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PRINTED FO R THE GAE L I C SO C IETY O F INVERNESS ,AT

‘

PHE“ N O RTHERN CHRO Nunjfl

’

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AND SO L D B Y J O HN NO B L E, W I L L IAM M ACKAY,AND A . 3; w . M ACKENZ IE,

B O O KSE L L ERS,INVERNE&$

1 89 Q

O FFICE-B EARERS FO R O FFICE-B EARERS FO R 1889

CH IEF. CHIEF.

Mackintosh of Mackintosh . Sir Henry C. Macandrew .

CH IEFTAINS . CH IEFTAINS .

Bailie Alex . Mackenzie . Re v. Thomas Sinton .

Duncan Campbell . Bailie Al ex. Mackenzie .

Alex. Mach ain, M .A . William Gunn.

HO N . SECRETARY. HO N. SECRETARY.

William Mackay, Sol icitor. William Mackay, Solicitor.

SECRETARY AND TREASU RER. SECRETARY AND TREASU RER.

Duncan Mackintosh , B ank of Duncan Mackintosh , Bank of

Scotland . Scotland .

MEMB ERS O F CO U NCI L .

‘

Re v . G. W . Mackay .

William Gunn .

Bailie Charles Mackay .

John Mackenzie .

William Macdonald .

L IB RARIAN . L IB RARIAN .

John Whyte. William Fraser.

PIPER. PIPER.

Pipe-Major Alex. Maclennan . Pipe-Major Alex. M aclennan.

B ARD.

M rs Mary Mackellar. M rs Mary Mackellar.

MEMB ERS O F COU NCIL .

Alex. Mach ain, M .A .

Duncan Campbell .Bailie Charles Mackay .

John Macdonald .

Donald Fraser of Millburn .

CO MUNN GAIL IG INBHIR-NIS.

C O -SHU IDHEACHADH .

l .

’S e a inm a

’

Ch om uinn CO M UNN GAI L IG INB HIR—NI S .

2 .

’S e th a. an rim a,

’

Ch om uinn —Na buill a dh e anam hiom lan

’s a.

’Gh a il ig ; c inne as Cana lne , B ardach d , agus Ciuil na

Gaidhealtachd ; B ardaoh d, S e anaoh as, Sgeulach d , L e abh ra ich e anagus Sgriobh anna.

’s a

’ch ana in sin a th e arnadh o dh e arm ad ;

L e abh ar-lann a chur suas ann am baile Inbh ir—Nis de l e abh raich ibhagus sgriobh anna ibh

— ann an cana in sam bith — a bh uine as doCh aile aoh d, Ionnsach adh , Each draidh e ach d agus Sh e anach asaibhnan Gaidh e al no do th airbh e na Gaidhealtachd coir agus ol iu nanGaidh e al a dh ion ; agus na Gaidh e il a sh oirbh e aoh adh a gh ua geb

’e ait

’am bi iad .

3.

’

S iad a bh ith e as’nam buill

,cuide aoh d a tha gabh ail suim

do runta ibh a’

Ch om uinn aqus so mar gh e ibh iad a sta igh :

Tairgidh aon bh al l an t—iarrada ir,da ingnich idh ball eile an ta irgse ,

agus,a ig an ath oh oinne im h

,ma rogh na ich e as a

’ mhor—ohuid locrannch ur, nith e ar ball dh ith -se no dh e th -san cho luath ’

s aph aidh e ar an comb -th oirt ouire ar cra inn lo pona ir dh ubh agusgh e al , a ch , gu so bhi dligh e ach , feum adh tri buill dhong an cranna chur. Fe uda idh an Com unn U rram Ch e annardan a th oirt dourrad

’us se a ch d daoine cl iuite ach .

4 .'Pa idh idh Ball U rram ach

,

’sa

’bh l iadh na. £0 10 6

Ball Cum anta. O 5 O

Fogh la inte O 1 O

Agus ni Ball-be ath a aon ch om h -th oirt de . 7 7 O

5 .

’S a

’ cheud-m h ios, gaoh bl iadh na, rogh na ich e ar, lo orainn,

Co-ch om h airl e a riagh las gnothuich e an a’Ch om uinn

,

’s e sin— aon

‘

GAEL IC SO CIETY O F INVERNESS.

C O N S T I T U T I O N .

1. Th e Society shall be called the “ GAEL IC SO CIETY O F

INVERNESS .”

2. The obj ects of the Society are the perfecting of the Members in the use of the Gae lic language ; the cultivation of thelanguage, poetry, and m usic of the Scottish Highlands ; the rescuing from oblivion of Celtic Poetry, traditions, legends, books,and manuscripts ; the establishing in Inverness of a l ibrary, toconsist of books and manuscripts

,in Wh atever language

,bearing

upon the genius, the literature, the history, the antiquities, andthe material interests of the Highlands and Highland people 3 thevindication of the rights and character of th e Gae lic people and

,

generally, the furtherance of their interests Whether at home orabroad .

3 . The Society shall consist of persons Wh o take a live ly int e re st in its obj ects . Admission to be as follow s — The candidateshall be proposed by one member

,seconded by another

,balloted

for at the next meeting,and

,if he or sh e have a. majority of votes

and have paid the subscription,be declared a.member . The ballot

shall be taken With black beans and White ; and no election shallbe valid unless thirteen members vote . The Society has pow er toelect distinguished men as Honorary Chieftains to the number of

seven .

4 . The Annual Subscription shall be , for

Honorary MembersOrdinary MembersApprenticesA Life Member shall make one paym ent oi .

5 . The management of the affa irs of the Society shall be entrusted to a. Council, chosen annually, by ballot, in the month of

v iii . CO -SHU IDHEACHADH .

Ch e ann,tri Iar-chinn, Cl e ire a cb U rram ach , Rim a ire

,Ionm h asair,

agus coig bu ill eile— feum aidh iad nile Ga ilig a thuigsinn’s a.

bh ruidh inn agus m i coige ar dh iubh coinne am h .

