Storyteller Pauline Cordiner

[paulinecordiner]

Some photos from my storytelling sessions yesterday at Confucius Institute Aberdeen's Spring Family Festival!

I had a couple of wonderful audiences for my sessions - I told stories about snakes - as it's now the year of the snake and various monsters of the sea. The storytelling took place in the Duncan Rice Library at Aberdeen University who currently have an exhibition called Imagined Norths - all the weird and wonderful beasts that our medieval ancestors imagined lived in the seas and lands to the north!

[paulinecordiner]

Traditional Family Story Telling with Pauline Cordiner - THIS SUNDAY!

Banff Castle is delighted to host a special afternoon of traditional family storytelling on Sunday 1 st September 2024, featuring the popular storyteller Pauline Cordiner.

This magical event will offer two sessions at 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm, promising to delight audiences of all ages with a rich array of Scottish tales.

Pauline Cordiner shared her excitement about the event, saying, "I'm going to be telling tales of frustrating Fairies, Lucky Loons and Contermacious Coos!"

Known for bringing a wide variety of stories to life, Pauline’s storytelling repertoire includes traditional Scottish folklore, fairy tales, creation myths and her own original works. Her performances are further enriched by her passion for science, history and the environment, making them not only entertaining but also educational.

A celebrated storyteller with deep roots in the fishing and farming traditions of the North East of Scotland, Pauline is known for her engaging and interactive style. She often incorporates

traditional Scots songs and bothy ballads into her performances, using music, puppets and costumes to create a dynamic storytelling experience that encourages audience participation and leaves a lasting impression. A spokesperson for Banff Castle remarked, It's going to be a wonderful interactive experience and we positively encourage our audience to come along dressed as their favourite fairy, wizard, or witch."

Event Details:

Date: Sunday, 1st September 2024

Time: Sessions at 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm

Location: Banff Castle, Banff, Scotland

Tickets for this family-friendly event are on sale now and can be purchased here:

https://tinyurl.com/2ud98z7e or at the door.

Don’t miss the chance to immerse yourself in the magic of traditional Scottish storytelling at Banff Castle. For media inquiries, please contact: [email protected]

About Banff Castle: Banff Castle is a historic venue located in the heart of Banff, Scotland. It hosts a variety of cultural and community events throughout the year, offering a unique setting that blends history with contemporary activities.

About Pauline Cordiner: Pauline Cordiner is a storyteller with over two decades of experience, known for her engaging and interactive performances that draw from the rich storytelling traditions

of the North East of Scotland. She is passionate about sharing tales that entertain, educate, and connect with audiences of all ages.

[paulinecordiner]

For Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month, I'd just like to thank all the storytellers, ballad singers and good friends of traiveller, gypsy roma, new age and showman heritage who have shared their wonderful stories and culture with this toonser over the years. Thankyou!

[paulinecordiner]

Weel fit a grand trip we hid tae Portsoy fur the Haal this wikend!

Sheena and I had a great weekend at the Portsoy Haal this weekend – heading off on Friday afternoon (with Wee Imp and the caravan in tow!)

After the concert our first session was the late night storytelling at the Town Hall – a grand 2 hours with folk sharing their tales from 11pm to 1am. Wee Imp enjoyed the late night walk back to the camp site!

Our storytelling workshop on Saturday morning went down a treat too – we had 16 enthusiastic attendees who heard stories and learned about how some famous authors got into a bit of trouble by putting their neighbours in their novels! Abdy then had a go at creating life stories from photographs and came scarily close to the truth in some cases!

Wee Imp and I went off with oor pal Tattie to hear some of the ballads sung at the Greig Duncan Collection competition – after which I was brave enough to have a swim in the North Sea (but there’s nae photies o that!)

A few sangs, many midgie bites and a fire on the beach on Saturday evening made sure I had a good nights sleep ready for our last storytelling session at the Town Hall bar at Sunday lunchtime. Then it was already time to go home – wi a few songs and ballads sung all the way home in the car. (Wee Imp had her headphones on by this point, preferring Eurovision over ballads!)

Thanks to Portsoy Haal for having us both along, fit a gran time wi hid! And thanks to everyone who came along to share their stories, songs, poems. And thanks to Sheena for having me laughing so much!

[paulinecordiner]

Bookbug Says Hello!

Come along to Airyhall Library tomorrow for some Froggy Fun as part of #bookbugweek 2024! Meet a puddock that likes to sing hello to his friends and enjoy some other songs, rhymes and stories!

