Cullerlie 2025

Traditional Singing Weekend at Cullerlie

25-27 July 2025

‘Tom Reid with Joe Aitken (1944–2024), singing as they make rope at the Cullerlie Weekend in 2002’

A celebration of the singing traditions of Scotland, England, and Ireland in memory of Tom Reid (1929-2003) and Anne Reid (1939-2006)

Guest Singers | Programme | Booking | I h-Hm | Organisers and Sponsors

The weekend is a unique celebration, bringing together outstanding traditional singers from Scotland, England, and Ireland. The event is especially for those who like to hear, enjoy, and join in unaccompanied traditional singing. Essentially informal, friendly, and non-competitive, it will be just the place to encourage the young and less experienced as well as the old hands. The weekend includes informal concerts featuring the guest singers, singarounds for everyone who wants to join in, and includes workshops, craft demonstrations, and a talk.

Cullerlie Farm Park and Heritage Centre was set up by Tom ('Tam') and Anne Reid in 1993 and is now run by Anne's daughter Tracey Walker and her husband Eric, as well as other members of the family. Tom moved to the Cullerlie Estate with his parents in 1935, and worked with his father in the traditional way of farming. He kept the traditions alive by turning the old original steading into a farm museum with one of the largest privately owned collections of farming and domestic memorabilia in Scotland. Anne, who was from nearby Peterculter, joined Tom when they married in 1975.

Tom (born 1929) was a legendary singer, having been crowned, in 1977, the Bothy Ballad King before a crowd of 10,000 at the Haughs in Turriff, a title that remained his until his death in January 2003. Anne (1939-2006) was also a fine singer and promoted the traditions of the North-East through singing and speaking workshops with schoolchildren and adults at local schools and at the museum, as well as hosting regular Saturday-night ceilidhs. It is the family's express wish that the festival should continue to run in memory of Tom and Anne.

Directions
Cullerlie Farm Park nestles at the foot of the Hill of Fare where the battles of Corrichie and Cullerlie Moor were fought. It is 6 miles north-east of Banchory and 12 miles west of Aberdeen. From Aberdeen follow the A944 to the Westhill traffic lights, then turn left on to the B9119 to Garlogie, then fork left again on the B9125 for 3 miles. The Park is on the right behind Birchmoss Depot.

Guest Singers

Sylvia Barnes's pedigree in traditional music is a long and distinguished one. In the 1980s she formed the vocal nucleus of the influential Glasgow band Kentigern, and she was one of a select group of female vocalists to sing with the Battlefield Band. She currently performs with guitarist Sandy Stanage. She was recognised as Hands Up for Trad 'Scots Singer of the Year' for 2006, and in 2024 was inducted into the Traditional Music Hall of Fame. She has been described as one of the finest ballad singers of her generation.
Paddy Buchanan hails from the Garioch and is a relative newcomer to the unaccompanied singing scene but he has made quite an impact in that short time, winning the 2024 Bothy Ballad Champion of Champions competition in Elgin. He puts his success down to the warm welcome and encouragement he has received from his fellow singers and the community of traditional song enthusiasts. His own Paddy Buchanan Band has brought bothy ballads to a new audience at home and in Europe.
Natalie Chalmers from Fraserburgh is a traditional singer and storyteller who regularly performs at festivals from Aberdeen down to Glastonbury. She won Scots Performer o' the Year at the Scots Language Awards 2023. Natalie studied at the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music at Plockton and has been steeped in the strong heritage of North-East ballads and stories especially from Elizabeth Stewart and Stanley Robertson. She is on the committee of the TMSA Aberdeen branch and is co-host of Trad Time Wi' TMSA on Keith Community Radio.
Patricia Flynn lives in the village of Mullaghbawn in South Armagh, an area steeped in the traditions of music, song, and storytelling. She has been singing for many years, mostly in the Ulster style. In the 1980s and 90s she was involved in organising the Forkhill Singing Weekend. She has been a guest singer at many festivals in England, Scotland, Newfoundland, and in the US. She spends part of her time in Donegal where she is a member of the Inishowen and Carrick Singers Circles.
Ellen Mitchell has a lifelong interest in traditional song. Although she had a family background which had musical members none were particularly focused on tradition. She became involved in performance during her younger years as a Youth Hosteller where the singaround was an enjoyable experience. Meeting traditional performers at the early festivals and concerts, including Davy Stewart, Belle and Sheila Stewart, Lizzie Higgins, Betsy Whyte, and Jock Duncan, encouraged her to learn. Since those days she has heard many more singers and has learned from them.
Graham O'Callaghan Originally from Devon, Graham has been described as having one of the finest voices in the tradition. His work as an unaccompanied solo performer has enabled him to explore 'song' with a greater freedom to sing the words rather than to just sing the song. He explains, 'What I try to do is to reinject the poetry of the words back into the song and help people to appreciate why these songs were first written.
Con 'Fada' Ó Drisceoil is a songwriter and accordion player from West Cork. He has written comic songs on a wide range of subjects which includes canine castration, Shakespearean tragedy, unwelcome percussionists, and the wildlife of County Clare. In 2006 he published The Spoons Murder, a book and CD of his songs. In 2009 he was awarded Gradam Ceoil TG4 for his songs. His latest songbook/CD is called Hunting the Hair (2018), and tells of savage cats, anti-baldness quests, drunken deer, and other heroic topics.
John Waltham grew up on the land which he later farmed, picking up songs from the elderly farm carter and from his grandmother. These were later augmented by songs from other traditional singers around Dorset and Somerset, and by his enjoyment of the narrative ballads of these islands. Now retired, he still runs a small singing event every year dedicated to traditional song and enjoys singing around his home area in North Dorset.