6 . Cum ar coinne am h an a’Ch om uinn gach se ach duin o thois

each an De ich e am h mios gu de ire adh M h airt,agus gach c e ith ir

la—deug o th oise ach Gh ibl e in gu de ire adh an Naotbam h -mios .

’S

i a ’Gh a il ig a labh rar gach oidh ch e mu ’n see ch e ig a.

’

ch uid a’slugh a.

7 . Cuiridh a’

Ch o-ch om h a irl e la. air leth anns an t-Se ach dam hm i os a ir-son Coinne am h B h l iadh nail a ig an cum ar Co—dh eu ch a inn

agus air an toirear dua ise an air—son Piobaire ach d ’us c iu il Gh a idh

e alach eile anns an fh e asgar bith idh co-dh euch ainn air L eugh adhagus a ith ris B ardach d agus Rosg nuadh agus tagh taf an de igh sincum ar Cuirm ch uidh e ach dail a ig e m fe igh nithe Ga idh e alach roghainn

’san uirgh iol l, aah gun roinn a dh iultadh dh aibh - san naoh tuigGail ig. Giula ine ar cosdas na co-dh euch ainne l e trusadh sonra ich te

a dh e annam h agus cuide aoh adh iarraidh o ’n t—sluagh .

8. Ch a. de anar ath arrach adh sam bith air coim h —dh e albh adh

a’Ch om uinn gun aontach adh dha. th rian de na’m bh e il de luch d

bruidh inn Gail ig air a.’ch lar—a inm . Ma ’

s n'

i iann ath arrach adh a.

dh e anam h is e iginn sin a chur an c e ill do gach ball,mios

, e ig a’

ch uid a’s lugh a, roim h’n ch oinne im h a dh ’

fh eudas an t-ath arrach adha dh e anam h Feudaidh ball nach bi a lath air rogh nach adh l elam h -aith ne .

9. Tagh aidh an Gomunu Bard, Piobaire . agus F ear-l e abh ar

U llaich e ar gach Pa ipe ar agus L eugh adh , agus giulaine ar gachDe asboire ach d l e run fosgailte , duine il , durach dach air-son 11a

firinn,agus cuire ar gaoh ni air agh aidh ann an spiorad caom h , glan,

agus a reit riagh ailte an de arbh ta .

CONSTITU TIO N . ix .

January,to consist of a Ch ief

,three Chieftains

,an Honorary

Secretary,a Secretary

,a Treasurer

,and five other Members of the

Society,all of whom sh all understand and speak Gaelic five to

form a quorum .

6 . The Society sh all hold its meetings weekly from thebeginning of October to the end of March

,and fortnightly from

the beginning of April to the end of September. The businesssh all be carried on in Gaelic on every alternate night at least .

7 . There sh all be an Annual Meeting in the m onth of July,

the day to be named by the Committee for the time being,when

Competitions for Prizes sh all take place in Pipe and other Highland Music . In the evening there sh all be Competitions in Reading and Reciting Gaelic Poetry and Prose, both original and select .After which there w ill be a Social Meeting, at wh ich Gaelic subje cts sh all have the preference, but not to such an extent as

entirely to preclude participation by persons who do not understand Gaelic . The expenses of the competitions sh all be defrayedout of a special fund

,to which the general public sh all be invited

to subscribe .

8. It is a fundamental rule of the Society that no part of theConstitution sh all be alte red without the assent of tw o—thirds of

the Gaelic speaking Members on the roll ; but if any alterationsbe required

,due notice of the same must be given to each member

,

at least one month before the meeting takes place at wh ich th e

alteration is proposed to be made . Absent Members may vote bymandates .

9. The Society sh all elect a Bard, a Piper, and a Librarian .

All Papers and Lectures sh all be prepared,and all Discussions

carried on,with an honest

,earnest

,and m anful desire for truth

and al l proceedings sh all be conducted in a pure and gentle spirit,

and according to the usually recognised rules .

I N T R O D U C T I O N .

TH I s,the 15th Volume of the Inverness Gaelic Society ’s Transac

t ions,records the proceedings of the Society for one year,

beginning with the Annual Assem bly on the 12th July, 1888, andending with the last meeting of the Winter Session of 1889, on the

8th of May . It appears later than the Publishing Committee

could have wished . This is to a great extent due to the distancewhich some of the contributors of papers are from Inverness, and

the consequent delays in th e transmission of proofs . The Com

m itte e expect to amend matters in th is direction, and th ey wouldbe obliged to those who so kindly contribute papers if they would

at once return their proofs corrected . The next Volume is to bes ent immediately to press

,and is expected to appear by the

beginning of the coming Winter Session .

Dr Ch arles Mackay,the poet

,who died on the 21st December

last,at the age of seventy-four

,was an honorary member of the

Gaelic Society of Inverness . He took a l ively interest in theHigh lands

,and was proud to bear a Highland name . He w as

present at the Second Annual Assem bly in the year 1873,when

he delivered a stirring and patriotic speech . Indeed,he w as

,if

anything,too fond of claiming for th e Gaelic language an ancestral

position which modern study can grant no language spoken,or

e ver spoken,in the world . He published a sumptuous w ork on

this topic,entitled the “ Gaelic Etymology of the Languages of

Western Europe,

”and within the last fe w years he returned to the

subj ect in his work on the Scottish dialect . It is,however

,not

as a philologist that Dr Charles Mackay must be mentioned,but

as a poet . He w as the author of such catching popular songs as“ Cheer, Boys, Cheer,” The Good Time Com ing

,

” “ The Souls ofLittle Children

,

” and m any others,which will enshrine his name

for ever in the roll of British bards .

More than usual activity has prevailed in the publication of

works dealing with the Highlands or with the Gaelic Language .

M r Malcolm Macfarlane h as published,at Paisley

,an intelligent

a nd interesting work on the Phonetics of th e Gaelic Language,

xii. INTRODU CTION .

and a third edition of M r L . M acb e an’s Elementary Lessons in

Gaelic has been issued,and has met with gratifying success .

