Scotsman Obituaries: Prof Ian Russell MBE, folklorist who pioneered ethnology as an academic force

The paradox of Ian Russell lay in both his accent and his areas of study. Here was someone born of Aberdeen lineage – his father was a city GP – and who died in his native city, yet spoke with a Derbyshire voice. His personal love and professional expertise lay in cultural institutions in and around Aberdeen – Cullerlie Traditional Singing Weekend, North Atlantic Fiddle Convention, Temperance Walks in the villages of Cairnbulg, Inverallochy and St Combs, and the Boaties Project on Peterhead. He brought in one-time fish filleter Stanley Robertson to lead an innovative programme on oral and cultural traditions of Scottish Travellers, and connected Aberdeen’s growing east European community in co-founding the Polish-Scottish Song Group.

Yet his family’s move to England in the early 1950s simply inspired new interests, such as the songs and traditions of South Yorkshire and Derbyshire. While still a schoolteacher in Rotherham, he researched a doctorate entitled Traditional Singing in West Sheffield, a thesis in which his wife Norma played no small part in fieldwork assistance. This deepened his involvement in carolling traditions of the area, an interest which became a passion throughout the rest of his life.

There was no diminishing of Ian’s love for his native city, in spite of long years in England. Boyhood memories included the sight of granite workers toiling in the bowels of gigantic Rubislaw Quarry, plus trips with his father to Hazlehead Park, upstairs in the open balcony of an Aberdeen tram.

In exile, Ian’s life revolved around both a loving home life with Norma and their son Joe, and a contented professional existence as a primary school headteacher – plus the unusual addition of a couple of acres on which to graze their sheep. All this was cast aside in 1999 when the opportunity arose to lead the Elphinstone Institute at the University of Aberdeen, the centre for the study of ethnology, folklore and ethnomusicology– with Norma temporarily left behind to find a home for their livestock.

Ian hit the ground running. Inside a year he assisted Tam and Anne Reid in setting up what proved to be the now annual Traditional Singing Weekend at Cullerlie, the Reid farm a dozen miles west of Aberdeen. The following year he founded the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention, a high-profile combination of music festival and academic conference, now global this last quarter-century, as well as the Free Reed Convention – familiarly known as Button Boxes and Moothies.

Beyond onerous academic work, the recorder never far from his hand, Ian documented hundreds of hours of singers, musicians, storytellers, community events and customs. World-class tradition bearers such as Stanley Robertson, Dr Paul Anderson MBE and Sheena Blackhall found roles at the Elphinstone.

Ian’s friend Scott Gardiner memorably wrote: “Noël Coward doesna tend tae get quoted much in deepest rural Aberdeenshire, but his ‘Work is more fun than fun’ summed up Ian.”

An ardent fieldworker, Ian proved passionate about recording and documenting, encouraging others to follow his example. Thus in 2020 when Covid hit, one of his staff led an archival collection project entitled Lockdown Lore. This followed a similar record constructed of people, events, graffiti, adverts and even stickers on lamp-posts during the run-up to the 2014 Independence Referendum.

Ian’s enthusiasms stretched beyond ivory towers. The Elphinstone Christmas Lunch wouldn’t finish until evening, and then only after endless songs, stories, recitations and much humour. Neither did his approach to the academic always follow the orthodox. After setting an exam and invigilating, this model of ethical fieldwork invited his two promising post-graduate students to the nearby Machar Bar, thereafter conducting a tutorial into the folk traditions of ale that lasted well into the evening.

Ian’s work gained him a personal professorship from his home university and an academic reputation far beyond Scotland. Awards included the Coote Lake Medal from The Folklore Society for “outstanding research and scholarship”; the Gold Badge of the English Folk Dance and Song Society; named a Point of Light by Theresa May when Prime Minister; and appointment as MBE in 2020. As for his encyclopaedic knowledge of international calendar festivals. Scott Gardiner recounts that during Ian’s final stay in hospital, there was a move to a different ward. Medication had left Ian slightly confused, and the male Eastern European nurse attempted to gauge reaction.

Nurse: “Can you tell me what day it is, Ian?”

Ian: “I don't know. I've been in here a while.”

Nurse: “Would you know what month it is?”

Ian: “I'm afraid not.”

Nurse: “The year, Ian? Do you know what year it is?”

Ian: “It's 2026.”

Nurse: “And has Easter happened yet?”

Ian: “Yes, Easter has happened. But not in the Eastern Orthodox Church.”

Very Surprised Nurse: "How do you know that?”

Ian: “My wife Norma and I went on a trip to Bulgaria.”

Even More Surprised Nurse: "I'm from Bulgaria...”

Ian and his wife Norma, née Carter, enjoyed a close and loving relationship. Ever-present by his side, she played a key part in almost all of the major extra-mural projects he undertook. Their son Joe, who lives in Australia, grew up a traditional musician and dancer, and continues these customs, being involved in running the annual St Albans Folk Festival in New South Wales.

Ian is survived by his wife Norma, son Joe, and grandson Tomás.

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