The Isca Morrismen, Traditional Morris Dancers from South Wales performing Welsh Border and Cotswold Morris dances together with local Mumming Plays, Wassailing ceremonies and the Mari Lwyd custom.

Welcome to the Isca Morrismen Website - Home of the Traditional Morris Dancers from South Wales performing Welsh Border and Cotswold Morris dances together with local Mumming Plays, Wassailing ceremonies and the Mari Lwyd custom

2007 Tours - Thursday 31st May
Joint Pub Tour with Mendip Morrismen

Isca Morrismen dancing at the Tredegar House Festival The Mendip Morrismen dancing on one of our tours at the Beaufort Hotel in Chepstow

This week we are delighted to travel across the border into England and the Gordano Valley for a joint tour with our friends from the Mendip Morrismen. Both dancing spots tonight are set on the coast and we hope that the seaside weather is kind to us.

And for tonights local history lesson - the name Clevedon means literally Cleave or Cleft and Don or Hill and comes from the Saxon. The town itself lies in a very deep cleft at the entry to the Gordano valley and until more recent times, the local pastures were used for Horse Rearing. All of which of course is no reflection on the style of dancing from the excellent local side as they wield their cleft sticks in action accompanied by their manic spotted horse who is really very friendly and especially likes children.

8.00 p.m. Clevedon Pier and Heritage Trust in Somerset Clevedon Pier

We start our dancing this evening at the Bandstand which was built in 1887 by William Green and was lit by gas. The windshields were added at a later date to protect bandsmen and to improve the acoustics. After a short spot here we are likely to move on nearer the Pier of which Sir John Betjeman said "Without its Pier, Clevedon would be a diamond with a flaw". The pier was originally opened in 1869 and contains some 370 tons of wrought ironwork - a masterpiece of Victorian ingenuity. Due to the exceptionally strong tidal currents and a water level difference of 40ft between low and high tides, Clevedon Pier had to be built in a taller, more slender style than would normally have been the case.

After a disaster in 1970 when two end spans failed and collapsed into the sea, the whole pier was dismantled and removed to Portishead. After extensive refurbishment and restoration work, the pier was re-erected and re-opened in 1989. Following this the outbuildings were restored with the total project only completed some 7 years ago in 1998.

The ornate bandstand on the seafront in Clevedon where we start our dancing this evening The Isca Morrismen dancing on the seafront in Clevedon on our last visit

Taking a short break from the dancing at Ripley Ale evening in Derbyshire The Isca Morrismen preparing for a night of singing and merriment start off by fetching the traditional carved wassail bowl ready for the action at the Ostrich Inn during their recent wassail.

9.00 p.m. The Royal Oak, Clevedon

Following our dance spot we move on to the nearby backstreets where we find The Royal Oak. A very friendly pub situated in Copse Road, running parallel to and behind The Beach, which has been used over the years by a number of dancing sides. You can expect to find an excellent pint of real ale and after dancing on the wide road in front of the pub, we will retire inside for further entertainment.

Dancing at the recent Tredegar House Festival Isca Morrismen dancing at the Tredegar House Festival

Isca Morrismen dancing recently at the Spring Fair in Magor

Do come and see us at some stage and if you have a liking for tradition then you will be made very welcome. For those males amongst you who enjoy a pint or two and would like to keep fit then you will be ideal as a dancer.

If you are a musician of either sex who enjoys folk music, then again you will be well received, so whatever instrument you play, provided that it is portable, come and join us and learn our music. Come along and we'll ensure that you enjoy yourself and hopefully come back for more as we tour our area over the summer months.

If you require any more information then please check our Contact and Feedback page for our current officers telephone numbers or email us at our address: Enquiries 'at' Isca-Morrismen.com. We are a lively bunch and travel a fair bit with our activities, both in the UK and Overseas, so come on - contact us today and join in the fun, you'll not regret it!