The ORAN BAGRAIDH Project

A multi-lingual collaborative music residency and recording based on an ancient song set in Galloway. The work incorporates Scottish Gaelic, Irish Gaelic, Welsh, Scots and English. The Oran Bagraidh album will be released on 2 February 2019 at Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow. The collaboration will then tour across the UK and Ireland. BACKGROUND Galloway … Continued

Stories in a Time of Madness for Book Week Scotland

Where can storytelling go when reality outpaces fantasy? Storyteller Donald Smith rises to the bait with satiric glee with a special reading across three nights to launch Sham Stories as part of Book Week Scotland. Five linked subversive comedies provide Scotland’s untold Brexit chronicles. Treacherous times produce fake news and fake history, but also farce. … Continued

Merlin Academy Winter Fiddle Weekend, 1st-3rd Feb 2019

This fiddle weekend is a rare and amazing opportunity to meet, learn from and fully immerse yourself in a few days of music with the fiddling brothers, Iain and Alasdair Fraser. Both brothers have taught and performed worldwide and are now coming together to share their passion and expertise in the beautiful Scottish Borders town of Kelso.   This … Continued

St Andrews Day & Fair Saturday: Showcasing Scotland’s Diversity & Generosity

Beginning with St Andrew’s Day and running through to Burns Night, the Scottish Storytelling Centre, supported by Scotland’s Winter Festivals event fund, entertains across the colder months by showcasing how Scotland’s traditions can bring people together, home and away, in cross-generational celebration. Scotland’s patron saint, a saint shared by different European countries, was known for … Continued

Jess Smith’s HOTT Film Wins Coveted Folk Society Award

Congratulations to Jess Smith and all the team at Heart of The Traveller (HOTT), whose film ‘A Sense of Identity’ won the ‘Non Print Media award’ at the Folklore Society awards, held in London on Wednesday 7 November 2018, where it was praised for its range, depth, and enlightening approach. ‘A Sense of Identity’ premiered at the Scottish Storytelling … Continued

Sundown Song Nights – A new & unique series of gigs in Glasgow

On the 27th of November, a brand new and very unique series of gigs will be launched in the Glad Cafe in the south side of Glasgow. ‘Sundown Song Nights’ is a new series of gigs at the Glad Cafe hosted by Josie Duncan that explores the broadness within the term ‘folk song’ through solo … Continued

Scotland Flys The Flag for Slanjayvah Danza’s New Work!

Dance company, Slanjayvah Danza, are pleased to announce Creative Scotland has awarded grant funding to deliver a programme of research and development taking in rural and city venues across Scotland, running until March 2019. The first phase of the grant is in flow, with the company in residence at Dance Base this week, 5th – … Continued

A Puffin Great Adventure Exploring Climate Change

A new children’s show by Snap Elastic is on tour across Scotland from today, and flies into the Storytelling Centre on Saturday 10 November to entertain with a tale of friendship that also brings a social message. ‘Puffin’ is the story of how a girl meets a puffin, and a puffin meets a girl, and … Continued

SISF 2018 – The Story So Far

The Scottish International Storytelling Festival is on until the 31st of October and we’ve gathered some highlights and memorable moments from our recent events for you.   Opening at Stirling Castle Could there have been a more fitting and atmospheric setting for the opening of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival, an annual celebration dedicated to … Continued

Contribute to our Marathon Storytelling Spectacular

Love a chilling tale? Intrigued by the unknown? Then this Storytelling Festival finale event is right up your street… As the veil between light and dark invites the unholy to be blessed and the innocent to be drowned, host Alexander Mackenzie is looking for a merry band of mischievous storytellers to populate this marathon day … Continued