ONE of Eden’s best known musicians has recorded his first EP of Celtic and blues-inspired folk songs.

Talented musician Paddy Rogan, 23, of Tebay, is a familiar face on the Cumbrian music scene, having notched up hundreds of performances on his acoustic guitar in pubs and at festivals over the years.

But his She Moved Thro’ The Fair EP is the first time Paddy has recorded any of his self-penned songs and he is looking forward to people finally having the chance to hear his music.

“I’ve been playing for the past 10 years or so but I was coming under pressure from friends and fellow musicians to finally get my music out there and I’m really pleased with it,” he said The EP, produced by Mike Fearon in Ambleside, features three of his own songs, including love song As Long As I Have Your Words inspired by Tailbridge in Mallerstang, a traditional Irish folk song She Moved Through the Fair and a song which uses lyrics from the W. B Yeats poem Down By the Salley Gardens.

“I take a lot of inspiration from people like Nick Drake and the folk music revival of the late 1960s, and the style of my guitar playing is very much coming from a traditional folk place.

“Of course, the landscape and my connections to Eden Valley and Cumbria has a huge impact on my work,” he said.

The traditional folk scene is something Paddy cherishes and said he likes to play informal pub settings, sharing his music with other musicians.

“In the country music would have been an extremely important form of entertainment in the evenings for many people.

“I still like to play at places like the Mardale Inn in Bampton with other folk musicians because it’s a form of performance that’s happened for centuries and it’s nice to be part of something so traditional.”

As a solo artist Paddy is a regular at Zeffirelli’s in Ambleside and Tweedies Bar at Grasmere and he also performs with Kirkby Stephen band the Ritcheous Bees, who are playing in the Lake Road Wine Bar, Ambleside on December 18.

She Moved Thro’ The Fair costs £5 and is available from Mad Monks Music on Kirkland, Kendal, the Mardale Inn, in Bampton and Tweedies Bar in Grasmere.