The Fiddlers of Tomnahurich – Storytelling

The story of the Fiddlers of Tomnahurich has everything you could want. Music, dancing, fairies and a place name so fun to say that this is a story that needs telling out loud. Watch the video below to listen to the story being read aloud and if you need to use a translator then the text can be found below.

A long time ago, there were two travelling fiddle players roaming the Highlands to make some money. As many artists or musicians know, people often enjoyed their work but they didn’t want to pay for it. 

The two fiddlers had passed through dozens of towns and villages by the time they arrived in Inverness. Luck hadn’t been on their side and they were pretty much out of cash. If they couldn’t find a well paying gig this evening then they were sleeping on the streets. 

They played in the open, busking to drum up a bit of attention. Reels, jigs and laments. The full works to show what they could do. The people of Inverness weren’t impressed though. Apart from one old man. 

He stood and watched them with a big grin on his face, tapping his foot away to the beat. Eventually, he walked up to the dejected buskers and made them a proposition. 

He was looking for remarkable musicians to play for a remarkable group of people. If they were interested, he would pay them double what they would normally charge. He would feed them as well! All they had to do was meet him at Tomnahurich Hill at sunset. 

Now this sounds like an excellent proposition for the young men but was it too good to be true? The pair had barely eaten for days so it didn’t take long for them to accept the offer. Just as the sun was going down, they walked to Tomnahurich where the old man was waiting. 

He showed them to a peculiar looking opening in the hillside with light, warmth and the sound of laughter blaring out. Into the depths of Tomnahurich the fiddlers went. An enormous hall stretched before them, full of people dressed in the finest of clothes around a table groaning under the weight of so much food! 

A loud cheer went up from the revellers at the site of the two men and their fiddles. A loud rumble sounded from the musicians stomachs followed by an embarrassed cough…. Their guide told them not to rush, enjoy their fill of food and drink before they start to play! 

Once they were satisfied, the fiddlers tuned their instruments and announced the first song. The party was wild. The dancing went on for what felt like hours, the fiddlers of Tomnahurich had as much fun as the audience. They didn’t think they had ever played this well before and they were certainly earning their payment! 

But all good things must come to an end. When the dances were finished, the old man paid the two fiddlers even more than he had promised. He ushered them out of Tomnahurich into the early dawn. One of the pair turned to ask if they needed them again but….the doorway had disappeared. 

The men slowly walked into Inverness, tired from the night’s work but…everything seemed different. Houses had sprung up overnight where they were sure were just fields before. They didn’t recognise any of the stores or pubs. Even the people all seemed to be dressed funny although they were the ones whispering and pointing at the fiddler’s clothes! 

A church bell rang out loud. Finally, something they recognised and maybe somewhere they could get a little sense from. It was a Sunday so the pair headed straight to the church and sat at the back. 

The minister started the sermon but as soon as he mentioned the Lord’s name, POOF! The fiddlers of Tomnahurich crumbled into dust.

You see, they hadn’t been playing under the hill for a single night. They had been in Tomnahurich for 100 years. That wasn’t just any old man, it was Thomas the Rhymer who had lured them in to play for the fairies party. 

I hope you enjoyed the story, with an important lesson to be learned. 

Not everybody is as musically gifted as the Fiddlers of Tomnahurich to be sought after by the fairies but just remember. If somebody offers you a deal that’s too good to be true, it usually is.

If you’re looking for another story reading then why not try The Dream Makers of Skye?

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