Airyhall Library, 18 May 2024 - 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM - book using the link below or just come along on the day :)

"As part of Bookbug Week 2024, Bookbug says "Hello!" to local storyteller Pauline Cordiner for a special storytime at Airyhall Library. Suitable for children aged 3-7. Children under 8 must be accompanied by an adult." https://aberdeencity.spydus.co.uk/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/FULL/WPAC/EVSESENQ/316320292/107614663,1

[paulinecordiner]

From Fishwife to Queen overnight! That really does sound like a fairy tale, doesn't it? OK... stories of magic fishes aside, it actually happened this week!

On Saturday I was in Peterhead dressed as a fish wife for my Peterhead Tours and yesterday I was promoted to a Queen for  Fantasy Scotland at their Easter In Wonderland event! The queen in question was The Red Queen who Alice encounters amongst other chess pieces during her adventure Through The Looking Glass.

Just as the Red Queen gave Alice advice on how to become a queen, I told stories of ordinary people and their experiences with royalty - and had some wonderful subjects in my audience! Thanks to everyone who joined me for a story and thanks to Fantasy Scotland CIC for having me along!

[paulinecordiner]

Fit a grand day for a tour of Peterheid! Thanks so much everyone who came along to today's tours of Peterhead based on The Peterhead Trail

The sun was out and it was truly the start of spring as we had tales of a magistrate with double life, the De'il causing a stooshie in kirk, a disorderly drinking den and of course Fa Hingit The Monkey!

Hopefully the tours will run again during the summer holidays as they proved to be very popular. And thanks so much to everyone who gave me their own stories of The Bloo Toon or emailed me resulting in more intriguing information! :)

[paulinecordiner]

The last few weeks have been a quiet one for me - not having a voice does enforce no storytelling!

However I've been able to spend that time learning even more about the Cordiner family toon of Peterheid! My dad aye made sure I knew loads of stories from Boddam and the Bloo Toon, but thanks to the The Peterhead Trail, there's so much more to share!

For those of you booked on the tours, I'm looking forward to sharing it all on Saturday!

Guided tour of The Peterhead Trail this Easter School Holiday

Embark on a historic adventure and step back in time as our knowledgeable guide, Pauline, leads you through the streets of Peterhead. From familiar landmarks to stories of krakens and witches, uncover the stories that have shaped this coastal town into what it is today.

Explore hidden treasures whilst discovering hidden corners and secret spots that even the locals might not know about! This tour takes you on a journey to reveal the lesser-known tales and intriguing anecdotes that add depth to Peterhead's history.

Learn from local expert Pauline who is a passionate historian and storyteller ready to share her expertise and insights with you. Gain a deeper understanding of the town's heritage, from its modest beginnings to its pivotal role in maritime trade and beyond.

This tour is aimed at families with children aged 8 and over due to the amount of walking and the stories that will be told

Time Choices Available:

11.30am-12.30pm

http://bit.ly/4acQxwG

1.30pm-2.30pm

http://bit.ly/4cbTIqq

Sat 30 March, Drummers Corner Peterhead

[paulinecordiner]

I have been reliably informed that it is World Puppetry Day! So here's a big "HELLO!" from me and all my vociferous pals! Except for Doyle the hedgehog. He's still hibernating.

[paulinecordiner]

A grand day of stories last week for #worldbookday2024 at Gilcomstoun Primary School ! Their theme this term was Scotland and I loved hearing from the pupils what they'd been focusing on in their classes. (A special hello to the class who showed me everything they'd been doing relating to the Picts!)

[paulinecordiner]

A wonderful morning today at Greyhope Library with the bairns from Primary 1 at Greyhope School - parents, carers and wee brothers and sisters were invited to see the new library and enjoy some stories with myself and Fizzy the Fairy!

[paulinecordiner]

Well today was our last week in Aberdeen’s primary schools as tutors for SC&T Youth! Cornhill Primary School – thankyou for your amazing enthusiasm and wonderful singing!

Once again, pupils from three classes had 4 hours – only 4 hours! of tuition in penny whistle, clarsach, guitar and … Scots Song!

