'Galoshins' was a seasonal folk drama learned orally and performed, mostly by boys, in people's houses. They were rewarded with food or pennies. It took place on New Year's Eve ('Old Year's Night')or on Hallowe'en in central and southern Scotland at the very end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. The drama took the form of a fight, sometimes with 'swords', and then a 'doctor' performed a comic turn in bringing the injured party back to life. These oral reminiscences, gathered for the first time in book form, were collected in the 1970s for the School of Scottish Studies Sound Archives, University of Edinburgh.

About the Author

Dr Emily Lyle conducted the interviews for this collection. She is an Honorary Fellow at the School of Scottish Studies, Edinburgh University.

Reviews

' ... offers many glimpses of bygone entertainment.' Scots Magazine 'The book that emerges is a detailed and comprehensive account of a tradition which, if the book had not been written, would very probably have been lost altogether as memories faded and those able to give first-hand accounts were increasingly no longer with us.' Undiscovered Scotland ' ... For thae fowk wha ar fand o blethers, this is a buik whilk shud be i yer leebrarie!' Lallans '... The present book in the NMS "Flashback" series extends our knowledge of the play in the past century and, by reproducing recorded tapes verbatim, provides valuable additional material.' Scottish Local History

Book Information
ISBN 9781905267569
Author Emily B. Lyle
Format Paperback
Page Count 176
Imprint NMSE - Publishing Ltd
Publisher NMSE - Publishing Ltd
Weight(grams) 228g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 20mm