Episode Ten | Dig It

Anither ticht-packit braidcast fu o wee Scots gems.

The braw wark done by Dig It 2015 on bringin thegither the warlds o Education, Archaeology an the Scots leid wis a highlight. Fundit bi Historic Scotland – nou kent as Historic Environment Scotland – the project introduced bairns tae the historical connections in their Scots wirds.

Oor launscape is stappit fu o Scots places names, that tells us aboot the airt. A guid exaimple is Tod Head lighthouse – Tod bein the Scots wird fir Fox. Fae the nemme wi ken a bit aboot the fauna there. An wi Ghaist Loan, near a Moray kirkyaird, an Bogle Den in the Cabrach we get a clue as tae the beliefs o the fowk that gied the place a nemme, as weel’s the leid they spoke in.

The fantoosh wabsite set up as a kist tae haud aa the results o Dig ti 2015 is still available here: http://www.digitscotland.com/

O course Scots Radio is the programme that just doesnae hing aboot, sae efter Dig It we were straight aff tae meet wi Andy Cannon tae hear aboot his Tales o a Grandson. This is Andy’s storytelling lesson in Scottish history inspired by Sir Walter Scott’s Tales o a Grandfather an the strang relationship atween Cannon an his granfaither.

Andy’s granfaither took him oot on a tour o Scotland, tae see Nessie at Loch Ness, an on the wey tae Drumnadrochit telt young Andy aa aboot the history o Scotland, aboot the great heros, battles and wee fowk that mak up oor past. As Andy himsel reached 50, he decidit he wantit tae dae a series o stories communicatin that past tae the neist generations. He spake tae Frieda Morrison just afore he took his stories awa on tour.

Andy introduced us tae a braw sang anaa, In frienships name sung bi the remairkable Gordeanna McCulloch, afore he lea’d us wi a quote fae the sang:

Happy we’ve been aathegither
Cantie we’ve been yin an aa
Time shall see us aa mair blyther
Ere we rise tae gang away

Stories are aye pairt o whit we dae at Scots Radio, sae it wis ainly fittin that we fund time fir ane mair afore the end. This time it wis the tale o the Maiden Stone. The story is pleyed oot on the braes o Bennachie, whaur Auld Nick gets intae a pact wi a local lassie aboot whether or nae she’ll mairry him.

There wis a warld-first retellin o this famous tale, wi a group makkin a Doric Opera an performin it on location at Bennachie, alang wi a hail wheen locals bairns. Tune in tae hear an extract fae the performance an lairn mair.