Doric tale of Macduff fish Cedric the Flapper makes a splash to secure funding to be published

The Doric tale of Macduff fish Cedric the Flapper has secured funding to be published.

The story of the endangered skate highlights the plight of local marine populations.

Young Cedric has been spreading the word about the issue since arriving at Macduff Marine Aquarium from Orkney in 2020.

After quickly establishing himself as a firm favourite at the Aberdeenshire attraction, he became the main hero of a children’s book written by local Doric writer Jackie Ross.

Funding to support Scots publishing

The book is one of nine titles, as well as an almanac in the Shetland dialect, being published in Scots for the first time.

George Orwell classic Animal Farm will be translated into Scots thanks to the funding from the Scots Language Publication Grant, via the Scots Language Resource Network.

It has already been translated into Gaelic by Scottish publishers Luath Press, who said: “We are very confident that Thomas Clark will create a superb rendering of the book in Scots, and that Orwell himself would have approved, given his comments on Scottish linguistic culture.”

The funding is designed to support the translation of both published works and new authors.

As well as Animal Farm, the following titles have also received funding.

• Birds and Beasties: Scots Poems For Bairns, published by Itchy Coo. Written by J.K. Annand, edited by Matthew Fitt and James Robertson.
• Cedric The Flapper Skate, published by Doric Books CIC, written by Jackie Ross and edited by Gordon Hay.
• Da Hametrowe Almanac volume 1, published by Gaada, written by Roseanne Watt and Marjolein Robertson.
• Liberties, published by Rymour Books, written by Peter Bennett.
• Mum And William Wordsworth, self-published and written by Julie Kennedy.
• Sangs That Sing Sae Sweit (50 Years o Lallans Poetry), published by Scots Language Society, edited by William Hershaw, Elaine Morton and Derrick McClure.
• The Ballads And Songs Of Carrick, published by the Girvan Traditional Folk Festival, original author Rev Roderick Lawson, edited by Neil McDermott.
• The King O’ The Cats, self-published, written and illustrated by Paul Tonner, translated by Dr Michael Dempster.

Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “There is a huge appetite for books in Scots and we have seen how this funding supports a range of exceptional Scots talent, in a variety of genres, and clearly demonstrates Scots is thriving.”

Backing for Shetland dialect

Shetlandic comedian Marjolein Robertson has also received funding to write an almanac in the Shetland dialect.

She said: “The idea of creating a Shetland almanac in dialect is something we have dreamed of for years so it is incredible to receive this grant to allow this to become a reality.

“To present to folk an exploration of our lore, history and most importantly, practices that are and can still be used to this day.

“To write this in our mother tongue allows for the descriptions, names and stories to come across in their truth and hopefully encourage the continued use of dialect in our home.”