NEWS UPDATE

The FifeSing Traditional Singing Festival
15, 16, 17 May 2026

This will be the twenty third Fife Traditional Singing Festival - a unique opportunity to meet singers and hear traditional song in an informal gathering and participate in concerts, workshops and singarounds. A celebration of traditional singing - the songs and the bothy ballads - for singers and enthusiasts with guest singers from England, Ireland and Scotland.

Most events will take place in the Lumsden Memorial Hall in Freuchie just across the road from the Lomond Hills Hotel. The Friday Gathering will be laid out as usual with seats around tables - bring along your own refreshments - food/ drink. The Weekend and Day tickets include a Buffet Lunch in the Lumsden Memorial Hall. We do not have use of the Community Hall in Falkland this year so the Saturday Concert will also be in the Lumsden Memorial Hall - and the Festival Dinner will be buffet style - with menu selection to suit preferences.

ACCOMODATION

Lomond Hills Hotel, Freuchie // Booking.com
The Covenanters Hotel, Falkland. (Just up the road from Falkland Palace) & Restaurant.
Pitlessie Village Inn, Pitlessie (Just 4 miles from Freuchie towards Cupar) & Restaurant.
Best Western Balgeddie House Hotel, Glenrothes (4 miles from Freuchie).
Golden Acorn Weatherspoon, Glenrothes (4.7 miles from Freuchie).
Premier Inn, Glenrothes (5 miles from Freuchie)

Try searches on Google, AirBnB and Booking.com
for Falkland, Freuchie, Auchtermuchty and Ladybank.

Programme
Friday 15 May
The Gathering: (Lumsden Memorial Hall, Freuchie) 8.00pm - 10.00pm
This will be a singaround rather than a concert with songs and ballads from the guest artistes and participants - continuing as:
Singaround: (Albert Tavern) 10.00pm - 12.30am
An opportunity for more songs, some music and a bar till midnight.

Saturday 16 May
Presentation: 10.00am - 11.00am
Jack Beck: From Dunfermline to Appalachia - The Howff in Dunfermline and the folk clubs of the 1960s, hearing the Scots songs and ballads from the traditional singers of the time and the joy of discovering the related traditional culture of Appalachia.

Illustrated Talk: 11.30am - 12.30pm
Alison McMorland: Alison presents: “The Ballad World of Anna Gordon, Mrs Brown of Falkland” - an illustrated account of the biography by Ruth Perry of the notable 18th century ballad singer. The accompanying CD “Some Ballads of Anna Gordon: Mrs. Brown of Falkland” has been produced by Alison joined by Jo Miller and Kirsty Potts.

Buffet Lunch in Lumsden Memorial Hall

Ballad Concert: 2.00pm - 5.00pm
The guests and participants with traditional ballads from their repertoire.
The classic big ballads - the muckle sangs.

Festival Dinner: (Lumsden Memorial Hall) 5.30pm - 7.00pm
Excellent beers in the Albert Tavern next door and the Lomond Hills Hotel over the road.

Traditional Concert: (Lumsden Memorial Hall) 7.30pm - 10.00pm
Old Songs & Bothy Ballads from the FifeSing Guests.

Singaround: (Albert Tavern) 10.00pm - 12.30am
An opportunity for more songs, some music and a bar till midnight.
.
Sunday 17 May
Illustrated Talk: 10.30am - 11.30am
Brian Peters: "Sharp's Appalachian Harvest". Brian Peters describes Cecil Sharp's collecting adventures in the Appalachian Mountains and performs some of the songs and ballads he found, with photographs of the singers and rare recordings.

Presentation: 12.00 noon - 1.00pm
Seán Lyons talks of growing up in a family deeply rooted in the traditional music of County Clare, playing the tin whistle and uilleann pipes from a young age, and becoming an enthusiast for the older traditional song repertoire with many songs picked up from his father John Lyons and uncle Tim Lyons.

Buffet Lunch in Lumsden Memorial Hall

Farewell Concert: 2.30pm - 4.30pm
The guest artistes lead a farewell concert.

NEWS

The Buffet Lunches on Saturday and Sunday will be provided as last year in the Lumsden Memorial Hall in Freuchie just beside the excellent Albert Tavern - noted for its ales and whiskies.
The Festival Dinner (Saturday) will also be provided in the Lumsden Memorial Hall - booking for limited numbers.

BOOKING FORM

Please download the booking form by clicking:
Interactive Booking Form (Microsoft Office)
to fill in and return as email attachment

or PDF form: PDF Booking Form
to fill in and return by post.

Our ticket prices are more or less the same as last year.

All-In Ticket (Friday to Sunday): £60
includes Buffet Lunches & Saturday Traditional Concert.
NOTE: Festival Dinner must be added to your booking (limited numbers).

Individual workshops and concerts can be booked
and details are on the Booking Form

PAYMENT: Payment by cheque or online by BACS direct to our bank.
Download the Interactive Booking Form to laptop,
complete (in Microsoft Office) and return as an email attachment.
OR: Download the PDF Booking Form, complete and return by
post or as an email attachment.
If you have difficuty with the online Booking Form just send us payment
(by cheque or BACS) with a note of your name(s) and what you are booking
OR telephone: 01337 830773.