M r Gardner, of Paisley, has begun the republication of J F.

Cam pbell ’s Popular Tales of the West Highlands,

” a work nowlong out of print

,and fetching a fancy price and the first volume

has already appeared in five monthly parts . Messrs Logan Co. ,

of Inverness,have produced a ne w book of Highland music

,under

the attractive title of Lays of the Heather,” wherein good

selections from the Gael ic muse find adequate representation in

th e“

kindred art of music . A work that promises to be little short

of the interest and importance of J F. Cam pbell ’s volumes h asbeen begun by a namesake

,and in the same lines . Lord

Archibald Cam pbell,under the h appy title of Waifs and Strays

of Celtic Tradition,” i s issuing a series of books in which are to be

gathered the folk-lore and legendary material that still float throughthe Isles and the Highlands . Already tw o volumes have appeared

,

and a third w il l be issued within the next half year. The first.

volume contains Argyllshire legends,tales

,and antiquities . The

second volum e i s devoted entirely to folk-tales taken down inArgyllshire

,and in interest and importance is a match for any

of Cam pbell ’s volumes of Popular Tales . M r Alfred Nutt h as

enriched the volume with valuable notes .In the domain of history

,good work has also been a ccom

plish e d . M r Archibald Brown,of Greenock, h as taken up th e

cudgels against Dr Skene,and combats that scholar’s conclusions

on m any points, both in early Scottish history and in the laterperiod of the Clans . The book is entitled “Memorials ofArgyle

,

”

and is a vigorous work,marked by sound

,if at times rough-hewn

,

common sense . M r Alex. Mackenzie, editor of the Scottish

High lander, has added another to his m any clan histories . Th e

new volume deals with the History of the Macleods,

” and it has

been received by an almost universal chorus of praise on the partof newspaper and magazine . Another work of very great .

importance has j ust been issued ; it is M r Fraser-Mackintosh ’

s

Letters of Two Centuries”— a work which carries out the rather

quaint idea of giving a series of tw o hundred letters written from1616 to 1815, one dated in every year between these tw o dates .

INTRODU CTION . xii i .

M r Fraser-Mackintosh introduces each letter with an historical

preface,and these prefaces are not the least interesting or

important part of the work .

Literature de aling with the Highlands is, we se e,plentiful in

the shape of books, nor is it less so in the case of the more

transitory work of the newspaper and the periodical . The Inver

ness papers, the O ban Tim es,and others from time to time publish

a rticles and materials in Gaelic literature, and the ne w periodical,which lately finish e d its first year of life — w e mean the Highland

Monthly”— has met with th e encouraging success which the

excellence of its literary contents am ply deserves . Professor

M ackinnon'

h as had several articles in the S cotsm an dealing with

literary matters connected with the Highlands. From October of

last year till well on in this year,an almost weekly article by the

Professor appeared . He dealt with learning among the ancient

Gael,the Continental and Edinburgh MSS . of Gaelic

,and with

th e contents of the heroic literature of the Gael, not omitting thework of Ossian”Macpherson . An interesting and excellent series

of six lectures w as given in Edinburgh by Professor Rhys,Celtic

Professor at Oxford,in which he dealt with the Early Ethnology

of the British Isles,and more especial ly of Scotland

,treated from

th e point of view of language . ” He enforced,with fresh emphasis

and argument,the well-known View s expressed in his “ Celtic

Britain,and the result has been quite a rush of more or less

e phemeral literature dealing with the great “ Pictish” question .

The Professor’s lectures are to appear in the S cottish Review .

Indeed, the first lecture has appeared in the April number of this

year.The announcement i s just made that the Literary Remains

left by the late Re v. Dr Alexander Cameron,of Brod ick

,are in

the course of publica tion . They are to be in two volumes, con

sisting,to a great extent

,of unpublish ed MSS . of older Gaelic

literature . Th e Etymological Dictionary of Gaelic w a s never

completed but one of the editors,M r M a cba in

,offers to give the

completed work should the public favour the idea.

The High lander From Home h a s entered on a new phase ofpatriotic activity, wh ich w e heartily welcome . That consists in the

xiv.

INTRODU CTION .

formation of Clan Societies , whereby the members of a Clan

dwelling in the large cities of the South may band together for

social and literary purposes . Most of the leading Clans have now

Societies— such as th e Clan Mackay Society, the Macdonald,Cameron

,Grant

,Cam pbell, and Fraser Clan Societies . Their

intention is good the fostering of the clan feeling of brotherhood,

of social intercourse, and of education by means of clan bursariesthe assisting of clansmen south and north in difficul tie s ; the

collecting of clan records and traditions, and, final ly, the forming

of a clan invasion of their native glens a la Cook, in the shape of

large tourist parties .Other Highland interests are

,w e are glad to say, receiving

welcome attention . The abolition of school fees must bring a gooddeal of money into the Highlands from the Probates Duty Fund .

Otherwise the education question is as before Gaelic i s permitted

as a vehicle of intelligence, and is placed on the spe cific schedule .

Commissions and advocacy of railway extension are keeping thepeople of all classes at present agog but there is no doubt that

substantial benefits will accrue to the Highlands from the present

stir.

For the prize of ten guineas which Mackintosh of Mackintosh

so kindly offered for the best essay on The social condition of

the Highlands since only one competitor came forward !

This competitor has been dealt with generously by The Mackintosh,

w h o once again makes the offer of a ten guinea prize on th e same

subj ect . As not fewer than three must compete,intending com

pe titors will kindly intimate their intention to the Secretary, sothat arrangements can be made as to the length of time allow ed

for the writing of the essays,and also for the terms and method

of the competition .

INVERNESS , M ay, 1890.

O ffice —bearers for 1888 and 1889

Introductlon

Sixteenth Annual Assembly— Speeches by Sir Henry C.

