Radio 4 has commissioned a brand new version of Dirty Old Town, the timeless classic that Ewan MacColl wrote about Salford. Mike Sweeney unlocks the secrets of Ewan MacColl’s classic song, and Ewan’s widow, folk legend Peggy Seeger, records a new version with the BBC Philharmonic. Archive on 4 | Listen on BBC Sounds | BBC Radio 4

Dirty Old Town Ewan MacColl This song is one of Ireland's most famous songs and the funny thing is, it hasn’t anything to do with Ireland at all. It's about an English town called Salford just outside Manchester where Ewan McColl grew up. McColl wrote the song in 1949 and it wasn’t until the 60s that he offered partial rights for the song to Rod Stewart, Roger Whitaker and The Dubliners. The song became an Irish hit when the Dubliners first released it as a single in 1968 and the song then went

Dirty old town | Joycemusic