In June 2024 The Jersey Lilies were invited to take part in the Lamb Ale at Kirtlington, Oxfordshire.
One of the ancient Whitsun Ales (aka festival), the Lamb Ale can be traced back to the early 1600’s, and took the form of a village festival and feast.
Morris dancers were always closely associated with the festivities. When Kirtlington Morris was revived in 1979, based on Cecil Sharp’s notes from early this century, it was fitting that they join with the village to help recreate the atmosphere of the Lamb Ale as it once was, with as many as twenty or more morris sides gathered together in celebration, if not in the rivalry and competition, of the earlier days.
We performed several times over the weekend and were introduced to a wide variety of regional styles of Morris with sides from across the country.