Absolutely amazing experience with Lynne! Highly recommended for anyone interested in storytelling and folklore, and who wants to learn more about Orkney life through the spoken word.One thing my group cannot stop talking about is how Lynne managed to 'change' her appearance during the stories. What do I mean? Well, at some points she was a young girl, at other times an old sailor or a selkie. Her voice changed of course as she was telling these stories but it was also like her whole appearance changed too! It's hard to explain so you will have to go see this for yourself- but be prepared, she is very very good and I am convinced she is also a little bit magical too!
I enjoyed this evening of folk storytelling. Thought it might be useful to describe it a little - I didn’t know what to expect when I booked. We sat at tables around a peat fire in a room, not smoky but quite hot so wear layers. Lynne prefaces the storytelling with historical context and is very passionate about the need to preserve the oral storytelling traditions of the islands. The stories are performed, rather like performance poetry but with added movement, song and prop work. Lynne is softly spoken and the storytelling is scattered (as is completely appropriate) with Scots words, I was glad I was familiar with some of it before the performance started. It demands your full attention to get the most out of the detail in the stories and the historical context but certainly a very authentic and a unique insight into the cultural heritage of the Islands.
We had an amazing night at the Orkney Folklore & Storytelling Centre! Gathering around a peatfire hearth, Lynn wove us tales of the people who farmed the land and fished the sea, from shipwrecks and selkies, to finfolk and trows, all expressed through storytelling, props, song and dance. We were utterly captivated, her enthusiasm and passion powering these ancient tales for the people of today.If anyone is thinking of visiting Orkney, you must go to one of the peatfire evenings to hear the tales of the people who came before us, I couldn't recommend it more highly!
Just home from a magical evening of storytelling and folklore hosted by the amazing Lynn. Highly recommend whether you are an Orkney resident or a visitor to the islands.
Lynn hosted an amazing evening with stories of the selkies and finfolk, interwoven with local history and culture. The setting helps to create a wonderful atmosphere for her storytelling, and we all had a lovely time.
A lovely evening of lore and stories with Lynn on Sunday 13th October for one of her peatfire sessions.Captivating throughout and seamlessly transitioning from character to character and subject to subject, from Selkies to Finfolk with practiced skill, this is a must for any visitors to Orkney.Thank you for having us! 😊
We really loved our evening with Lynn and were mesmorised by the stories she told. It was a rich and unique experience and Lynn is a talented storyteller with wonderful knowledge of the Islands and their folklore. Her passion and enthusiasm for Orkney shines through and she gave us some great recommendations for other sites to visit, which had not been on our radar. I would recommend taking water/drinks as there are no drinks served as part of the evening, though that's to be expected with such a low price. Great value for money and a wonderful addition to any Orkney trip.
Absolutely incredible evening with Lynn spellbinding storytelling Orcadian tales, myths and legends. Do yourself a favour if you are in Orkney! And a brilliant library of texts and tales to flick through too.
A wonderful evening, we were utterly swept up in the tales of Orkney. Lynn is a true storyteller, a magic weaver. I'm so glad we found her, we will definitely return for more stories when we return to Orkney.
Lynn is a wonderful storyteller and will totally mesmerize you. If you don't mind some smokiness the peat fire is lovely. She tells different tales depending on the season and has a beautiful library with an array of reading materials one can browse while getting settled or can arrange a time to use the library otherwise. Would definitely recommend.
Love, love, loved this!!! We went to a peat fireside tales session from 8pm to 10pm. The peat fire was on and we had the opportunity to look around some of the rooms before the event began. Lynn was so engaging and mesmerising for the entire duration! We were captivated by the 2 stories she told us and the folk tales she then explained. This was my absolute favourite thing on Orkney. I will definitely be back!
We managed to book a private storytelling session with Lynn and were totally enthralled - she has a very genuine passion for Orcadian folklore and is a talented storyteller comfortably able to draw you so deeply into her tales you’ll feel Orcadian yourself when it’s time to leave. Had we more time, we could have listened for days.Very highly recommended and easily worth every penny (I’d even say more). We will certainly seek her out the next time we go and have already recommended her to friends.Kudos to you Lynn and keep up your unique work!
Lynn is a brilliant storyteller...she uses movement, rhythms and repetitions to tell her Orkney tales and the effect is magical. We had a great evening of entertainment...one of the highlights of the holiday 😊
Best evening of Orkney story telling ever. Lynn does such a great job of transformation from host to her character storyteller. You are taken back in time in the warm surroundings of her home. Fabulous array of local historians articles and books to ponder.
