18th Skye Storytelling Festival returns to Glendale

The Glendale Gathering and Skye Storytelling Festival 2008 returns to the northwestern corner of Skye this weekend for the eighteenth consecutive year. From Friday 23rd until Sunday 25th May inclusive, the Glendale estate will be brought to life with the ancient traditions of storytelling, with everything from sessions and workshops to walks and a ceilidh.

This year, festival-goers will have the chance to hear from well-known Scottish storyteller George Macpherson, whose talks will celebrate the culture and techniques of the Celtic oral tradition. The 75-year-old is the author of two books of traditional tales – ‘Highland Myths and Legends’ and the recently published ‘Celtic Sea Stories’.

Festival co-coordinator, Kati Waitzmann, explains: “The Storytelling Festival gives both locals and visitors a chance to experience and enjoy great stories with some of Scotland and Ireland’s finest traditional storytellers - just as many generations of Scottish folk have done before us."

The Festival is especially aimed at families, with several events specifically for children, including interactive animal tales for children aged 3-7, and ‘Following The Stream’, a story adventure for 7-12 year-olds with storyteller and director of the Edinburgh Storytelling Centre, Donald Smith. Based in and around Glendale village, in both indoor and outdoor venues including ceilidh houses and schools, this year’s Festival also marks 100 years since Glendale established a first for any Highland settlement - a community buy-out to gain ownership of their crofts and estate in 1908.

Kati continues: "Glendale provides the ideal setting for a storytelling festival - not only because so many of the stories are set in Skye but also because it was here that the fairy flag was unfurled for the first time, during the Battle of Glendale, where Fionn hunted the Great Goat of Glendale in vain, as well as many other historic events now known from so many stories."

Scott Armstrong, Regional Director for VisitScotland Highland comments: “Traditional stories and storytelling are a dying art in Scotland and this long-running festival is a great way in which to strengthen the long-established custom and share the stories of our heritage with a new audience. The event has become deservedly popular in recent years, and we hope to see this trend increasing. For visitors, hearing a story is one of the best ways to remember a place, and we hope they engage with the tales and return to the Hebrides for more storytelling adventures and holidays in the years to come."