Author and storyteller Eileen Budd speaks vividly of the power of Gaelic and Traveller culture, where many stories from Scottish folklore have their origins. ‘As you go to places with Gaelic place names, there are folk stories behind them,’ she explains, ahead of embarking on an autumn tour of the country’s east coast to uncover the folklore of locations in Angus and Perthshire. 

Born in Angus into a family ‘with strong oral storytelling tradition and belief in maintaining it’, Budd was raised in Perthshire. ‘I learned most of my stories at the feet of my granny and papa, and I was captivated by their telling of the tales. When I had my son six years ago, a fire began in my belly, and a realisation of how important it is to pass it on.’ Budd is now committed to going around Scotland with her Travelling Folk Museum, bringing ‘folk objects, original stories and ancient legends’ with her when she rolls into places such as Forfar Historical Society (3 October), Kirriemuir’s Balintore Castle (2 November) and Montrose Museum (9 November). 

‘I’ve recently added Scottish herbs to the Travelling Folk Museum, for smelling and discussion,’ says Budd, while at the rural Glenesk Folk Museum in Angus (5, 13 October, 10 November), she’ll be focusing on waulking songs. At the Scottish Storytelling Centre Edinburgh (23 October), she joins forces with experimental folk duo Burd Ellen for Òrain Mhòir, a multimedia performance which includes film, field recordings, song and electronic sound.