The Unquiet Grave

Weaving Wisdom From Scotland to Appalachia

Scotland possesses a rich diversity of folklore about death and the afterlife, blending together traditions from the Celts, Norse, Picts, Anglo-Saxons and more. Many of these beliefs were carried across the ocean to North America by Scottish and Scots-Irish immigrants, many of whom colonized the mountain region of Appalachia. There, these beliefs continued to be remembered- especially through old story-songs known as ballads. Engaging with these diasporic songs alongside the long-held folklore of Scotland links us to animist and ancestral folkways that expand our understandings of death, the dead, and healthy ways to mourn.

What You’ll Learn

֎ A mix of Appalachian ballads, hymns and folk songs and their cultural contexts

֎ Traditional Scottish folklore on themes of death, the afterlife and mourning

֎ Vocal techniques that add depth and expressiveness to your singing.

About Song Leader

Saro Lynch-Thomason

Hi, my name is Saro Lynch-Thomason (she/her). I’m a song leader and folklorist living on the occupied lands of the Cherokee in what is now called Asheville, traditionally known as ᏙᎩᏯᏍᏗ (Togiyasdi: “The place where they raced”). I have studied and taught folk songs from Appalachia, Scotland, England, the American South and beyond for over 15 years. I lead community sings and pagan choirs, teach at music camps and have produced several albums. My song “More Waters Rising” has become an international anthem in the movement to end climate change (and was praised in the Huffington Post!).

My people largely come from England, Scotland, & Ireland, and immigrated to what is now called the U.S. several hundred years ago. Much of my family has been in southern Appalachia for many generations, though I was raised in the urban South and was not directly raised in Appalachian culture. As a teenager, I began learning Appalachian ballads alongside traditional songs from England and Scotland, and was thrilled to discover the ancient folk knowledge embedded in these songs, as well as the ways the songs had transformed (or stayed the same) through oral tradition.    

In The Unquiet Grave, I’m excited to combine my long-time love of Appalachian songs and ballads with the knowledge of Scottish and Scottish-diaspora culture keepers to help us gain more intimacy with ancestral traditions about death, the afterlife and grief.

Class 1, Oct. 2nd: Opening Call w/ Saro

This opening call is an opportunity to orient to the course and hear from the community about why we’re inspired to be exploring these songs and stories on death, the afterlife and grieving. 

We’ll delve into some of the vocal techniques found in Appalachian song, and learn a song or two to carry us through the series.

Class 2, Oct. 9th: What Happens to the Dead? w/ storyteller Eileen Budd

In this class, we’ll explore some of the many possibilities of the afterlife found in Appalachian ballads and Scottish stories. We’ll learn how the soul can travel through plants, animals and insects, become the sidhe or take celestial flight. Along the way, we’ll learn about the ancestral origins of many of these stories, enriching our understanding of Scotland’s many threads of cultural influence.

Class 3, Oct. 16th: Setting the Dead Free w/ storyteller Eileen Budd

How do the living keep the dead from their journey, and how can the dead be set free? Appalachian ballads abound with tales of the dead who return as revenants to speak to the living. Often these dead have a specific mission: to convince the bereaved to stop mourning, in order that the dead might rest or continue their natural journey to the next realm. In this class, we’ll learn an Appalachian song or two from these traditions and explore Scottish stories that warn against staying too attached to the dead. We’ll also hear tales that model some of the healthy relationships we can have with those who have passed on.

Class 4, Oct. 23rd: Funerary Folk Magic w/ folklorist Scott Richardson-Read

In this class, join us to walk in step with the old ways of parting and remembrance from Scottish traditions. Together, we will follow the path from the moment of death to the wake, along the winding road of the funeral procession, and finally to the body's final resting place.

Scott will share stories of Scottish folk customs that helped guide the dead on their journey and protect the living from harm – from telling the bees, to the lonely practice of sin-eating, to intimate acts of divination. Some of these traditions crossed the ocean and took root in the hills of Appalachia, where they still echo in practice and song. We’ll learn about some of these Appalachian practices, and a song or two that reflect these folkways. Step for a while into a way of seeing the world where death is not an end, but a deeply woven thread in the fabric of life!

