Marty is delighted that he’s finally managed to squeeze a song from the North-East of Scotland (or is it?!) into this series of the podcast. To be fair, it’s a pretty decent song – The Bonnie Lass of Fyvie.

Also variously known as Pretty Peggy of Derby, Pretty Peggy-O, The Maid of Fife and Fennario, there’s lots in this song to speculate about, a few things to draw conclusions from and even a bit of evidence to help unravel its story. We hope you enjoy our take on it.

As a post-recording note, it was Joan Baez’s maternal grandfather, rather than her dad, who was based at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh. It’ll make sense once you’ve listened.

You can hear the full song on The Sorries album Land of the Leal and can hear more of our songs on the major streaming services or by visiting http://thesorries.co.uk

Some references and further reading are to be found on the podcast site – scottishsongguide.com

Music featured:
The Bonnie Lass of Fyvie by The Sorries (taken from the album Land of the Leal – 2010)
Peggy of Darby or The Dandys by The Sorries (podcast session recording – 2022)
Eveleen’s Bower (Pretty Girl of Derby O) (later words & melody) by The Sorries (podcast session recording – 2022)

Episode 15: MacPherson's Farewell – The Scottish Song Guide

We’re finishing off series 2 of the podcast with a song which has perhaps the best backstory of any Scottish folk song, MacPherson’s Farewell. Also known as MacPherson’s Rant, the song is often said to have been written on the gallows by James MacPherson, hanged at Banff on 16th November 1700. But how much of the story is actually true? Listen in as we try to wade through the legends and get to the truth. This is the last episode in the current series but we’ll be back for series 3 early next year. In the meantime, if there are any songs you’d like to hear about please let us know. Music featured: MacPherson’s Rant by The Sorries (taken from the album Auld Lang Syne – 2012) MacPherson’s Rant by The Sorries (podcast session recording, taken from Episode 7: Happy Homemany – 2020) You can listen to the full version of the song on The Sorries album Auld Lang Syne and can hear more of our songs on the major streaming services or by visiting http://thesorries.co.uk You can also get lots of Sorries-themed rewards – including exclusive videos, song tutorials and even a house concert – if you sign up to support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/TheSorries Some references and further reading are to be found on the podcast site – scottishsongguide.com
  1. Episode 15: MacPherson's Farewell
  2. Episode 14: Jock O Hazeldean
  3. Episode 13: Blue Bonnets Over the Border
  4. Episode 12: Wild Mountain Thyme
  5. Episode 11: Loch Lomond
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