Recording and transcript of conversation between Callum Brown and Margaret Rorie, 15 September 1997. Magaret Rorie was the Headteacher at a School in Lerwick. She speaks of teaching Up-helly-aa to the local children, as well as teaching wider projects about Vikings. Margaret describes the large scale of Up-helly-aa in Lerwick and the series of events, that involve the children, on the actual day. Margaret describes the kind of things taught in the school relating to Up-helly-aa, and how they relate to the wider curriculum including comparing Up-helly-aa to Viking history. Margaret mentions that Christmas is still important to the children and speaks about the effects of the winter weather on the children. She describes the forming of squads by Primary 7 boys and their involvement in the festival for example making shields and attending their own dance. Margaret closes with thoughts on the significance of Up-helly-aa to the children and a sense of belonging.
Recording and partial transcript of conversation between Callum Brown and Ian Tait, 16 September 1997. Ian Tait was curator at Shetland Museum. They discuss legislation around and the owning of handguns in Shetland and Lerwick. Ian briefly describes the local seal hunting industry and discusses historical uses of different kinds of firearms in Shetland, why people had them, and that many ended up in the museum.
Recording and transcript of conversation between Callum Brown, Jane Manson and Barbara Anderson 18 September 1997. Jane and Barbara were residents of Bressay and discuss the Bressay Up-helly-aa festival. They discuss the timing of the festival, the festivities over the chosen weekend, how many people attend the festival, and the capacity of the hall. They walk through the series of events on the day and evening of Up-helly-aa. They describe the creation of the Bill, a notice board produced for Up-helly-aa that includes local jokes and satire featuring members of the community, and the preparations of the galley boat. They describe the Jarl's visit to the school and the sheltered housing ahead of the evening event. The role of women in the festival is discussed and the procession is described in detail. The festivities that take place in the local hall after the procession are described including the dressing up of the squads and their skits. Some examples of skits, squad costumes, and squad names are relayed in detail and the very local nature of the material is described. Some of the differences between Bressay Up-helly-aa and Lerwick Up-helly-aa are discussed. The changing nature of the community in Bressay and participation in the festival is discussed. They talk about the active involvement of women in the Bressay Up-helly-aa and how this differs from the Lerwick festival. They describe the 'hop': the dance that occurs the night after Up-helly-aa. Jane and Barbara speak of their, and their families' great enjoyment of the festival. They speak of the involvement of children in Up-helly-aa and how this has changed over the decades. The conversation returns to the role of women in Up-helly-aa. They return to discussing the Lerwick Up-helly-aa and how it differs from the Bressay festival. They speak of the great expense of being in the Jarl Squad.