Class 5, Oct. 30th: English and Scots-Gaelic Chants to Mourn & Release the Dead w/ singer Sìne McKenna

In this class, Saro and Sìne will introduce songs and sounds that evoke grief, including Scots-Gaelic laments and lining out (psalm-singing) hymns from Appalachia. We’ll also focus on learning a dual-language chant (or two) in a mix of Gaelic and English. These chants, adapted from traditional sources, are designed to help us express bereavement and send the dead on their journey to the next world.

Class 6, Nov. 6th: Singing Our Own Songs for the Dead w/ Saro 

This last class is an opportunity for students of the course to share a song in tribute to someone who has passed away, or as reflection and preparation for their own deaths. The songs can be new or old- perhaps a hymn, a favorite of a loved one who has died, or a newly composed piece. Students can also show up to just listen and appreciate what’s shared. This will be our closing call, with time to say our goodbyes and reflect on the course.

Eileen Budd

Eileen is a Scottish author, artist and storyteller with TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland) and Scottish Book Trust. Raised in Perthshire in a family with a strong tradition of maintaining oral storytelling practises, she specialises in traditional Scottish folklore, folk objects, folk beliefs, origin stories and ancient Scottish legends.

Before devoting her life to sharing stories she spent over 20 years working with national museums, including National Museums Scotland and V&A London. Compelled to maintain her family’s storytelling tradition and use all she learned from working in museums, she now travels all over Scotland sharing the stories, using song, illustration and historic object handling to help bring Scottish tales from history and folklore to life for audiences of all ages. Some of her stories can be found on Instagram: @eileenbudd

Scott Richardson-Read

Scott Richardson-Read is a working-class writer, folklorist, and alternative cultural historian with a deep connection to Scotland’s folk heritage. As the creator of Cailleach’s Herbarium, a platform dedicated to reviving and preserving Scottish folk traditions, Scott has spent years researching and sharing the stories, practices, and beliefs that define the working-class and animistic roots of Scottish culture. His work reflects a blend of deep archival exploration, oral history, and personal experience in the landscapes of Scotland.

With a background steeped in human rights, ecology, activism, and traditions, Scott’s writing bridges the past and present, offering fresh insights into the enduring significance of folk belief. Throughout his decades-long journey, he has continued to advocate for the preservation of Scotland’s sacred sites and cultural heritage.

When not writing, Scott is often found exploring Scotland’s wild spaces, old libraries, and archives, drinking tea with his cats, or engaging with the vibrant communities keeping traditions alive.

Scott is the author of two books, The Tales of the Taibhsear (2018) (and associated album) and released this year, Mill Dust and Dreaming Bread – Exploring Scottish Folk Belief and Folk Magic (2025).

Sìne McKenna

Sìne McKenna has been teaching and performing Scots Gaelic songs for over 35 years. Although born and raised in Montreal, she was immersed in the culture of the Scottish and Irish Gael from a young age. She first began her Gaelic language studies at St. Francis Xavier University, in Nova Scotia and later, on the Island of Skye where she worked under the mentorship of language activist Sir Iain Noble.  

Sìne has performed at concerts, clubs and cèilidhs in Scotland and Canada and has appeared on the BBC, Channel 4 (Scotland), the CBC and Radio Canada. Sìne was awarded gold medals for excellence in traditional song, at the Toronto Gaelic Mod, the premier Gaelic festival in North America. She is also winner of the prestigious Quebec Thistle Council Award, for the teaching of Scots Gaelic language and song. 

While working as an elementary teacher, she developed a unique Celtic heritage programme for children, in which she incorporated Gaelic language songs and stories as well as dance and drama. She presented this for a number of years in Glengarry. As an offshoot of this project, she has written a booklet entitled: Gaelic Language Learning Songs for Children and the Young at Heart. For many years Sine organized Gaelic language classes for adults in Montreal and Glengarry. She was also a language instructor at the University of Ottawa for 10 years, where she taught Scots Gaelic and Highland traditions. 

Sìne has always been passionate about Gaelic laments. At the present time she is working on a CD called: The Wisdom of Grief: Songs of Loss and Longing from Gaelic Scotland. 

Since 2018 she has been sharing these ancestral treasures online with groups and individuals. She has also been travelling with her songs and stories to western Canada, the United States and Italy.