Aye it’s been a busy couple of wiks an although it’s the skweel holidays, I’ve got some exciting prep coming up! I’m delighted to announce a successful application to the Wee Grants for Creativity In The Scots Leid!
I’m going to be visiting Arduthie Primary in Stonehaven to work with the bairns to write some songs in Doric as part of their Hoolie In The Schoolie! This is going to be so much fun 
For this post, I’d like to direct you to the Grampian Association of Storytellers Facebook post – https://www.facebook.com/grampianassocationofstorytellers/posts/pfbid036spEEU2rYpRxi1NMqqdqTRuAfKyLDkiUmFccL2rh9dhRv4C6vyN9RuYALPLbTqDbl
(Cut and paste below for those of you not on Facebook!)
Celebrating Doric, Poetry, and Heritage: A Fireside Evening of Shared Joy
We all enjoyed the last session of our Fireside Chat series—Doric speakers and abanderados alike, or not. You didn’t need to speak this beautiful language to feel the enthusiasm of our guest, 𝗣𝗮𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿, or to delight in the rhymes collected by 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗿 and later reworked by Scottish students aged 5 to 11. 𝗣𝗮𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿, attentive to the diversity of our audience—from California to Saudi Arabia—offered vivid translations of the rhymes. But even without them, the verses came alive in her voice, and whether we spoke Doric or not, we could all enjoy their inner music.
But let’s start from the beginning. A century ago, a Scottish woman, 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗿, traveled through parts of the northwest of Scotland by bicycle, collecting songs, riddles, and rhymes. 𝗣𝗮𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿 introduced her to us with warmth, offering clues on where to explore her work further.
A project funded by the 𝗗𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 has recently brought these rhymes into several primary schools. Guided by 𝗣𝗮𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿, children aged 5 to 11 have enjoyed them, illustrated them, and recreated them—after compiling lovely lists of Doric vocabulary. There are so many valuable elements, so many layers of learning, in the illustrations and rhymes she shared with us!
A note for our international audience: Doric is a variety of Scots, one of the four official languages of Scotland, alongside English, Gaelic, and British Sign Language.
For those who would like to learn more about 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗿, the 𝗗𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 project, 𝗣𝗮𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿, or Doric itself, we will share some links (see them in the comments—shhh… the algorithm penalises us if we add them here 
).
Many thanks to our guest, the Scottish storyteller 𝗣𝗮𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿, for a night full of poetry and love for linguistic diversity; to our host, 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗙𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘁𝘁, for guiding the evening with her usual contagious enthusiasm and wisdom; and, of course, to our wonderful international audience.
What’s next?
𝗜𝗻-𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁
In collaboration with the 𝗘𝗹𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲
One Thousand and One Persian Nights – a Nowruz celebration
Part of the Aberdeen and Beyond Storytelling Festival
Wednesday, 25 March
𝗢𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝘁
Guest: 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗮 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺𝘀𝗼𝗻 (folklorist, musician & storyteller)
Tales and songs from the Traveller tradition and beyond 15 April (Zoom)
You can find all the details about both events in their corresponding posts.
The p6s at Meethill School are not getting away without a post though! As part of the Aberdeenshire Museums Service Cultural Tides Doric Workshops, the P6s learned stories from Peterhead’s past, figured out 5 stages to each story (start, middle, end!) and started writing out the stories in Doric – they did amazingly well with the Doric spikkers in the class sharin fit they kent wi the ithers!
Weel deen P6 and thanks to the pupils and Miss Jango for working so hard 
(and yes, P6 – I’m on the hunt for some CHEERY stories from Peterheid for you!)
My last post was about the first two Doric Workshops I ran at Meethill School for the Cultural Tides Project – and now I can share some results from the 3rd workshop!
The P5s joined me in creating a couple of Doric Rhymes – the first was about what they get up to in their spare time… and they did so well with that rhyme that we had time to create a second rhyme about their favourite words in Doric!
Here they are, along with the pupils AMAZING illustrations! I wanted to share ALL the drawings because I loved them so much, so click on the gallery to view each full size illustration
At the wikend wi nivver sit doon
Wir either skatin, crabbin or gaen doon I toon
The Lido’s gey hoochin wi faimlies waakin dugs
The soons o bairnies squealin fills wir lugs*
Skurries pinch wir pieces file wir puddlin in the waater
We’ll later ging tae Zanres fur a fine sausage in baatter!
