Hillfoots Tales

We had an excellent turn out of Hillfoots Tales members on a warm and sunny evening.  Our usual venue, The Woolpack, Tillicoultry, afforded a cool and peaceful setting for our “Away With the Fairies”-themed storytelling session.

First, we heard the story of Wee Angus, a shepherd’s son who encountered two wee folk in the Ochil Hills.

Next, an original poem was recited called The Night Visitor.

The third offering of the session was The Sea Shawl.

Then we listened to another original poem, A Celebration of Scott.

After that, a Welsh tale of Fairy Coos was related to the group.

The penultimate story of the evening was The Faerie Oak of Corrieburn.

And lastly, we were entertained by the tale of The Girl Who danced With the Faeries.

A wonderful evening of stories and poems was enjoyed by all.

 

Our first storytelling session in May will have the theme, “Away With the Fairies”.

The session will run from 7.30pm -9.30pm and will take place in the convivial surroundings of The Woolpack, Tillicoultry.

So please join us for a relaxing and uplifting evening of stories, poems, anecdotes and great company.

 

Our themes for this session were Celtic Folklore, Nature, Mythology and Ostara (the spring equinox).

We began our evening by playing word association games around words associated with spring and nature.

Our first offering was “The Giant’s Causeway”, in which the legend of how the causeway came to be was told.

Next, we listened to “The Crofter and the Laird of South Uist”, which told the tale of how a crofter escaped punishment for poaching on the laird’s land.

Our third piece was a poem, “Little Pagan Rain Song” by Frances Shaw, read by one of our long-standing storytellers.

After that, we heard “The Laird of Sauchie”.  This laird loses his land but regains them after helping his king.

“The Blackthorn Tree” was the forth tale of the session.  A farmer disregards the advice of his neighbours, cuts down a tree in his field and suffers the wrath of the fairy folk who live in the tree.

The penultimate story was “The Knight and the Monster”.  A young knight attempts to win King Arthur’s respect by completing task of bravery and cunning.

Lastly, we listened to the myth of “Oisin, Niamh and the Magical Land of Tir Na Nog”, an old story from Ireland.

Once again, all who attended had a wonderful time, telling tales and listening to others.

 

Our first storytelling session in March has the theme, “World Tales”.  It will take place from 7.30pm -9.30pm in our regular venue, The Woolpack, Tillicoultry.

Expect to be entertained by tales and poems from around the world – perhaps Greek or Norse myths, traditional tales from near and far or true stories.  Or maybe you’d like to tell your own world tale?

A warm welcome awaits!

The theme for this evening was “Jack Tales”.

First, we warmed up our storytelling muscles by telling each other what our own name means and why we were named thus.  This provoked great discussion and a few laughs too.

Our first story of the evening was “Jack, the Bee, the Beetle and the Mouse”, in which our hero makes many mistakes but all come right in the end.

Next, we listened to the tale of “Jack and the Nut”, in which Jack learns an important lesson about life and death.

After that we heard a short tale of “Sophie and the Beanstalk”, a young modern girl’s take on the story.

“Stingy Jack” followed.  This story was told from the point of view of Jack’s long-suffering mother, who is at her wit’s end because of Jack’s behaviour.

A short poem was next on the programme, “Mid Life Crisis”, an original work by one of our long-standing members.

“Jack and the Haunted Mill”, a story from the Appalachian mountains in USA was told next.

The penultimate tale was “Clack, Clack, Clack”.  In this story Jack encounters a ghostly spinning woman.

Our very last story was a true tale of Baby Jack who was left all alone inside the house.  It was not long before he was rescued, however.

Another entertaining evening in the cosy setting of The Woolpack, Tillicoultry.

 

Our theme this week is “Jack Tales”.

There are many tales about “Jack”, the most well-known of which is, of course, “Jack and the Beanstalk”.  The “Jack” stories originate from an ancient oral tradition, possibly dating back thousands of years.

So come and join us in our usual venue of The Woolpack, Tillicoultry, form 7.30pm to 9.30pm to hear more about Jack and his adventures.

The theme of this session was “Puppy Love”.

Our first offering of the evening was a Welsh tale, “Beddgelert”, swiftly followed by a Scottish tale set in the Ochils, “The Fairy Lover”.

We also listened to the well-known, tragic true tale of “The Myretoun Maid”.

“Echo and Narcissus”, an ancient Greek legend was the next story to keep us enthralled.

Three original poems, composed by our members, were also told:  “Coop”, about a mischievous dog, “Ruah’s Song”, and “Love”.

We were pleased to welcome not one but two accredited storytellers to our session, who both shared tales.  We listened to “A Dog Story” and, finally, “The Ghost of the Silver Glen”.

All in all, a wonderful evening of poetry and prose.

Our next storytelling session in our usual venue of The Woolpack, Tillicoultry, 7.30 – 9.30pm, will be on the theme of “Puppy Love”.

So if you’ve a story or poem to share, whether it’s about puppy love, any other kind of love, or you just fancy an evening being entertained and uplifted, please come and join us.  Everyone is welcome.

The theme of this session was “Of Mice and Men”, a line from Robert Burns’ poem, “To a Mouse”.

We listened to a variety of poems and stories on this loose theme.

The first story told was a Scandinavian tale, “The Mouse Bride”.

Next, we were entertained by a poem, “My Love is Like a Thistle”, a pastiche of “My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose”.

The third tale was “A Masonic Story”, based on fact.

A second poem was recited, “Street Talk”, by JK Annand.

The final offering of the evening was “The Bird, the Mouse and the Sausage”, by the Brothers Grimm.

Yet another evening of fantastic storytelling and guid craic.

Our second storytelling session of 2025 will take place in the welcoming setting of The Woolpack, Tillicoultry, 7.30pm – 9.30pm.  The theme is “Of Mice and Men”.

Please come and join us for an evening of stories and poems from near and far, as told by our regular storytellers.  You may even want to tell your own story.

All welcome!