Poet Martin O’Connor is undertaking a lyrical expedition. In collaboration with director Lu Kemp and National Theatre Of Scotland, this alternative bard will journey through the threads of history that connect him to poets of the past in Through The Shortbread Tin. After years retracing the steps of 18th-century poet James Macpherson, O’Connor has created a unique show which disrupts the twee imagery of Highland history by examining Macpherson’s seminal Fragments Of Ancient Poetry collection with a critical eye.

‘The myths I explore in the piece are both literal mythologies that inspired James and the mythologies he created: the myth of himself and the authenticity (or otherwise) of his work,’ says O’Connor. While Macpherson’s collection of Gaelic oral poetry has undoubtedly shaped Scotland’s romantic image (think sporrans, stags, misty Munros and, of course, shortbread), its authentic narration by the third-century bard Ossian has been called into question. Do the poems give us a glimpse into Celtic lore? Or is Macpherson the con man who shaped a culture?

Despite potentially flawed origins, O’Connor is still eager to call attention to the idealistic effects of Macpherson’s poems on modern society. ‘The myths serve as the things we tell ourselves, what we make in our own image, and what kind of Scotland that we want to see.’ Performed in Scots with three Gaelic choral singers accompanying him, this exploration of the ancient and contemporary notions of Scottish identity looks set to be a revealing and memorable piece of theatre.

Through The Shortbread Tin is on tour until Friday 2 May; main picture: Eoin Carey.