In this final episode we’ll be finding out about some of the creative folk in Rousay. The island has been a creative place for millennia and we hear about the Neolithic makers and their grooved ware pottery and Bronze Age soapstone carvers. Turn the beautiful Westness brooch-pin over in your hands and discover why Rousay played a part in the opening of the Pier Arts Centre. And be sure to keep rhythm with the music of the island. We hope the music of Rousay remains with you after this, our final episode.
Contributors in order of appearance:
Narrator: Prof Ingrid Mainland 2024
James Yorston 1990
Dr Siobhan Cooke-Miller 2024
Helen Firth 1987
Kath Gourlay 1987
Max Fletcher 2023
Adam Harcus 2023
Ceri Biddle 2023
Rob Flett 2023
‘Whaal’s Rost’ Jimmy Craigie n.d.
Eddie Firth 2023
‘Jenny’s Tune’ James Grieve
Ellen Grieve 2023
Athol Grieve 2023
‘Grandad’ Ellen Grieve
Fiddle - Hugh Inkster, Guitar - Tommy Mainland n.d.
This podcast series was created using material from Orkney Library & Archive, Rousay Remembered, University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute and contemporary recordings made with the community of Rousay.
Creative team: Produced by Kolekto (Mark Jenkins & Rebecca Marr) and University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute led by Dan Lee.
New recordings and editing by Mark Jenkins (Kolekto)
New music composed and played by James Watson (Wooden Sole Music)
The project has been funded by Orkney Island Council, Rousay Egilsay and Wyre Development Trust (REWDT), Orkney Archaeology Society (OAS) and North Isles Landscape Partnership Scheme (NILPS).
What is Rousay Tales?
Welcome to Rousay Tales. This podcast series from Orkney, Scotland, will take you around the island of Rousay, exploring life in the past and present. We’ve used the resources of Orkney Library and Archive, Rousay Remembered and the University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute, together with contemporary recordings, to bring you this series of themed episodes.
Rich in archaeology, Rousay is often called the ‘Egypt of the north’. Listen to stories from the archives, islanders and archaeologists woven with discoveries, folklore and places of intrigue. Find out about the houses for the living and the dead, crafts and making, fishing, and farming. Rousay Tales will transport you to this special island.
For more information and extra content visit https://archaeologyorkney.com/rousay-tales/