Macandrew,the Re v. A. D. Mackenzie

,and Professor

Blackie

A Modern Raid in Glengarry and Gl enm oriston fl M r

Kenneth Macdonald

The Dialect of the Reay Country— Re v . Adam Gunn

Fionn ’s Ransom— Re v . John G. Can1pbe ll

Minor Highland Septs,No . 2 . The Macdonalds of Morar

,

styled Mac Dh ugh a il M 1 Charles Fraser

Mackintosh,M .P.

Se venteenth Annual Dinner— Speeches by Sir Henry C .

Macandrew,the Re v . Thomas Sinton

,M r D. Cam pbell

,

M r Charles Innes, M r RobertWalker, M r Robert Grant

,

and others

The Ra ces from wh ich the Modern Scottish Nation has beenevolved— M r Hector Maclean

Sutherland Place Nan1es— Par1sh of Assynt— M r JohnMackay

, C .E.

Arran Place Names by th e late Rev . Dr Cameron,Brodick

— Re v. John KennedyA Collection of Unpublished Gaelic Poetry— The Rev. Joh n

M acrury

The Sh e ilino'

,its Traditions and Songs. Part I I. — Mrs

Mary MackellarHighland English as found 111 Books— '

l he Right Rev. Colin

0 . Grant,D.D.

PAGE

A Collection of Unpublished Gaelic Songs,with notes— M r

Colin Chisholm

Some Hebridean Singers and their Songs— Rev. ArchibaldMacdonald

T h e Early History, Legends, and Traditions of Strath ardl e—M r Chas . Ferguson

Notes on the Parish of Kilte arn. M r Roderick Maclean

Honorary Chieftains

Life Members

Honorary Mem bers[Ordinary Members

Deceased Members

List of Books in Society ’s Library

TRAN SA CTI O N S.

ANNU AL ASSEMB LY.

THE Sixteenth Annual Assembly of th e Society was held in theMusic Hall on Thursday

,12th J uly

,the absence of Th e

Mackintosh of Mackintosh,Chief of the Society, Sir Henry C.

Macandrew presided . Th e North ern Ch ronicle , in speaking of th e

Assembly,said After an interval of two years

,the

“

Gael icSociety of Inverness has resumed th e summer entertainmentsw hich for the last sixteen years have been associated w ith th e

great Wool Fair. In all respects Thursday evening’

s assemblyw as a great ach ievement . We h ave never seen a larger or moreenth usiastic audience certainly a more attractive programme hadnever previously been submitted

,and zest and enj oyment charac

te rise d the w hole meeting . It is becoming customary to decoratethe platform very profusely when concerts are given in th e MusicHall . Some of the decorations were on recent occasions extremelypretty ; but for chaste effect the picture produced by the GaelicSociety by means of tartans

,weapons of w ar

,and other fitting

objects, h as not been excelled . The platform w a s intended torepresent the drawing-room of a Highland ch ief

,w hen the native

tartan played a conspicuous part in th e economy and decoration of

the household . Its uses were illustrated by the cover thrown overth e quaintly-shaped table w hich stood in front of a luxurious easychair, occupied by the chairman of th e evening, Sir Henry C.

Macandrew,Provost of Inverness . The front of the orchestra

,

w h ich lends itself considerably in form and outline to suchembellishment

,w as draped with the tartans of the clans

,and

ornamented with sh ields,deer’s heads

,claymores

,and dirks

,tas te

fully arranged . Above the central doorway there w a s a picturesquegroup of weapons and other obj ects suggestive of war

,of the chase

,

and of the w ild grandeur of the Highlands and above all towered agigantic thistle. In the background each tier of seats was con

2 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

c e al ed in masses of heather and broom, j udiciously reli eved byplants and young trees . Th e w h ole decorations, a s we have said,were charming in taste and effective as a spectacl e .

” Sir Henryw as supported on th e platform by Sir Kenneth J Matheson of

Lochalsh , Bart . Emeritus—Professor Blackie M r Mackintosh , yr.

of Ra igm ore M r E. H . Macmillan, banker. M r Alex . Ross,architect

, Q ue e nsgate M r Alex . Macpherson , banker, K ingussieDr F. M ; Mackenzie , High Street Captain Chisholm , GlassburnMajor Baynes

,Adjutant Cameron High lande rs Rev . A. D.

Mackenzie,Kilmorack M r Alexander M ackenz1e , publ isher M r

Gilbert Beith,Glasgow Mrs MaryMackellar, Bard of the Society

M r Colin Ch ish olm,Namur Cottage ; Bail ie Alex . Mackenzie,

Inverness ; M r Roderick Maclean, factor for Ardross and M r D.

Mackintosh,Bank of Scotland, Secretary of the Society .

At the outset the Secretary intimated th at apologies for absenceh ad been received from Mackintosh of Mackintosh , Ch ief of theSociety ; M r Cameron of Loch iel ; M r R. B . Finlay, M .P. M r C .

Fraser—Mackintosh,M .P. M r La chlan Macdonald of Skaebost Sir

Kenneth S . Mackenzie of Gairloch ,Bart . M r Allan R. Mackenzie

,

yr. of Kintail ; M r Forbes of Culloden M r Fletcher, LethamGrange ; Major Grant, Glen-Urquh art ; Dr Stewart, NetherLochaber Sh eriff Nicolson Sh eriff Blair ; M r Bankes of Lettere w e M r Reginald Macleod ; M r Mackay, Hereford Col . Geo . RoseM r Ch arles Innes M r James Barron, of the I nverness Courier M r

D. Davidson, Drummond Park ; Re v . A. Bisset, Fort-AugustusRe v . J M ‘Rury , Snizort M r Geo . J Campbell, solicitor and M r

William Mackenzie,of the Crofter Com m ission .

