Join songwriter Sean Cooney, one third of folk band The Young 'Uns, for an evening of stories and songs inspired by his book, Peter's Field.

We're thrilled to be hosting an event celebrating Sean Cooney's Peter's Field, a book and album remembering the events of The Peterloo Massacre of 1819, one of the defining moments in British working-class history. The event will feature performances of songs from the album, alongside readings and discussion exploring the events of Peterloo and their lasting significance, and will be followed by audience questions and a book signing.

Date: Wednesday, 30 September

Time: 7-8.30pm

Tickets: £7

Venue: The Grove Bookshop, 10 The Grove, Ilkley, LS29 9EG

Tickets can be purchased in the shop or here via Eventbrite.

Refreshments will be served.

Refunds available, minus the Eventbrite fee, up to 3 days before the event.

Our Guest

Sean Cooney is one of the most respected and award-winning musicians on the English folk scene. Best known as one third of The Young'uns, Sean has built a reputation for telling untold working-class stories with emotional depth, musical richness and contemporary relevance. Peter's Field premiered at FolkEast Festival in Suffolk on the 205th anniversary of the Peterloo Massacre, on 16 August 2024, before touring in March 2026.

About the book and CD:

On Monday 16th August 1819 an estimated 60,000 people gathered at St Peter’s Field, Manchester to demand the reform of parliamentary representation and to hear the famous radical speaker Henry ‘Orator’ Hunt. It was a bright hot day and many of them had walked many miles from all across Lancashire. They were unarmed, wore their best clothes, brought their children with them and sang patriotic songs. On the orders of local magistrates, the Manchester and Salford Yeomanry Cavalry were sent into the crowd to arrest Hunt and other speakers. They were followed by the 15th Hussars, who were ordered to clear the field. Eighteen people died as a result and as many as 700 were injured. The event was first labelled ‘the Peterloo massacre’ by the Manchester Observer newspaper in a bitterly ironic reference to the bloody Battle of Waterloo, which had taken place four years earlier.

Peter's Field, presents the full narrative of the Peterloo Massacre through the script of the performance. Designed by Cally Callomon of Alimentation, it is accompanied by a CD and a full digital download, allowing audiences to continue engaging with the story long after the event... The CD also features Rowan Rheingams, Sam Carter, Jennifer Reid and Eliza McCarthy.

Reviews:

'A singular achievement in modern folk. As much a piece of investigative journalism as it is a musical masterpiece.' (Folk Roundabout)

'Peter's Field is an astonishing work... a compelling, passionate performance, radio-ballad-like, evocative and haunting.' (Songlines magazine)

'Peter's Field is the most powerful creative evocation yet of Peterloo.' (Professor Robert Poole, author of Peterloo: The English Uprising)

Description supplied by the event organiser.