An evening listening to Lynn weave her magic is well worth it. The venue is unusual and utterly spectacular, and the peat fire crackles while she captivates her audience with her words. Whether she is introducing you to real Orkney characters from days gone by, or telling you tales of selkies and fin-folk, Lynn is completely mesmerising. The evening will stay with me for a long time to come.
PEATFIRE TALES OF ORKNEY EVENINGS. Tuesdays, Fridays andSundays – A traditional Orkney that combines legend, lore and social customs with music, song and dance.
FIRESIDE AFTERNOONS: Enjoy the traditions of these North Atlantic Islands, sitting around the peat fire while Listening to the legends, Folklore and social customs of past Orkney fishing & farming peoples and communities -Thursday and Saturday afternoons.
FAMILY AND CHILDREN’S STORY CIRCLES SESSIONS- Maximum groups number: 8 people Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday mornings – afternoons by arrangement peatfire@orkneyattractions.com
MAGICAL STORIES (Of The Islands & Highlands)- A BESPOKE, PRIVATE EVENING / AFTERNOON for your own group’s celebration (6 – 30 people). Choose from our programme of Stories & Legends from the Islands and Highlands, discover some ofthe Orkney & Scottish social customs, Traditional dances and music.
THE POWER OF STORY – BESPOKE COURSES & SUMMER SCHOOLS Learn how to be the Weaver of Tales and explore this ancient oral tradition. All are welcome (18 years +). Of particular value to those working in education, special education, mental health and social care. It greatly benefits students who wish to pursue further studies in drama, performing arts, dance, and physical theatre.
PRIVATE GROUPS – Between 6 and 28 guests. Bespoke events tailored for each group – group cost by arrangement.
BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL FOR ALL EVENTS.
Come along to a unique Orkney Island experience and discover the oral and fireside heritage of the Highland and Islands’ fishing and farming peoples who worked the land and fished the seas around these North Atlantic Islands, or as George Mackay Brown, the Orkney writer called them in his Poem Cycle ‘The Fishermen With Ploughs’.
Storytellers have passed on folk tales, myths and legends in their own dialect since time began. In Orkney, the Island’s old language, Norn, was superseded by the Scots ‘Mither Tongue’. There is a school of thought that from the late 15th Century this demise of the Norn language is in relation to the political and social history of these North Atlantic Islands.
Eventually lost as a spoken language, in Shetland it could have been as late as the 19th Century when the last islanders spoke Norn, only fragments of many old Orkney ballads, folk tales and legends remain. Two ballads still exist as complete pieces, one in the Orkney/ Scots dialect, The Ballad of the Lady Odivere and one from the island of Foula in Shetland, in the old Norn language, The Ballad of the Lady Hildina.
Throughout time, the story is one of man’s oldest tools for communication, learning and the recording of individuals and their communities’ way of life. Stories, customs and beliefs passed on by ‘word of mouth from one generation to the next, the stories of the ordinary and the extraordinary, the great Kings and
We invite you to sit by the peat fire in our Folklore andHeritage library, browse and explore the old Orkney books, newspapers, and maps, and ponder a moment on the 19th Century photographs of the past islanders who worked the land and fished the seas for many generations around these North Atlantic Islands.
Discover our Hamnavoe Room with Contemporary Orkney Writers’ books, Island Craft books, children’s Orkney story books along with contemporary 20th Century images of Orkney.
Spend time in our ‘Peedie’ Folk Art Gallery seeing island stories and myths, and folk tales in pastels and pencil, inks, pen and prints, take away an Orkney Folklore and legend StoryCards or Heritage leaflet
Sit in the Folk Art Studio around the big peat fire, surrounded by the wall murals and collages of the Orkney legends and myths, alongside models, masks and puppets of the Island Folkloric characters and creatures. All are created from beachcombing, flotsam & jetsom & recycled materials.
Listen to The Peatfire Tales Of Orkney from ‘The time before time….when legends were true…’ or create your own folkloric characters, creatures and storyboards in our Family & Children’s StoryCircles sessions.
‘The Enchanting tongues went on and on beside the fish oil lamps, then the grey of morning entered the crofts, and called the islanders back to their hard work ofploughing and fishing‘ – George Mackay Brown
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Storytellers have passed on folk tales, myths and legends in their own dialect since time began. In Orkney, the Island’s old language, Norn, was superseded by the Scots ‘Mither Tongue’. There is a school of thought that from the late 15th Century this demise of the Norn language is in relation to the political and social history of these North Atlantic Islands.