Robin's Readings

The Adventures of Paddy McQuillan

"Robin's Readings" were first performed in the 19th century as a series of humorous monologues.

They were created by the County Down writer, WG Lyttle who was born in 1844. After his death in 1896, he was buried in the grounds of Bangor Abbey where his memorial describes him as: "… a brilliant and graceful writer… and a true son of County Down".

As well as being the author of ‘Daft Eddie’ and ‘Betsy Gray’, Lyttle was above all an entertainer. He most often appeared at social gatherings in the guise of his alter-ego "Robin", a jovial country farmer from the fictitious Ballycuddy in County Down, who regaled his audiences in Ulster-Scots. The scripts from these performances were subsequently collected and published in 1879 as ‘Robin’s Readings’.

The stories recount the adventures and mishaps of Paddy McQuillan, a cheerful but unfortunate farmer.

There’s a real warmth and humour in these stories - even though they're about 150 years old. What comes across is the sense of a close, rural community sharing in each other’s joys and troubles.

Lyttle wrote in authentic Ulster-Scots, which was spoken throughout the Ards Peninsula - and many of the participants in this radio series are native Ulster-Scots speakers who bring the language to life again.