Sea Songs & Shanties with Jim Mageean & Maddy Prior

TITLE: Sea Songs & Shanties with Jim & Maddy

DATE: Friday 2nd October 2026 2:00PM - Sunday 4th October 2026 2:30pm (3 days)

PRICE: (NON-REFUNDABLE Deposit to secure place £150)

• Non-Residential ticket £359

• RESIDENTIAL ticket £479

LED BY: Jim Mageean & Maddy Prior

VENUE: Stones Barn, Cumbria, CA6 6PW

PARTICIPANTS: Maximum 22

IMPORTANT INFO:

*** £150 IS THE NON-REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT PAYMENT ONLY. This will secure your place on the course. We will ask you to pay the remaining course balance 4 months before the course start date. ***

*** Accommodation (£60 PP/PN) and lift booking fees (£40 PP) ***

Hot & cold breakfast is included for those staying with us residentially. Lunches & Evening meals are provided for all course participants (except for possible pub evening meals on the Friday).

COURSE LEADERS: Jim Mageean,

" I’ve always been a singer. My first public performance was at the age

of two on the counter of Coxlodge Co-op singing my Granny’s songs.
I started going to folk clubs in my teens in the 1960’s and did my first
paid gig in 1972. My early repertoire was all sea shanties (I was known
throughout the North-East as ‘ShantyJim’) but I later branched out into
other sea songs and ‘Geordie’ songs learned from my parents.
I met the great shantyman Stan Hugill in 1964 and we became friends
for almost 30 years performing together on many occasions.

I moved to London in 1975 and became resident at many of the folk
clubs there including ‘The Cellar’ in Cecil Sharp House for 10 years.
I made my first album (LP) in 1977 (all shanties of course!) and also
teamed up with the great Johnny Collins as a duo until his death in 2009.
Together we toured Europe and North America for over three decades.
I returned to the North-East in the mid 80’s and formed a shanty group
The Keelers who are still performing four decades later singing sea
songs, many of them written by the poet Cicely Fox Smith which we
have put to music. I also sing in the trio JIB with Ingrid and Barrie Temple
singing mostly maritime songs (many of them written by Barrie).

I taught on the Folk Music Degree at Newcastle University for three
years and have passed my songs on to many young people including
The Young Un’s and The Unthanks. I take great pleasure in passing on
my songs and shanties which now number several hundreds after years
of research. I have written several articles on shanty related topics and
Songlines magazine cited me as ‘the world's leading expert on shanties’
(I don’t accept this as there are many shanty experts around the world).
I’ve written three books on shanties and recorded many albums of them.
I’m still researching and collecting ‘new’ shanties all the time to pass on.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: The Course will cover the history of sea shanties and the connection with the sea. Why, where and when they were used and sung. An informative, instructive Course culminating in a big singing session. Audience participation is essential!

WHO IS IT FOR? This course is for anyone building a repertoire of shanties as well as covering their historical value, different types of shanties for various jobs on ships, and harmony singing, and, of course, having fun!

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
https://forgottenlands.org/local-events

https://stonesbarn.co.uk/

https://stonesbarn.co.uk/how-to-choose-a-course

https://stonesbarn.co.uk/course-timetables

https://stonesbarn.co.uk/cancellation-policy

https://stonesbarn.co.uk/stay-onsite (important info)

https://stonesbarn.co.uk/where-to-stay(some suggestions)

Bookings@stonesbarn.co.uk 01697748424

CANCELLATION POLICY:

We allow just a deposit payment to book and secure your place on any and every course. This deposit amount is currently £150. If you notify us of your cancellation within 3+ months of the course you will receive £100 of your £150 deposit back.
Any Notification after this time, regardless of reason, shall not be deemed a reasonable amount of time for us to try to re-fill your place so all of the deposit will be withheld. For this reason, we strongly advise you to book separate event/travel insurance so that you may recover all of your expenses should unforeseen circumstances arise.

We can no longer afford the costs of last-minute refunds in terms of admin or advertising or empty places. Around 5+ people per course are now dropping out for reportedly very serious reasons. This is unsustainable for us because we are a micro business with very fine margins and have not taken this decision lightly.

We will email you four months before the course, to inform you that you have 2 weeks to pay the balances. After the 2 weeks has expired, you may lose your place if payments have not been received. Non-payment of invoices is at your own risk and we will not/ cannot be held responsible for missed payments.

Add emma@stonesbarn.co.uk as a ‘trusted email’ to make sure emails arrive.