The Festival is a unique celebration, bringing together outstanding traditional singers from Scotland, England, and Ireland. The event is especially for those who like to hear, enjoy, and join in unaccompanied traditional singing. Essentially informal, friendly and non-competitive, it will be just the place to encourage the young and less experienced as well as the old hands. The weekend includes ceilidhs featuring the guest singers, singarounds for everyone who wants to join in, workshops, and a talk.

Photgraph courtesy of Jim Taylor

Cullerlie Farm Park was set up by Tom (‘Tam’) and Anne Reid in 1993 and is now run by Anne’s daughter Tracey Walker and her husband Eric, as well as other members of the family. Tom moved to the Cullerlie Estate with his parents in 1935, and worked with his father in the traditional way of farming. He kept the traditions alive by turning the old original steading into a farm museum with one of the largest privately owned collections of farming and domestic memorabilia in Scotland. Anne, who was from nearby Peterculter, joined Tom when they married in 1975.

Tom (born 1929) was a legendary singer, having been crowned, in 1977, the Bothy Ballad King before a crowd of 10,000 at the Haughs in Turriff, a title that remained his until his death in January 2003. Anne (1939-2006) was also a fine singer and promoted the traditions of the North-East through singing and speaking workshops with schoolchildren and adults at local schools and at the museum, as well as hosting regular Saturday-night ceilidhs. It is the family’s express wish that the festival should continue to run in memory of Tom and Anne.

At the Park there is a large tearoom where the staff serve soup, sandwiches, and lots of delicious home baking. They cater for all needs with a baby changing area plus disabled facilities. The Park nestles at the foot of the Hill of Fare where the battles of Corrichie and Cullerlie Moor were fought. It is 6 miles north-east of Banchory and 12 miles west of Aberdeen. From Aberdeen follow the A944 to the Westhill roundabout, then fork left on the B9119 to Garlogie, then fork left again on the B9125 for 3 miles. The Park is on the right.

The Guests

Steve Byrne comes from Arbroath. In his time he’s been a graduate of the School of Scottish Studies, founder member of Malinky, Traditional Arts Officer for Edinburgh, and latterly a cataloguer for Tobar an Dualchais / Kist o Riches. His solo album of Angus material, Songs from Home, was released in 2006, and focused particularly on the work of Angus poets set to music. Steve’s paternal Dublin background also lends another dimension to his repertoire, with his particular love of the songs and style of the late Luke Kelly.

Fay Hield is a singer and academic living in Sheffield. She has sung from an early age as a floor singer at her local folk club, progressing to form the a cappella band the Witches of Elswick during her university days. She recently released her debut album, Looking Glass, on the prestigious Topic Records label to glowing reviews. Fay’s research is concerned with the social aspect of English folk singing and to promote this she organises two clubs in the Sheffield area.

Gordon Hoyland was born and bred in the village of Oughtibridge, five miles to the northwest of Sheffield, where there is a strong local carol singing tradition. Gordon learned these carols from his parents and the chapel and now sings them in the local pubs with a pint in his hand. It was at one of these sings back in the early 1980s that Gordon first met Ian Russell, who over the years encouraged him to sing at local traditional singing venues. His reputation has grown such that he has been a guest at several festivals in England.

Jim Mac Farland comes from Derry. An ‘All Ireland’ singing champion in the early eighties and a member of the prestigious Góilín Singers Club in Dublin, he has been a staunch collector of traditional song for the past forty years. He has performed in many clubs and festivals throughout Ireland, the UK and the USA. Jim has released a number of CDs and co-authored My Parents Reared Me Tenderly, a collection of Inishowen songs and ballads.

Thomas McCarthy grew up in Birr, County Offaly surrounded by the singing of his late mother and her father, as well as aunts and uncles. With a distinctive and embellished style, he sings rare and ancient songs, songs of Traveller life composed by his grandfather and a variety of songs of his own. He recorded his first album, Round Top Wagon, in 2010, and has appeared at several folk festivals and clubs in Ireland and England.

Siobhan Miller is from Penicuik. She first appeared at the TMSA Auchtermuchty Festival when only 13 years old and won both the children’s and women’s singing competitions. She has appeared as a solo singer and with duo partner Jeana Leslie at many festivals in the UK and Europe. In 2009 she graduated with a BA in Scots song from RSAMD. Siobhan was nominated for Scots singer of the year at the Scots Trad Music awards in 2010 and performed at this year’s BBC 2 Hogmanay Show with Phil Cunningham and the house band.

