The Home Episode

The Home Episode

Author: eileen budd September 11, 2026 Duration: 45:34

I've been thinking a lot about home and the many different meanings and feelings that can have, so this episode is full of stories and songs and thought around this theme. There's a selkie longing for the sea, dancing trees, a lost fisherman, a fostered changeling and tales of second sight. The songs you'll hear are sung by me, accompanied and produced by Laura Gekiere, with Ian Kinnear on pipes and Helena De Cauwer on harp.


If any of the stories, songs or themes from this episode sturck a chord with you, let us know in the comments!

If you'd like to attend my performance at VoiceFest in Brechin, the link is here: Buy tickets – Family Event: Storyteller, Eileen Budd – Brechin CathedralIf you'd like to find us on instagram we are: @eileenbudd @vitrifrancesca and @medinktation


I have some seasonal folklore books out, you can find them here:Wide Open Sea


Step into the misty glens and ancient streets of Scotland with Scottish Folk, where the past is kept alive through spoken word. Guided by storyteller and author Eileen Budd, each episode is an intimate gathering, a chance to sit by a fireside and hear the tales that have shaped a nation’s identity. This isn't just a recitation of dates and events; it’s an immersion into the living breath of folklore, the quiet persistence of tradition, and the forgotten corners of folk history. You’ll encounter selkies and kelpies, uncover the origins of hearthside customs, and trace the echoes of old songs carried on the wind. The podcast weaves together narrative and subtle historical context, letting each story reveal the character and concerns of the people who first told it. Eileen’s voice, both knowledgeable and warm, feels like a personal guide through this rich landscape, offering not just entertainment but a deeper connection to the cultural soul of Scotland. Listen for a sense of place, for the peculiar and the profound, and for the simple human truths preserved in these enduring traditions.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 26

Scottish Folk
Podcast Episodes
Mystery Man of Ben Avon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:18
A true mystery from history. In 1938 two gamekeepers found the headless body of a man dressed in a business suit on the South East slopes of Ben Avon, one of the most isolated and remote locations of the Cairngorms.
Whisky Stories [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:10
Stories from Scottish history about illicit stills, smugglers and going legit. Also a wee folktale from Balloch and the Scottish love story that started the Japanese whisky industry.
Poaching [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:19
The Hermit of Kinpurnie, Ferreting, A 19th century notorious poacher, an accidental Bronze Age find and evasive women poachers.
The Weird [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:08
A wee collection of stories about found poems, ouija boards, cursed arrows and what it meant to be a wayward woman in 17th Century Scotland