Programme

A = Marquee B = Bothy/Wash Hoose C = Tea Room D = Outside

Booking

Booking Form: Traditional Singing Weekend at Cullerlie 2025

General Information

• Food will be available over the weekend in the tea-room.
• You can buy an all-day meal ticket at a discount.
• There will be no bar - BYOB
• Camping and caravanning can be booked. There is a charge of £15.00 per pitch.
• There are several B&Bs in the area - for a list contact: Tourist Information: 01224 269180 (Banchory Library 01330 700441)
• Bursaries are available for singers under 25 yrs in full-time education

Cullerlie Farm Park, Echt, Skene, Aberdeenshire AB32 6XL (01330 860549)

'Ih-Hm'

This was one of Tom's favourite songs. The original words,'M-Hm', are attributed to James Nicholson in John Greig's Scots Minstrelsie (1893), VI, 302-04.

Hiv ye heard o the deil as he wauchled through life
With a wife in ilk oxter an een in his teeth
Till some-een bawled out will ye tak mine the morn
He waggit his tail an he cockit his horn
But he only said 'im-hm', that daft-like word 'im-hm'
That auld-farrant 'im-hm', that stands for an 'aye'.

Now fin I wis a callant lang syne at the skweel
Oh the maister aye caed me a dunce an a feel
For aa that he said I cuid ne'er unnerstan
Except when he cried, 'Jimmy, will ye haud oot yer han?'
Then I gloomed an said 'im-hm', I glowered an said 'im-hm'
I wis nae that prood bit ower dour tae say, 'aye'.

Syne ae day a queer wird like aul-nibbet's himsel
He vowed he wid thrash me if I widnae spell
Says I, 'Mr Quill' wi a kind of a swither
I'll spell ye the wird if ye'll spell me anither
Lat's hear ye spell 'im-hm', that daft-like wird 'im-hm'
That auld-farrant 'im-hm', ye ken it means 'aye'

Syne he steid an he glowered an he scratched his aul pate
An he shouted, Ye villain get oot o ma gate
Get aff tae yer seat, ye're a plague o the skweel
The deil gin I ken if ye're maist rogue or feel
Bit I only said 'im-hm', that daft-like wird 'im-hm'
That auld-farrant 'im-hm', ye ken it means 'aye'.

Oh and when a braw wooer I coorted my Jean
O aa the braw lassies the pride an the queen
When in my great plaidie wi hairt beatin's pain
O I speired in a whisper, Oh! if she'd be my ain
She smiled an said 'im-hm', she blushed an said 'im-hm'
A thoosan times sweeter an dearer than 'aye'.

Well bit noo I'm a dad wi a hoose o my ain
A dainty-bit wife aye an mair than ae wean
Bit the warst o't is this when I question I speir
They pit on a luik sae auld-farrant an queer
An they only say 'im-hm', that daft-like wird 'im-hm'
That auld-farrant 'im-hm' that stans for an 'aye'.

Noo ye've heard o this 'im-hm', it's no a nice wird
When printit on paper it's perfect absurd
So if you're ower lazy tae open yer maw
Jist haud o yer tongue an say nothing ava
But niver say 'im-hm', that daft-like wird 'im-hm'
That auld-farrant 'im-hm', ye ken it means 'aye'.

Festival Organisers

The festival is organised by: Tracey Walker (Tom & Anne's daughter) and Eric Walker (Treasurer), Scott Gardiner, Ian Russell (Director), Norma Russell (Secretary), Robin Dempsey, and Morag Dempsey

The Singing Weekend is a joint project between Cullerlie Farm Park and The Elphinstone Institute, University of Aberdeen, MacRobert Building, King's College, Aberdeen AB24 5UA Tel: 01224 272996 Email: elphinstone@abdn.ac.uk

A big 'Thank You' to our Sponsors
Breedon Aggregates
Coupers (Fish Processors) of Aberdeen
Joyce and Geordie Murison
The Friends of the Elphinstone Institute
And other much appreciated donors