Tony and Gaby Robertson are son and daughter of the late great Aberdeenshire storyteller and ballad singer, Stanley Robertson. They grew up in Aberdeen surrounded by their father’s family who all descend from an ancient line of Scottish Gypsy/Travellers. Their great aunt was Jeannie Robertson. Through the oral tradition they learned the ballads and have been recorded by the School of Scottish Studies. They have sung at several prestigious events, including Aberdeen University’s WORD festival and a Travellers’ Tradition Celebration held in Aberdeen.

Elizabeth Stewart, from Mintlaw, our special guest on Sunday, is one of Scotland’s foremost ballad singers, who learnt her art from her aunt, Lucy Stewart (1901-1982). She is a member of the Fetterangus Stewarts, a family steeped in the oral traditions of the Travelling People. We have invited Elizabeth to sing her family’s ballad of ‘The Battle of Harlaw’ on the 600-year anniversary of the battle, 24 July 1411.

Allan Taylor is from Tornaveen, now resident in Alford. He first heard bothy ballads on an old gramophone in a bothy at his granny’s croft at Methlick and has been interested in North-East song ever since. He has been singing regularly since 2006 when he entered the competitions at the Strichen Festival. He has won both bothy ballad and traditional singing competitions over the past few years and been a finalist in the Bothy Ballad Champion of Champions competition at Elgin.

Sarah Walker lives at Cullerlie, the granddaughter of the late Tom and Anne Reid. She was brought up singing to bus parties in the tea room at Cullerlie Farm Park and started entering festival competitions at the age of ten, winning several over the years. She is a keen festival goer and looks forward to keeping up her Doric singing for years to come. She has been to every Cullerlie festival, but this is her first time as a guest.

Friday

7.30-11.30

Welcome

'Come-All-Ye' – everyone

Saturday

10.00-11.30	Workshop A1	'Crook Making', Robert Walker
	Workshop A2	'Flower Making', Betty Elgaaen
	Workshop B	'Raising the Roof', Fay Hield & Steve Byrne
	Workshop C	Farmhouse Cooking, Shirley Foulkes and friends
	Workshop D	'Sheep Shearing', Dave McCracken
11.45-12.45	Illustrated Talk in the Marquee	'A Tribute to Stanley Robertson', Tony and Gaby Robertson with Ian Russell
1.00-2.30	Lunchtime	Informal sessions
2.30-5.00	Singaround A	Steve Byrne
	Singaround B	Gordon Hoyland
	Singaround C	Tony and Gaby Robertson
5.00-7.30	Long Tea Break
7.30-11.00	Grand Ceilidh Concert	In the Marquee. All Guests – hosted by Jim Taylor and Ian Russell

Sunday

10.00-11.30	Workshop A1	'Crook Making', Robert Walker
	Workshop A2	'Flower Making', Betty Elgaaen
	Workshop B	'The Battle of Harlaw and Songs of Conflict', Elizabeth Stewart and Jim Mac Farland
	Workshop C	Farmhouse Cooking, Shirley Foulkes
	Workshop D	'Sheep Shearing', Dave McCracken
12.00-2.00	Lunchtime Singarounds
	A	Thomas McCarthy and Siobhan Miller
	B	Allan Taylor and Sarah Walker
	C	Informal music
2.15-5.00	Farewell Ceilidh Concert	in the Marquee. All Guests, hosted by Jim Taylor and Ian Russell
	A	= Marquee
	B	= Bothy/Wash Hoose
	C	= Tea Room
	D	= Outside

 

The festival is organised jointly by: Tracey Walker (Anne’s daughter) and Eric Walker Jim Taylor (Tom’s nephew) on behalf of Cullerlie Farm Park and Ian and Norma Russell on behalf of The Elphinstone Institute University of Aberdeen MacRobert Building King’s College Aberdeen AB24 5UA Tel: 01224 272996 Fax: 01224 272728 Email: elphinstone@abdn.ac.uk

Thank you to our sponsors: Coupers (Fish Processors) of Aberdeen Davidson & Murison Ltd The Friends of the Elphinstone Institute The Elgin Rotary Club