Orkneyology Podcast Show Notes
Season 1 Ep. 1:
"Ower wi' the moon"
~ Mulled wine and introductions ~
In this first episode of the Orkneyology Podcast (with the encouragement of some steaming mulled wine for Rhonda's sake) we introduce ourselves:
Tom Muir - Orcadian traditional storyteller, historian, author and publisher; and Rhonda Muir - an American expat who moved to the Orkney Islands to marry the love of her life (yes, Tom), writer, roamer in the wilderness of Orkney and publisher.
We tell the story of our delighted surprise in finding each other from across the Atlantic later in life, and how we eventually came to build a life together in Scotland's Orkney Islands.
We talk a bit about our website, Orkneyology.com, which explores Orkney life, travel, history, stories and archaeology. And we reveal a little about our plans for the Orkneyology Podcast, where we will be chatting with some fascinating folk in Orkney and elsewhere.
Mentioned in the this episode:
Rhonda's Moving to Orkney ebook
You can also listen on Youtube, with a few photos for context.
Check the platform where you normally listen to podcasts if you like. We're on Spotify and a few others, and we're working on adding more.
Season 1 Ep. 2:
"The Magic of Stories"
~ Orkney and Beyond ~
Well, it's a full moon again and time for another cozy moonlit blether coming to you from the Orkney Islands.
This month, we talk about:
- the difficulties of childhood dyslexia (before there was a name for it)
- beloved childhood storybooks that help overcome traumatic school years
- stumbling into storytelling and overcoming fear (terror, really) of public speaking
- how the Orkney Storytelling Festival first began
- warm reminiscenses involving some of the amazing storytellers and other people that Tom met through international storytelling opportuities (Lawrence Tulloch from Shetland, Bob Pegg, Donald Smith, David Campbell, Hjörleifur Helgi Stefánsson, Joseph Naytowhow, Stanley Robertson, Duncan Williamson ... and many more beloved friends)
- advice for newer storytellers
- Tom tells a local Orkney story that took place in a mound site he once dug as an archaeologist!
Other places to listen:
You can also listen on Youtube, with a few photos for context.
Check the platform where you normally listen to podcasts if you like. We're on Spotify and a few others, and we're working on adding more.
Drop by on the next full moon ...
We'll be having a blether with award-winning Scottish bothy ballad singer, Scott Gardiner.
Season 1 Ep. 3:
"A Blether with Bothy Ballad Singer Scott Gardiner"
~ Scottish bothy ballads; traditional music; the Orkney Folk Festival and more! ~
Tonight we have a moonlit chat with our very dear friend, Scott Gardiner. Tom and Scott have a lovely, wandering blether across the bothy ballad and traditional Scottish song scene, touching on:
- the history of this unique music and how it stands today
- the culture and lifestyle that created the bothy ballads
- a bit about the bothy system in the Orkney Islands
- reminisce about "Bothy Nichts", an old Scottish bothy songs television show
- reminiscences aboyt the sad passing of many of the great old singers and songwriters they both admire, including recently Orkney's own Billy Jolly
- Scott tells of some of the singers who inspired him and he even favors us with a few of his favorite bothy ballad songs, including one of his own!
In this episode, we're treated to these traditional songs:
- Guise o' Tough (traditional), 1890s
- Generations of Change, by Matt Armour, 1975
- Princie and Jean, by George Corrigall, 1959
- ... ending with a tongue-in-cheek song that Scott wrote for the Out of Doors Radio Scotland programme!
So pull up a chair, pour yourself a dram and settle in for a good, old-fashioned blether among friends.
Drop by on the NEXT full moon ...
Tom will tell us a bit about unique aspects of Scottish coastal culture and the coastal stories of Scotland. And he'll tell a few tales from his upcoming book with History Press, Scottish Folk Tales of Coast and Sea, coming out in April 2024.
Other ways to listen:
You can also listen on Youtube, with a few photos for context.
Check the platform where you normally listen to podcasts if you like. We're on Spotify and a few others, and we're working on adding more.
Season 1 Ep. 4:
"
Scottish Folk Tales of Coast and Sea
"
~ When we pose the burning question, "Are you a bookworm or a bookdragon?" ~
Tonight Tom and Rhonda Muir have a moonlit blether from their home in Scotland's Orkney Islands inspired by the publication of Tom's latest collection of folk tales: Scottish Folk Tales of Coast and Sea.
We wax lyrical about:
- life lessons embedded in all good stories
- Orkney and Shetland: Vikings at a cultural crossroads
- tips for storytellers and other creatives on finding old folktales, and how to make them your own
- respecting the tales, and keeping the meaning true
- the devil as trickster
- Travellers' stories and Tom's memories of "the tinklers"
- of mermaids and selkies
- stories of the perils of the sea
- Rhonda's favorite movie, "I know Where I'm Going"
- and Tom tells a really fun story from the book at the end!
So pull up a chair, pour yourself a dram and settle in for a good, old-fashioned blether among friends.
Drop by on the NEXT full moon ...
We'll be having a blether with Scottish storyteller, researcher, author of Angus Folk Tales and our dear friend, Dr Erin Farley of Dundee.
Other ways to listen:
You can also listen on Youtube, with a few photos for context.
Check the platform where you normally listen to podcasts if you like. We're on Spotify and a few others, and we're working on adding more.
The long-awaited 25th anniversary edition of Tom Muir's The Mermaid Bride is out! With new stories and illustrations added, and at the originl price, this book is a real bargain. Buy it here.
If you enjoy what we do please consider encouraging us on Ko-fi. It's a simple, safe way to support our work of preserving Orkney's stories and lore. Thank you!
Click below to hear a welcome message from Tom Muir.
Sign up for our newsletter below and we'll send you Tom's favorite story!
~ Next issue:
Spring 2024
Recent Articles
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Orkneyology Podcast - Ower wi' the moon
Apr 24, 24 09:42 AM
In Orkney, we used to have an expression: "I'll be ower wi' the moon," meaning, "I will come and visit you when the moon is full, to light my way." -
Tom Muir's new Scottish Folk Tales of Coast and Sea!
Apr 23, 24 10:50 AM
Tom is very proud (though he won't admit it, being Orcadian) of his newest collection of Scottish folk tales, published by History Press. Read more here. -
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Apr 09, 24 04:55 PM
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