Back hame tae wir hooses, jammies on an a buik tae read
Aifter aniter bonnie day wi freens, oot in Peterheid!
Tattiebogles, oxters, peekin bairns an lugs
Foggiebummers, bosies, puddock, doup an dugs
Hummel doddies, peely wally duncin, scunnert, feel
A o these are Doric wurds kent at Meethill Skweel!
As you can see from the second photo, it was a bright and sunny day up in Peterhead yesterday for my first visit to Meethill School as part of the Cultural Tides project organised by Aberdeenshire Museums Service !
I had great fun with the first two Doric workshops – an introduction to Doric in the morning where the P5 and 6 pupils had fun showing off how much Doric they knew, miming Doric words for eachother to guess (10/10 from what I saw!) and creating a Doric vocabulary for use in the other workshops.
In the afternoon they voted (very wisely!) for their favourite of 5 traditional songs connected with Peterheid and the surrounding area, decided what the song was “missing” and added a whole new verse (and a half! Watch this space)
I also got to see the school’s Storytelling Chair for the first time. (First photo) It was made by the folks at HMP Grampian in memory of Mr Black, who was the headteacher until 2024. there are amazing images from childrens’ books all over it and… some of my favourite Doric words!
I’m gey chuffed to be able to share the news that the Annie Shirer Doric Rhymes web page (https://annieshirerrhymes.co.uk/) has been updated with rhymes and illustrations from pupils at Strichen and New Deer Primary schools!
P3/4 (Strichen) and P3 (New Deer) worked with me as a class to create some new Doric rhymes about Mormond Hill, the Culsh Monument and things they did and didn’t like as well as illustrating these rhymes and some of Annie’s original collected rhymes from over 100 years ago!
The P6/7s worked with Pauline as a class to create new seasonal rhymes about coming back to school after the summer holidays, the hairst (harvest) and rhymes about farm work and the New Deer Show. They then went off on their own into groups to create new Doric rhymes based on some of Annie’s original collected rhymes. All of this came with some excellent illustrations which you can see on the web page!
Thanks must go to Ewan McVicar who has converted me to one of Annie’s No1 fans and to The Doric Board who funded this project.
If you’d like a Doric rhyme creation workshop in your school, please get in touch with me (see “contact/links” above)
Here’s some of my favourite illustrations from Strichen and New Deer!
Auld Deer, New Deer, Strichen and the Broch
Syne we’ll hae a straucht road,
An that will gar me hough
It’s my fifth visit to a North East school as part of the Loons an Lassikies project! The P6/7s and P3/4s at Strichen School will be creating new rhymes based on those collected over 100 years ago by the wonderful Annie Shirer (who can be seen in the photo below on the right wearing a wonderful corsage ).
You can find out the rhymes created so far by going to https://annieshirerrhymes.co.uk/
The project has been funded by The Doric Board and I’m really looking forward to seeing what the pupils come up with!
Back hame from Glastonbury Festival and Tattie (i.e. KCR Trad Time host Natalie Chalmers!) had a chat wi mi about Annie Shirer and the “Loons an Lassikies” project – ye can hae a listen here!
This week, and for a further four weeks, I get to do something a little different!
Rather than storytelling, I’m going to be working as a tutor with SC&T Youth (the tuition for bairns and young adults through Scottish Culture and Traditions). I’ll be teaching a different song to Primaries 3, 4 and 5 (this week it’s Ps 4, 5 and 6) and one song they’ll all sing together. Meanwhile the other wonderful tutors will be teaching them accompaniment on clasarch, guitar and whistle as well as some trad tunes.
This week we’ve been at St Peter’s Primary – and the snow hasn’t dampened the pupils enthusiasm for learning! Here’s a photo taken on Don St yesterday. A beautiful part of town affa bonny in the snaa.
The Primary 4 pupils are learning one of our old favourites –
The P4s are learning our old favourite, The Fisherman’s Lassie. Noo I wis rummaging aboot tae find a video tae show you of someone singing it – totally forgetting that I recorded a wee video of it at Fraserburgh Lighthouse Museum back in… 2016! Which seems an eternity ago 
Here’s my version The Fisherman’s Lassie – more on the song tomorrow if I get a chance to post again 
Pauline Cordiner - Scottish Storyteller 