Despite my ever-worsening laryngitis, the pupils of P4, P4/5 and P5 learned to sing The Silver Darlings, The Fisherman’s Lassie and The Barnyards of Delgaty as well as learning all bout the history of the songs and how they describe life in the North East of Scotland. I’ve posted in greater detail about all of these songs in the past few weeks, but I’ve not yet posted about the songs the pupils have been learning for their grand finale! It is of course Billy Connolly’s The Wellyboot Song – which probably doesn’t need much of an introduction! One of the teachers managed to find this recording of Billy singing it in 1976 -which I can share here cos there’s no swearing!

Noo I’m aff tae nae spik for a wik!

[paulinecordiner]

Some photos from the weekend where I had a fun time telling stories of Dragons and Monsters for Chinese New Year at Confucius Institute Aberdeen 's Spring Festival Family Fun Day! 🐲🐉

Just as you'll be bored of photos of me yapping, the other two pics are of Wee Imp and friends who had a great afternoon dressing up for photos and doing crafts !

[paulinecordiner]

Well Spectra Festival 2024 is fast becoming a distant memory! 

4 days of storytelling 16 hours of storytelling Well over 1000 audience members (final numbers still to come in) 32 stories 5 bags of Irn Bru Jellybabies 2 annoying fairies Numerous repeat visitors And a wonderful, wonderful experience for Lindsey and I too!

Thankyou so much to the Spectra Festival team for having us along again - we loved our new location of the Cowdray Hall, our campfire and Granny's Blankets! Thankyou to the Showsec security who did a marvellous job in all weathers, welcoming the crowds in. Thankyou of course to my storytelling partner in crime Lindsey Gibb who has joined me for her 3rd year as Guest Storyteller! And Thankyou to all the listeners who made it all worthwhile every night!

Here are some photos :D (Thanks to Alice, Lynne and Adele for the kind permission to share their photos!)

[paulinecordiner]

Anither grand day today at Ashley Road Primary School! The P3, 4 and 5 pupils (2 classes of each!) are fair gettin on wi their class songs - The Fisherman's Lassie, The Barnyards O Delgaty and The Silver Darlings which I spoke about yesterday. (They're also learning a fourth song which everyone is to join in with, but more on that in another post!)

There are a few videos online, but I like this one the best - the recording is the original by Alastair McDonald and the film that has been put to the song shows old footage of the fishing fleets and the fish gutting lassies swiftly preparing the fish to be salted and packed into barrels. The pupils fair enjoyed watching it! https://youtu.be/LcHhSywE9pk?si=krGQ1GY4WYRqJMwG

[paulinecordiner]

It's another busy week ! This time starting off with the pupils of Ashley Road School who we Scat Youth tutors are visiting to teach penny whistle, guitar, clarsach and Scots song!

I'm teaching the P3s The Barnyards O Delgaty and the P5s the Fisherman's Lassie (both of which I've spoken about in previous posts)... but the P4s are learning The Silver Darlings - a song about the herring boom in Scotland which peaked in 1907. "The Silver Darlings" is a fond nickname for the herring.

The song was written by Jim McLean, Bob Halfin and Andy Hulskrammer and later on this week I'll share a video of a recording of it with Alastair McDonald. (Find a discussion of the song origins here on mudcat: https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=40414 )

The pupils are taught the meaning of the song they're learning - as well as any unfamiliar Scots words. Many pupils in each school have families who came from farther afield, but no matter where they're from, they're all doing a grand job of learning and pronouncing the Scots and Doric!

The image I've chosen to illustrate this post is an etching by James McBey (1883-1959) from 1908. The title is "Herring Fleet, Aberdeen" - the etching has made its way across the pond where it is stored at The Boston Public Library Arts Department. James McBey was local to the area and may be familiar to those that visit Aberdeen Art Gallery where there's a fantastic exhibition of his work. My daughter and I love the interactive display of how etchings were made! (Thoroughly recommended!)

[paulinecordiner]

Next week will be a busy one teaching Scots Song with SC&T Youth and Spectra Festival over the coming weekend.

Then I get a wee break before our final week in Aberdeen primary schools with the SC&T Tutors - just enough of a break to brush up on my DRAGON TALES for the University of Aberdeen Spring Festival Family Fun Day. It is of course the Year of the Dragon and so I'll be telling tales of dragons and monsters from around the world!

The Confucius Institute will be organising all sorts of activities (dragon stories included!) at the Elphinstone Hall on Sunday 18th February from 10am to 4pm. Follow this link for more details - https://www.abdn.ac.uk/events/19843

Stories will be from 11am to 12pm and 1 to 2pm