East Suffolk Morris Men
East Suffolk Morris Men are the longest serving team in Suffolk, having been
formed some 50 years ago from an amalgamation of the old Suffolk Side, and the
boys’ Side, the Ipswich Morris Men, a team run by a particularly well-known teacher
at Nacton Secondary Modern School.
They count among their members a former Bagman and Squire of the Morris Ring,
and have become a highly respected Side among the established members of the
Ring. They perform dances from the Cotswold traditions during the summer, and
the Welsh Border traditions in the winter. They also perform Rapper Sword
dances, a Christmas Mummer's Play, and have brought the sounds and traditions
of the North Midlands' Christmas Carol sessions to Suffolk pubs, particularly
to Pin Mill on Boxing Day.
Over the past few years men from East Suffolk have travelled widely. The Side
has danced in Holland, Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Lithuania and as
far afield as Pakistan and Thailand. They have been pleased to be able to bring
some of their friends from abroad back to dance and sing for audiences here in
Suffolk.