Sir Henry Macandrew,who w as received w ith prolonged

applause,said— Ladies and gentlemen, I am sure you w ill a l l j oin

with me in a feeling of regret th at th e ge ntlem en whose namesh ave just been read have not been able to be present to-night, andin particular that the Chief of th e Society— Th e Mackintosh of

Mackintosh— h as not been able to take the place w hich I now

occupy . It w as intended th at he should be here, but fromunavoidable causes he h a s not been able to come . Before proceeding to the very attractive programme w hich h as been prepared

,it

i s usual for the person occupying m y position to say a fe w wordsw ith reference to th e occasion on w hich we are m e t together.This is the sixteenth annual assembly of the Inverness GaelicSociety

,and I am sure we may congratulate ourselves upon the

very large number of people wh o h ave assembled on this occasion,

and also on the continued success which has.

attended this Societysince its institution . During these sixteen years, the Society, in

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

4 Gae lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

accept th e offer, but I believe the thought of it never entered theirminds

.Th ey preserved the Prince, and conducted him to a place

of safety.As I sat among th ese stones and looked back upon th e

past,it struck me th at there were fe w more beautiful and

chivalrous stories in the whole course of l iterature . I felt that Ihad good reason to be proud of the race to which those m en

belonged.I will not now detain you longer from the programme

w hich is before us . I trust you will all enjoy the evening, andthat it will remind us of the past— remind us of the kindly feelings wh ich all Highlanders ought to entertain towards each other, .

and that w e will carry away with us a pleasant memory, whichwill help u s through the rest of our lives

,and make us more

kindly tow ards our fellows .Th e first part of the programme was then gone through as .

follows

Song (Gae l ic) M r M U RDO M ACGILLIVRAY ..

Song Doun th e B urn,Davie M rs M U NRO (M iss LI B B IE WATT).

Song Th e M arch of th e Cam e ron M e n M r ZENEAS FRASER .

Song A De ar Wifie M iss CLARA FRASER"

Song (Gae lic )’

S toigh l e arn a’

Gh aidh e al tac h d ALEXANDER Ross.

S e l e ctions on Pianoforte High land Airs M iss M ACARTH U R .

Song M acgregor’

s Gath e ring M r D.

Dance —“Scotch Re e l ”

. FO U R YO U NG GAELS.Song M acCrim m on

’

s Lam e nt M iss KATE FRASER .

The Rev . A. D. Mackenzie, Kilmorack, then addressed themeeting in Gaelic . He said—

’Nuair a ch uir bhur Run—ch l e ire ach,

M r Mac-an-Toisich,l itir th ugam sa

,a dh ’

iarra idh gun labh ra innruibh a noch d ar m s a ch a innt m h ath ara il ,

’

s i a ’ cheud ch e isd a .

th a inig a steach orm— Ciod an ni to’n gh re in air an labh a ir mise

riu nach tog ath arrach adh barail agus de a sboire a ch d . Ma labh ra smi air cor nan Eaglaise an bith idh sinn a ig na duirn an tiota m a

labh ras mi air riagh ladh na Parlam a id,oh a

’

n e sin buille i s fe arragus m a labh ras mi m u sh uidh e ach adh an fh e ara inn e adar

uach darana agus ioch drana — ged a chuala mise cl iu oirbh feintFh ir—na—Ca ith re ach mar Dhuin-nasal cho ba igh e al

’s cho fiala idh

do bh och d agus do bh e arta ch ’

s th a ann an Ceann-tuath na h -Alba— cha’n eil th ie s am biodh sinn fada an coluadar ’nuair a dh ’

e ire adh

ath arraoh adh barail e adaruinn . Anns an im ch e isd, c iod a th a inigna’m inntinn ach so. Tha aon ni co-dh iubh anns an cord nah -u il e fior Gh aidh e il — na h -u il e a ig am beil an cridh e far am bu

choir da bh ith . Gie d e sin ? Meas mor air a ch a innt-m h ath ara il ,agus mor gh radh dhi mar a

’ch a innt i s snasa il e , mar a

’

ch a innt i s .

brio’

m h oire,mar a

’

ch a innt is druigh tich e , agus m ar a’

ch a innt i s .

deas—bh ria th ra ich e, fo’n gh re in . Ra inig mi Unis air mo ch e ann

Annua l Asse m bly . 5

t e agiasg agus do th aobh’

s gu’m beil an nine goirid agus moran r

’

a

’dh e anam h , giulana idh sibb learn a dhol air adh art cho bras ’

sa

ghabbas de anam h . Tha mi a irson focal a radh an toiseach, m u

m h e arach d a gh e ibh e ar gu coitch ionn a m e asg nan Ga idh e a l fein,nach e a m h a in gu

’

m beil a ’

Gh a ilig am m e asg nan ca innte an is sinech a idh riam h a labh airt air an ta lam h

,a ch gu bh e il iad fein ga

labh art a nis mar a bha i air a labh art fe adh nan linnean c ian ac h a idh se a ch ad . Cha bheag a m h e ara ch d so agus cha bheag

‘

an

t —ana- coth rom a tha a ’

ch a innt so a’fulang ann a bhi ga co-ch aradh

ri ca innte an eile . Gabh am focal craobh ( cruv). An e soc end ch ruth an fh oca il ? Cha ’

n e ach Grub,agus uim e sin ann an

a inm ibh a ite an far am bh e il a’

Gh a il ig is sine r’a faotuinn gh e ibh

sibb an cruth so. Ann an Eirinn b’

l ia bk Grub, ann an SrathFh arraga ig aga inn th ein gh e ibh sibb B un—Ch ruba i , agus an CataobhS ron~0 1w uba i . A nis

,mur eil mise air mo m h e a lladh se so fre um h

a n fh oca il Gh re uga ich , Krubo,

Th a mi falach,

e ir c iod a’ cheud

a ite fa la ich a bh a a ig clann nan daoine Cl Bha m e asg nan craobh .

