Dingwall: Dig Where You Stand - The Apple Tree | Craobh nan Ubhal

A programme of ten workshops for Fèis Rois and Dingwall 800 The Apple Tree | Craobh nan Ubhal Guest tbc. Late harvest, buain. The apples are coming in. Scotland grows many apples, each with its own character, flavour and story. The Coul Blush apple, bred at Contin in the 1820s, is thought to be the most northerly apple variety in the UK. It is one of dozens of Scottish heritage apples, many now surviving only in old gardens and forgotten orchards. This session is a celebration of the apple as local food: something grown, shared and enjoyed in community, connecting us to the land on our doorstep and to the people who have tended it across generations. We’ll explore the history of apple cultivation, heritage varieties, and what it means to plant and care for a tree whose life stretches far beyond our own. In Gaelic tradition, the apple tree is one of the seven chieftain trees, associated with nourishment, shelter and beauty. We will learn the song Craobh nan Ubhal - a beautiful Gaelic blessing invoking the protection of sun, moon and wind, using the image of the apple tree to express affection and a sense of home. Format: talk, conversation, song, apple tasting, tea and cake. About the programme From late summer to midwinter, these sessions invite you to dig where you stand: to explore the cultural memory of Dingwall and its surrounding landscape. Countless generations before ours had a closer connection to nature and the changing seasons, bound up with a sense of community and conviviality across the rhythm of the agricultural year. Each week we explore a different part of that world – from stories of drovers, herring girls and radical resistance, to harvest seeds, plants and birds, to the music and song of the winter ceilidh. Part conversation, part creative workshop. Drop in for one session or follow the season as it turns. Open to all. Bring what you know! Background This programme was developed by ethnologist and creative practitioner Mairi McFadyen for Fèis Rois and Dingwall 800, exploring the cultural and ecological memory of the local area through conversation and creativity. Dig Where You Stand takes its name from an international public history movement that invites communities to research and reclaim local histories.