, I was nervous all day about it. Once I started, I felt comfortable and relaxed, I suppose.
27:17Tom Raine:I mean, it must have helped having a dog in the background just barking away. That was so funny, wasn't it? Yeah.
27:23Sean Cooney:Yeah, oh, yeah, no, it's absolutely brilliant.
27:25Tom Raine:Will you be making any tweaks at all? Will you be thinking about how to change it when you were singing it there?
27:31Sean Cooney:Yeah, I think I will. I mean, there's a couple of kind of lines that I'm not entirely happy with that I might kind of look at. I mean, that thing of like no longer alone, well, he was kind of, the whole idea was he didn't want to leave Joe alone. So there's a bit of a kind of contradiction there. And maybe the tuning as well. I mean, I came up with a kind of different version of the chorus a couple of days ago, but I didn't feel confident with it in my mind to sing it because I'd probably revert to the tune I've just done. But hearing everyone joining in with that was great. So it's interesting.
28:05Sean Cooney:You know, I'll sing it to some friends, I'll sing it to more people and see what they think, really. That's a good thing about the folk kind of singing community. Sometimes people just adapt it for you without you wanting to. That's a really interesting thing. I mean, I told people what the words were and I gave them the invitation by singing, sing just before so they did but yeah it felt so lovely so lovely
28:30Tom Raine:it's been a real privilege to see you sing in this sort of way amongst a group and it just shows how powerful this kind of singing is and how this kind of art form is so it's been really really fantastic to see
28:44Sean Cooney:yeah oh thank you I know it's a 19 of you singing as well I love that absolutely fantastic because that's what it's all about, you know. It kind of draws people in, this kind of community. Yeah, so what a wonderful day and, yeah, really pleased with how it's kind of unfolded.
29:05Tom Raine:It's been a real pleasure, Sean, and I look forward to seeing how the album or play or book turns out in the end. Yeah, woof, woof. Thank you very much. Woof, woof. You've been listening to the documentary In The Studio from the BBC World Service. Presented and produced by me, Tom Rain. Out here, if you're doing nothing, you're doing everything right. Though on a cruise with Norwegian, even if you're doing nothing, you're still basking in the warm sun, enjoying the peaceful ocean waves. You're breathing. Don't forget about breathing. Definitely need to be breathing. So you get to do nothing or everything, but you still need to be breathing.
29:45Tom Raine:It's like really important. Experience the difference with cruises to Alaska, the Caribbean and Europe. Norwegian Cruise Line. It's different out here. Visit ncl.com, call your travel advisor or 1-888-NCL-Cruise. Norwegian Cruise Line ships registered with Bahamas and USA.
From the publisher
Sean Cooney is a powerful voice in British folk music and theatre. Winner of 3 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards with his band the Young'uns, the creator, musical director, lyricist, composer, and book writer has made 9 albums, recorded a number of radio programmes and is behind the acclaimed international theatre show, The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff. His work brings untold working-class stories to life by blending folk song, historical testimony, archival recordings, and spoken word.
Tom Raine follows his creative process as he works on a brand new album, this time not inspired by amazing people, but amazing dogs. Having just retired his wife’s guide dog Nessie after 8 and a half years of service, Sean has been inspired to craft a new set of songs about history’s heroic hounds - the dogs that have been more than just companions, but life savers, including the legendary Rollo who saved a baby during the Great Sheffield Flood of 1864. It all culminates in a dog friendly concert in one of the many locations where the stories took place.