L om a ich am faca l ni ’s m o gu Cm oich , e .g . , Dun-Ch m oz

’

ch, n

’

re

Clam oich,ann an Cataobh . A ris gu Gr ief ,

Jli oncriefi— Cnoc fa isga ir Pe a irt

,agus fa dh e ire adh gu cru agus en,mar ann an B un

ch rew,agus Cri— le a m h ann, agus Cr i—nan-

glag— ann an Srath-

gh lais.

Gabh am focal c la ba r,clabar criadh a tiugh

— clabh ar (clavar).c laur

,agus 0 sin gu glaur, e .g.

,m

'

eve fu’

o’

g laurfi dorlach de ’

n

c h labar. Gabh am focal sugh (su) an toiseach , sug, mar a

gh e ibh sibb e ann an Sugan a m h ath ar,

” agus ’nuair a ruige ass inn an cruth so de ’

n th e cal ch i sibh gur h - e m h ath a ir am focalB e urla

,suck

,agus am fa ca l L aidinn sugo, agus am focal Gear

m ailte ach scm gen. Tog am focal troiclh (troih ) ach c iod ath eir an U e lsh ach nan Kym rige ach ? Troed . Tha e soil le ar gurh e so cend ch ruth an fh oca il . Chum sinn fh e in greim air anns anradh coitch ionn troud so

,ach ’nuair a ruige as sinn so fa ic m ar a

gh e ibh thu ua ith e na foca il tre a d, trudge , trot, trotter, re trea t, & c .

Dh’fh eudam a id fich e adan de ’

n t -se orsa so a chur to ur com h a ir,

anns am bh e il tri c eum anna de lom adh no de m h aoladh air te a ch dorra 0 na cend ch ruth an . Eu m h a ith leam focal a radh m u

m h e arach d eile a th a ro th ric ra ch luinntinn am m e asg ph arantan

Gh a idh e a lach,

’

s e sin gu’

m beil be oil na cla inne air an our 0 fh eum

leis a ’Gh a il ig a irson a bh i labh a irt na B eurla agus ca innte an eile .

Cha ’n eil am a ide ach d is mo fo ’

n gh re in . An aite so ’

s ann a th ac l e ach dadh na Ga il ig a

’de asa ch adh am be oil a irson ca innte an eile

a labh a irt gu c e art . I arr air an t—Sasunna ch lack a radh ’s e th eir

e loo, iarr air L och aber a radh .

’

S e th eir e L ocabe r— iarr airl ccogh , ugh , a cl/La ir, a radh . Cha ’

n urra dh a ge d a bh e ire adh tu

6 Gae l ic Socie ty of Inverne ss .

dh a c e ud punnd Sa sunna ch . A nis, tha am tuaim so anabarrachcoitch ionn anns a ch a innt agus anns ach a innt Gh reuga ich . Cha dean an Sasunnach dad diubh sin

,ach

cuir na gil l e an Ga idh e ala ch an tarru ing riu agus their iad ii a h -u il e

( 1011’s hock, na h

-u ile m a ch’us m a ch a r cho com h nard riu fein . S e adh

’us air an aon doigh fua im e an 11a Greige

’

s na h -Eabh ra . N i eileanns a ’

Gh a il ig gu sonruich te os cionn ch a innte an eile an cordadh

no an coslas a tha e adar an t-aium,agus na nithe a tha air an

a inm e ach adh . B h e ir an t-a inm eolas dh u inn air an i i i a tha a irainm e ach adh moran ni

’s trice na ann an ca innte an eile .

Th e ir suil air da no tri de bh e ath aich e an— Dobh aran— a inm h idh

an -u isge Gobh laoh — Gobh al -bheathach L eum nach an,o ’n leum

a ige— M ial l m h agan, 0 na magan a ige

— Los l e ath a inn o’n e araba l

l e ath a inn a th ’a ige

— Damban-a lluidh (agus Ta rantu la anns anL a idinn) a th aobh

’

s gum beil aodann a ige cosm h uill ri aodann andaim h no an ta irbh — Se angan dire ach a ch ionn

’

s gu’m beil e

seang. Gabh a nis na h -eoin . Is e ag se ann Gh a e l ig air eun— Faolag,

’o fath a l— Fe adag, Eun na fe adara ch d— B uidh e ag, a irson

a dath buidh e — Cum h aoh ag, a irson a caoidh — Topag, a irson antop a th’air a ch e ann— Se abh ag no S e am h ag, Hawk. ;Tha e soille irgur h -e coslas do dh ’ aon seorsa no se orsa eile tha riagh ladh an

a inm anns a ’

ch ainnt so mar nach ’eil an ca innte an eile . Tha fios.

aig 11a h -u ile mar a ch a idh a inm h idh e an’s eoin ’

s na u il e bith

gluasadach a chur an c e angal a cheile mar th e agh laich e an a re iran cosla is, agus am m e ine an mar na coin agus na cait de na h -u il e

se orsa . A nis tha mi ’

g radh gur iongantach an t—se oltach d leis ’

n

d’ rinn ar sinnsire ach d na cosla is so a th oga il agus an cur an c e il l

,

c e art dire ach mar a tha iad air an la ’n diugh . Gabh te agh

lach nan con no 11 a m adra idh an toiseach am m ada dh e fein a ris .am m adadh rud dh (red dog or fox) a ris am m adadh a l luidh (wilddog or wolf) ; a ris am m ada dh donn (brown dog or otter). Anns ach eum so ch a idh iad elith

,ach ch a b

’ iad a m h a in,agus cha ’n

eil ach uin gh oi1 id’o fh uaradh amach l e daoine ge ur, tuigse a ch

agus rannsach a il gur h -ann a bh uine as a madadh donn no ’

n dobbaran do th e agh lach na niosan Gabh te agh la ch na

’n corr

, se

sin na h -eoin fh ad—ch asach a bh ios a ’ taghal nan traigh e an . C ’arsona ch a idh an t-a inm so a th oirt orra ? Dire ach do th aobh ’

s gu’

m

beil iad corrach,cosm h a il ri duine air na casan-corrach

’s beag a

th ilge as th’

a ith ris e . (Sh aoil e adh tu gun de anadh osag gh aoith e achorra a th ilge adh . th airis

