Part of the Made in Scotland strand of shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, Through the Shortbread Tin is written and performed by Martin O’Connor for the National Theatre of Scotland.
“The story of the greatest literary hoax of all time. 1760: Scottish poet James Macpherson sets the world ablaze with stories of the third-century Scottish bard, Ossian – but is it built on deceit? 2026: Martin O’Connor questions his own relationship with Scottish culture. Sporrans, stags, and shortbread; do these gift-shop images hold us back or bring us forward? Performed in Scots with Gaelic songs, Through the Shortbread Tin returns to explore the myths we tell each other and the stories we tell ourselves.”
Where: Netherbow Theatre at Scottish Storytelling Centre
When: 6-31 Aug (not Wed)
Ticket link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/through-the-shortbread-tin
What can you tell us about your show? What is it about and where did the idea come from?
Through the Shortbread Tin tells the story of James Macpherson, a writer from the 1700s whose tales and poetry of Ossian captured the imagination of Scotland and the wider world. I tell that story while interweaving a version of my own life story and the parallels between us. It’s written in Scots spoken word, with original songs in Gaelic. The idea came from a desire to write something epic, something that could tell a big national story and all the other little stories in between.
How would you sell it to audiences in one paragraph?
Through the Shortbread Tin tells the greatest Scottish story that you’ve probably never heard of.
Do you enjoy participating in the Fringe? And do you have any moments you particularly remember?
Participating in the Fringe is fun, but can be overwhelming if you’re not properly supported. My fondest memory was when I was about 20 years old; I saw a poster looking for a replacement cast member for a Restoration comedy that was running at the Fringe and then going on tour through England.
I got the part and joined the company – it was all very thrown together but in a good way – sleeping on people’s floors, flyering our own show, begging people to come, learning a lot along the way – a great way to experience my first Fringe.
What are you looking forward to the most in Edinburgh?
Just doing the show every day, meeting new audience members and hopefully entertaining a whole lot of people!
What’s next for the show?
The show is part of Made in Scotland, so it would be a dream come true to make some links with companies and organisations in other countries – I would love to take this bit of Scottish History to the wider world. Following the Fringe, we are taking the show around Scotland in September to historically sited venues – Glasgow Cathedral, Stirling Castle and Urquhart Castle.