 |
We had a press briefing for the Scottish International Storytelling Festival yesterday morning, signalling the start of the season with a lovely gathering of performers, partners and curious public in the beautiful setting of Dr. Neil's Garden, Duddingston Village, blessed with sunshine on the 2nd day of October.
Donald Smith, Festival Director praised the partners and individuals who all collaborate to bring the Storytelling Festival together, echoed beautifully by the surroundings.
David Mitchell, Scotland's Gardens Scheme Director embraced the power of storytelling, citing this year's Open Gardens project as a huge success, with two more events to come, comparing the Storytelling Festival to Dr Neil's Garden - both of which have been cultivated by passionate people and communities eager to embrace connections with our natural environment and each other.
Fiona Hyslop stated that 'The Storytelling Festival says so much about the world and so much about Scotland', with her eye firmly on a few events to come along to, her interest piqued by the promise of hearing tales of the Warrior Queen of Skye and A Thousand Doorways.
Miriam Morris, National Storytelling Coordinator, shared insights into the Local Campaign, which encourages everyone to utilise storytelling resources and embrace storytelling by organising community events. Miriam stated the Local Campaign was empowering and encouraging all communities in Scotland to research, record and recite the stories of local areas throughout Scotland, from allotment tales in Glasgow to an intergenerational workshop in Stirling.
Daniel Allison then treated everyone to an Australian story, complete with didgeridoo, in Dr Neil's Garden, with nature providing the perfect audio backdrop to his tale of rainbow-winged moths whose colours melt into the snow to be drunk by the mountain flowers - which is how flowers get their colours!
A Festival Supporter Pass is encouraged for discounts & offers so you can immerse yourself in our 12-day storytelling spectacular.
|
|
|
|
This year's Scottish International Storytelling Festival opens in the Great Hall of Stirling Castle,
bringing together a feast of musical talent with some of Scotland's leading storytellers to share the great Celtic saga of Fionn Mac Cùil, Ossian, Grainnhe and Diarmaid.
The Stewart Kings would have been entertained by these tales in the Great Hall, but now the stories are being brought to a modern audience, in an event sure to appeal to residents and visitors alike.
The audience will sit by mellow candlelight like Scots kings and queens, with their love of storytelling, poetry and music.
|
|
|
Rose Ainslie is just one of several gifted pipers showcased at Stirling Castle
|
The music will be linked with dramatic dialogue which follows the rise of Fionn, the mysterious passion of Sabha, the birth of Ossian as a deer-child, the loves of Diarmaid, the tragic hunting of the Boar that lead to his death, the departure of Ossian, and finally his return from the land of the ever living.
All of this material goes behind James MacPherson's romantic poems of Ossian to connect with Scotland's continuing oral traditions of song, music and story.
The languages of Scotland, Gaelic and Scots, will be woven through the programme. Storytellers Martin MacIntyre, Janis Mackay, Donald Smith and David Campbell will provide a connecting narrative. The programme is devised by Hamish Moore and Donald Smith, and will be recorded for BBC Radio Scotland.
Storytelling Festival Director, Donald Smith, commented:
'Growing up in Stirling, I watched the Great Hall being restored with apprentices serving their time on the fantastic stonework, and the magnificent roof timbers. Now I want to make the Hall echo with culture fit for kings.'
Further Ossian themed event
details are here, including
last year's sell-out Ossian Supper, which is a welcoming treat of food, tales, tunes and merriment in the Storytelling Centre on Thu 25 Oct, 7pm.
|
Families strolled through some of Scotland's finest gardens to explore the stories they've kept hidden for hundreds of years this summer. From Poolewe to East Lothian there was lots to uncover.
Garden visitors were guided by the most intrepid of tale miners: storytellers and there are further sessions to come!
"
Stories do not die if told and retold, and what better place for their telling than the ground upon which they were lived and worn.
" (Tim Porteus, Storyteller)
Read more about the past events and get the dates in your diary for the Perthshire (
Thu 11 Oct) and Dumfriesshire (
Sun 21 Oct) events still to come!
|
|
Image, Word and Play brings people together
|
This year's featured visual artist is Irish-born
Dara Vallely
, who in 1978 founded the famous
Armagh Rhymers
, one of Ireland's most celebrated music and theatre ensembles.
Dara has since been on a voyage to engage communities in the art of mumming, folk music and storytelling in Ireland and abroad, and we are delighted to showcase his Celtic drawings in our Festival programme and look forward to seeing the canvases on the wall in the Storytelling Centre.
'
We love the concept of Growing Stories. There
is so much in this simple idea, because no two people tell the same story. A story they say improves with telling.' (Dara Vallely)
|
|
30 Years of the Storytelling Festival
|
David Campbell and
George Macpherson have been a part of all 30 Storytelling Festivals since 1989 - an incredible achievement with so many stories to tell about the Festival throughout the years.
David remembers preparing for the inaugural Festival, with a gathering at his flat and being aware that something magical was getting started with the affect storytelling could have as he explains:
"I recall Stanley Robertson terrifying two post office telephone engineers working in the flat who were listening to his eerie Halloween tale. It ended with an eldritch howl that startled us all out of our skins!"
Keep an eye on the website for a full article celebrating 30 years through the storytellers' eyes!
Do you have recollections from the past year's? We'd love to here them!
Get in touch with us to share your memories.
|
43-45 High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1SR
|
|
|
|
|
|
