Ian Russell (1947-2026)

We are very sad to learn of the death of Prof Ian Russell MBE, one of Britain's most eminent folklorists.

Ian was a long-standing member of The Folklore Society and a former Council member. His highly acclaimed research on regional folksong and traditional drama was recognised through the award of our highest accolade, the Coote Lake Medal for outsanding research and scholarship in 1987.  In 1998 Ian was also awarded the Gold Badge, the highest honour of the English Folk Song and Dance Society. In 2020 he was awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday honours.

Ian's research into singing traditions was grounded in extensive fieldwork in South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire.   He made a particular study of village carolling in the Pennines, the subject of his Katharine Briggs Annual Lecture in 2021 - "Peace o'er the World": Christmas Carolling in the Hope Valley (a recording of which is available online).  Ian was the author of numerous research articles and also shared his research through the website Village Carols.

His scholarship was internationally recognised. A longstanding member also of the American Folklore Society, Ian gave the American Folklife Center's Benjamin Botkin lecture at the US Library of Congress in 2014 and curated a CD of village carols for the Smithsonian Folkways label.

As Director of the Elphinstone Institute at the University of Aberdeen, from 1999 to 2014, Ian cemented the Institute's reputation as an internationally renowned centre for folklore and ethnomusicology research and scholarship, in part through the hosting of numerous wide-ranging conferences and his dedication to creating sustainable community partnerships. 

He will be missed by his family, many friends, students and collaborators and leaves a tremendous legacy to the world of Folklore.

Published 20th May 2026