,cho fada o

’n talam h air a casan fada

seang) — a ch 0 1ra bh an — a chorra gh las —a chorra gh i iobh a ch , 110 ,a chorra sgridh e ach

— a chorra m h onaidh,a ch 0 1 ra ch osag— a

chori a sh e albach . Dh’fh euda inn a nis a dhol an ceann ce isde an

Annua l Asse m bly . 7

ni’s duil ic

’

h . Co as a th a inig a ch a innt so’

.z Ciod e cho farsuing

sa sgaoil i ? agus c iod e ch o sean ’s a tha i Ach na’n rach uinn a

chur an c e il l mo bharail do th aobh nan cu ise an so’s ann a

sh aoil e adh sibb gun robh mi as mo ch iall . Fe um a idh m i na cuise anso fh aga il gu am eile . I s e am bron a nis gu

’

m beil cuid mh or de11a Ga idh e il iad fein a ’

fas suara ch mu ’n Gh a il ig, agus ga trua il le adhl e bh i ga m e asgach adh l e B eurla . Bha mi 0 ch ionn bl iadhna no

dha ann an Eilean M h uile bha mi gabh a il mo th ura is’o Thor

loise . Bha duine coir colath ruinn,ag us bh a e labh a irt mu

’nMhor—fhear Compton cho fia la idh sa bha e do’n tuath a ige . Thuge isl e a ch adh m or do aon neach , agus

’nuair bu '

ch oir dh a a radh,

dh’

isl ich a na h -u il e m al eile a re ir sin,

”th uirt e Radzcce e na

h -uil e rent eile ann am p rop ortion.

” Ach m aith dh’fh e udte gur e

am m e asgach adh is c e olm h or mu’n ouala mi riam h a ch m h asan a

ch a idh th oirt ann‘

an Eagla is Baile Dh uth aich ann an la ant -se ann Dr Mhic-an Toisich . Bha e la a

’se arm onach adh

’nuairdh e irich oonnsach adh oilte il m e asg nam m adra idh air urlar 11a

h -Eagla is. Rinne adh se am h aidh e an agus com h arta ich agusdonnalaich a bha uan1h asach . Stad an Doctor agus th ug e suil a irbra igh an lobh t agus th ubh airt e .

“ Tha mi ’

g agar o luch driagh la idh a

’ bh aile so mise a dh ion ann an cua irte ach adh modh l e a sdana is

,agus sh uidh e sios . Dh

’

e irich am fear a H om ede ’

11 luch d-riagh la idh agus thug e a ch m h asan do luch d naF enda m s

,d ’ am buine adh na m ada idh

,focal air an fh oca l mar a

ch a idh innse adh dh om h sa .

“ Sibh se Fendam e rs,tha mi ’

g radhruibh

,mur a cum sibh se regu lari ty agus de corum m e a sg na

dogd ch an aga ibh , bh e ir mi'

se oirbh g um bi na dog fzch an air ans/zootigeadh lsfire a rm s

,agus gum bi sibh fein air bhur confinigead/z

anns an Tolboot/L .” Ann an sin sh uidh e sios

,mar is m ith ich

dh om h sa a dh e anam h , oir th a e agal orm gur h - ann a ch uir mi cusde uoh a inn air foigh idinn luch d na B e urla .

Professo1 Blackie,w hose rising was the signal for an outbu1st

of applause,said as he had been called upon to appear by th e

authority of th e chair he would do so ; but h e must, in the first

instance,protest against th e use made of his name . He never gave

any such authority as to say th at he w as to deliver an addre ss,

b

andh e would not do it . He had a special obj ection to deliveringaddresses for many reasons . He w as alw ays afraid that it woulddegenerate into a lecture or a sermon . He came there to beentertained

,and not to deliver an address . He came there to hear

the lovely sweet notes from those ladies,wh ich h ad been like

angels’ music from heaven . It wa s worth going a hundred milesto hear such singing

,and also to see old friends and old faces

,and

8 Gae lic Soc ie ty of Inve rne ss .

their beautiful town— one of the six chief beaut ies in Scotland .

He w ould commence geographically with Kelso, Edinburgh, Stirling

,Perth

,Aberdeen

,and Inverness . These were the six fine st

tow ns in Scotland, and perhaps among th e best in the world . He

w ould make no address, but he would tell them wh at he thoughtas an honest man . He thought the most precious heritage Godh ad given a people, after they had got out of th e stage of wandering barbarism and savagery, was a nationality . It took hundredsor th ousands of years to make a nation, and if it took that time to

grow ,don ’t let- them cut it dow n

,but rather root it like an oak in

th e forest. He believed that, at the present. time, influe nce s wereat w ork to undermine our nationality, and now h ere w ere theserevolutionary influe nc e s more operative

\

than in Edinburgh,where

th e people w ere being made mere flunkeys of Joh n Bull . Theeducation of Scotchmen was being neglected, otherw i se Scotch andGaelic songs should be sung in the schools , even should th eysacrifice the Latin and Greek grammars w holesale . He view edw ith suspicion the centralising machinery of the present day

,

because it destroyed th e variety of national types created by history. How w ould any of them l ike to see only one kind of

flow e r in their garden ? Why then should they h ave only onepattern of humanity in the country ? The Scotch people musttake care or they would be insidiously che ated . The Englishcould not defeat the Scotch at Bannockburn , but by th i s Londoncentralisation they w ould be strangled and th rottled . They mustse e and adopt measures on a larger scale . For that reason he wasfor Home Rule . Som e people w ished Home Rule as a matter of

business,but he was for Home Rule not for Ireland only

,but for

England and Scotland in order to preserve their national type andtheir national manners . He did not m ean to discuss the questionpolitically

,but as a man

,and as a Scotchman . We were swindled

out of our position in the world by the Union of 1707 . We madea bad bargain . He held that the Scottish Parliament— h e did notmean a separate Parliament— that th e Scottish part of the BritishParliament now existing, w ith the sixteen Scotch Lords in theHouse of Lords, sh ould m eet in Edinburgh every year for sixweeks, and do Scotch business before they proceeded to London .