Bank of Scotland, Cupar
East of Scotland Traditional Song Group
Payable to: East of Scot Trad Song
Identify your online payment with your name. Sort Code: 80-06-26
Account 00116207

GUEST SINGERS

Brian and Margaret Peters
Brian is one of the English folk scene’s great all-rounders, a compelling singer of narrative songs from the tradition, and an outstanding multi-instrumentalist on squeezeboxes and strings. Brian’s wife Margaret is a lovely singer of mainly English folk songs and we are very pleased she is able to join with Brian at FifeSing. Brian has played most of the major folk festivals in Britain, performed and tutored in the USA, Canada and Australia, and appeared several times at the Glasgow Ballad Workshop. He has recorded several acclaimed CDs, including one devoted to Child Ballads. He has a deep knowledge of the history behind the old songs and will present a talk on Cecil Sharp's Appalachian collection.

brian-peters.co.uk/bio/
brianpeters.bandcamp.com/

Seán Lyons
Seán Lyons is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Growing up in a musical family in County Clare, he played the tin whistle and uilleann pipes from a young age, regularly competing and performing around Ireland and overseas. At age 15, he began singing, playing the guitar and writing songs. He is influenced by jazz and the broader folk genre but his music is deeply rooted in Irish traditional music and he is an enthusiast for the older traditional song repertoire with many songs picked up from his father John Lyons and uncle Tim Lyons - both of whom were fine singers and musicians. For the last year Seán has been recording a song a week on his InstaGram page - a great selection of songs, accomapied and otherwise.

facebook.com/seanlyonsmusician/
instagram.com/seanlyonsmusic_/
seanlyons.bandcamp.com/

Janice Clark/Reavell
Janice Clark/Reavell was born and brought up in Aberdeen and from a very early age, took an interest in the traditional music and song of the North East of Scotland. Her ballad singing style was heavily influenced by some of the great local source singers like Stanley Robertson and his aunt, Jeannie Robertson and her daughter, Lizzie Higgins. She began singing at Folk Clubs and Festivals in her early teens and travelled and recorded with bands such as Iolair, Lang Johnnie Moore and Highland Connection. Janice has given singing workshops at Folk Festivals throughout Scotland and now tutors for SC&T in Aberdeen as musical director of the SC&T Choir. She is interested in helping singers build a repertoire, develop their individual style and gain performance skills for solo and group singing.

Jack Beck
Jack Beck: When Dunfermline’s folksong club ‘The Howff’ began in 1961, traditional singers like Jeannie Robertson, Jimmy McBeath and Willie Scott appeared alongside the young folkies who had been inspired by the skiffle movement and American folk song repertoire. Jack was there and soon he was soaking up the Scots songs and ballads. In 1963 a teen-aged Barbara Dickson sang her first Howff floor spot, followed by Jack. Before the evening was over, they had cemented a musical partnership and sang as a duo for several years before Barbara achieved individual fame. In the mid 1970s Jack became a member of the Dunfermline multi-instrument folk group ‘Heritage’ who toured their Scots music and song repertoire at festivals in Italy, France and Switzerland. Jack has recently returned from the USA where, for nearly 20 years, he has worked with the Scots-Appalachian Studies Programme to presents a weekly Celtic music programme broadcast online and over radio stations in Tennessee and Virginia.

thetraditionbearers.co.uk/jack-beck/

WORKSHOPS/ TALKS

There will be workshops/talks from some of the above guests and also a presentation from Alison McMorland:

Alison McMorland
Alison McMorland: Growing up in a family where making music was part of everyday life, singing became as natural as breathing to Alison and singing around the piano is one of her fondest early memories. While living in Cornwall she encountered the mighty Padstow ‘Obby Oss’ and became aware of living folk customs. By 1972 Alison was living in York, collecting the songs and games in school. She entered the Kinross singing competition in 1973, which she won, with the judge, Sheila Stewart asserting that Alison had the ‘conyach’ – high praise from a traveller. Hamish Henderson introduced her to other singers, and so she learned songs from Border shepherd Willie Scott, Lucy Stewart of Fetterangus, Betsy Whyte, and lan Manuel, as well as Henderson himself. She recorded her first album, Belt Wi’ Colours Three for the Tangent label in 1977. She then joined Peta Webb to produced one of Melody Maker’s albums of the year 1980. Returning to live in Glasgow in 1989, she continued to sing and record solo and with her late husband, Geordie McIntyre, and daughter, Kirsty Potts. She compiled the collection of songs and life of Willie Scott and, with ballad singer Elizabeth Stewart, the collection of travellers songs, stories and tunes of the Fetterangus Stewarts, Up Yon Wide and Lonely Glen.
Alison presents (Saturday morning): “The Ballad World of Anna Gordon, Mrs Brown of Falkland” - an illustrated account of the biography by Ruth Perry of the notable 18th century ballad singer. The accompanying CD “Some Ballads of Anna Gordon: Mrs. Brown of Falkland” has been produced by Alison joined by Jo Miller and Kirsty Potts..

www.alisonmcmorland.com/

ACCOMMODATION

The Lomond Hills Hotel in Freuchie is now reopened.

The Lomond Hills Hotel in Freuchie has now reopened after major renovation and upgrade. You can easily book through Booking.com or direct to the hotel. You may find a bargain price with Booking.com or other hotel booking site. Hotel residents will have free use of the superb swimming pool and jacuzzi.

Website: www.thelomondhillshotel.com

Other local accommodations & restaurants

Lomond Hills Hotel, Freuchie
The Covenanters Hotel, Falkland. (Just up the road from Falkland Palace) & Restaurant.
Pitlessie Village Inn, Pitlessie (Just 4 miles from Freuchie towards Cupar) & Restaurant.
Best Western Balgeddie House Hotel, Glenrothes (4 miles from Freuchie).
Golden Acorn Weatherspoon, Glenrothes (4.7 miles from Freuchie).
Premier Inn, Glenrothes (5 miles from Freuchie)

Try searches on Google, AirBnB and Booking.com
for Falkland, Freuchie, Auchtermuchty and Ladybank.

There are other local eating places in Cupar and the excellent local
Kettlebridge Inn and the Boars Head in Auchtermuchty.