Telling stories in the far north
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
STORYTELLERS and musicians are readying themselves for a forthcoming festival that will bring together local talents as well as those from further afield later this month.
The eighth annual North Coast Storytelling Festival, which includes live music and song in Gaelic and Scots, welcomes this year's specially invited international artist – Heidi Dahlsveen from Norway.
Heidi has told stories at numerous venues across the world and was previously at the Scottish International Storytelling Festival in Edinburgh in 2012.
Described as an "energetic storyteller" by the festival's director Alexandria Patience, Heidi links stories of the past with contemporary life while always being grounded in tradition. She draws on folklore about trolls and other mysterious creatures and pays homage to Norwegian folktale collector Peter Christen Asbjornsen,
Festival director Alexandria will also perform over the two nights and will be joined by Thurso musician Donald McNeill.
She tells stories of being at "home" in Canada and coming "home-home" to Scotland – leaving the foothills of Alberta to return to live by the sea and heather.
One of the performers, Keisha Sutherland from Thurso, said she started pursuing music in 2015 after spending a month in hospital. "I had bad anxiety and found it very difficult to leave my house or socialise with anyone," Keisha said.
"My dad dragged me along to a music group one Sunday, and now I gig regularly in Caithness and write songs based around my experience with mental health issues. I hope that using my music as a storytelling platform will help others feel less alone and more understood, like it did for me."
Keisha focuses on blues and jazz music which she plays on ukulele. "I’m often told after gigs that it’s unusual and unexpected to hear blues upon a ukulele and I definitely take pride in that."
The young musician says that many people tell her she has "a big voice for such a small person".
Donald McNeill is a multi-instrumentalist living in Thurso and has composed hundreds of tunes. A long-time member of Clapshot, Donald is also a regular at the Wednesday sessions in Thurso's Commercial Bar.
His instruments of choice are keyboard and guitar, with the occasional foray into banjo, fiddle and stand-up bass.
Celia McDougall, from Shebster, is a retired geography teacher and is interested in landscapes and land uses past and present, along with the cultural landscapes created by people – often as told in traditional songs.
"I have been singing forever, enjoy all types of music and have tried a good variety of styles," Celia said. "I moved on to singing Scots songs at ceilidhs and Burns suppers and also sang with a few small bands – jazz and rock and then swing music with the Caithness Big Band for quite a few years."
She was also a member of the Melvich Gaelic Choir, taking part in local and national mods as well as solo competitions.
The North Coast Storytelling Festival runs on Friday, October 25, at 7.30pm at the Park Hotel in Thurso, and Saturday, October 26, at 8pm at Lyth Arts Centre.
The programme is for all ages and ticket information is available at www.portskerrastorytellingfestival.weebly.com
