On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at

Noticed a bit of extra activity going on down the road, so ambled over to see what the lights, camera, action was all about.

There was a gathering going on and filming to promote the nation state of Yorkshire.
This assembled choir were providing backing fom Lesley Garrett(sadly present only via a recording, in real life she wouldn't have needed a PA). The Cow and Calf Rocks provided a scenic backdrop.

They were singing "On Ilkla Moor Baht'at" the now recognised National Anthem for Yorkshire. Wikip. describes the song - "The song tells of a lover courting the object of his affections, Mary Jane, on Ilkley Moor without a hat (baht 'at). The singer chides the lover for his lack of headwear - for in the cold winds of Ilkley Moor this will mean his death from exposure. This will in turn result in his burial, the eating of his corpse by worms, the eating of the worms by ducks and finally the eating of the ducks by the singers."

I suppose as National Athems go it beats ones that praise subjugation of neighbouring countries or in our case with Rule Britiania - the rest of the world. Still a bit wierd. If it's meant to be a moralising tale - I wonder what we should be warning today's youth about, and if 400 people would be prepared to sing it with quite the same gusto?