He concluded by warmly emphasising th e importance of cherishingtheir mother tongue, wh ich they sh ould look upon as dear as theirm oth er’s milk . Let them learn their own songs, which w ere fullof noble traditions . These songs came direct from nature

,and

w ere qu ite intelligible, which could not be said of certain songs .Those fellows in London— those original fellow s- w anted to show

Annua l Asse m bly . 9

h ow clever th ey were in saying strange things . All popularG aelic and Scotch songs were true, and with these things theyc ould not go w rong.

Th e second part of th e programme w as then gone through ,which w as as follows

S ong Cam’

y e by Ath ol e M iss M ACAR’I‘HUR .

Song Flora M acdona ld ’

s Lam e nt M r B ALLANTYNE .

1Song Jock o’

H az e lde an M iss CLARA FRASER .

.Song (Gae l ic ).Danc e — Re e l of Tulloch O GANAI CH GHAIDB EAL ACH.

.Song Ea laidh Gh aoil M iss KATE FRASER .

Song 0’

a’

th e Airts “ M r D. M I L L ER.

S ong Willie ’

s gam e to M e lville Castle M rs M UNRO (M iss LI B B I E WATT).

The musical part of the programme was gone through w ithout.a hitch

,the vocal ists , with out exception, acquitting themselves

a dmirably. The programme was opened by M r Murdo Maclennan,

w h o appeared in th e High land dress,and gave a Gaelic song in a

manner w h ich elicited the h earty appreciation of the many presentw h o w ere familiar with the lang uage . Mrs Munro

,S trath peffer

(Miss Watt), rece ived an enthusiastic welcome on this her first

public appearance in Inverness since her marriage . Her song wasDoun the burn

,

” a fine Scotch ditty,w hich no northern vocalist

c an sing as well . Th e audience listened in great enjoyment,and

called forth an encore,when Mrs Munro gracefully responded with

Within a mile of Edinburgh toon,

”w ith the rendering of w hich

n one seemed more captivated than Professor Blackie . M r fEne as

Fraser,a prominent member of the Choral Union

,sang the next

song .

“ Th e March of the Cam e rO n Men” is one of M r Fraser’smasterpieces

,and he sung it on this occasion with a verve which

appealed to every Highlander present . The next artiste was MissC lara Fraser

,who sang w ith cultivated taste the melodious piece

,

A Dear Wifie . In response to an encore,Miss Fraser favoured

t h e house with the sw eet and ever popular ballad,

“ Annie Laurie,

with even better effect. M r Alexander Ross,who made a fine

s talw art Highlander, re - introduced the Gaelic element with“ ’S te igh learn a

’

Gh a idh e alta ch d ,” and responded to an encore

with an English version of the words . Miss Macarthur contributedto the programme popular selections on the pianoforte

,and the

song Cam ’

y e by Ath ol,” and in both departments proved her

self an able and accomplished young lady . Miss Macarthur washeartily encored for her singing, and, in response, gave

“ Soundth e Pibroch

,

”from the “ Songs of th e North

,

”w hich are now

becoming well known and popular. Macgregor’s Gathering was

led up to Professor Blackie ’s speech .

by four Highland dancers, and it provprogramme . The evening was now

terminated at — and a number of the audience had left th emeeting

,but those who remained were well rewarded for their

patience by hearing Mrs Munro sing “Willie ’s gane to MelvilleCastle

,

” to the music and humour of which sh e did captivatingjustice . During the evening the p1anoforte accompaniments wereably played by Miss 0 . Fraser, Church Street . The Ch airman proposed a vote of thanks to the perform ers

,which was very heartily

responded to . Sir Kenneth Matheson,Bart . of Ardross

,in a fe w

complimentary terms, proposed a vote of thanks'

to theChairman for presiding, and the assembly th ereafter terminatedby th e company singing Auld Lang Syne

,

” in wh ich the audienceheartily joined .

2811 N O VEM B ER,1888.

A largely attende'

d meeting w a s held on this date,Sir Henry

C . Macandrew, Provost of Inverness, in the chair. The Secretaryintimated th e follow ing donations towards th e library z— FromM r John M ‘Kay, C.E .

,Hereford

,Oratio Dominica 3

”M r A. H .

F . Cameron, Liverpool, The Mountain Heath M r D. WilliamKemp, Ivy Lodge , Edinburgh, Bishop Pocoke

’

s Tour in Sutherland and Caithness and “ Artific ial Lightning

,

” by M r D.

Bruce,Peebles .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

12 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss.

publish ed h is History of the Western Highlands and Islands fiftytwo years ago . Th e story, as told by Gregory, is th at in 1603

Th e Clanranald of Glengarry, under Allan M acrana ld of Lundie,m ade an irruption into

‘Brae-Ross,and plundered th e lands of

Kilch rist and other adjacent lands belonging to the Mackenzies .”

U p to th is point th ere is evidence to support Gregory .- B ut he

goes on to say, this foray wa’

s signalised by the merciless burning of a w hole congregation in the Church of Kilch rist

,w hile

Glengarry’s piper marched round the building mocking the on es

o f th e unfortunate inmates w ith the well-known pibroch w hich hasbeen know n ever since under the name of Kil ich rist, as the familytune of Clanranald of Glengarry.

” This is,as I have said

,the

earliest printed notice of the burning of the Church of Cil lie ch riost,but th at there w a s a floating tradition of the burning of a churchfull of people by the Macdonalds of Glengarry, long before Gregorywrote

,i s proved by a passage in Joh nson’

s Tour to the Hebrides

( p. 108, l st where the author relates th at as he sat at thetable of Sir Alexander Macdonald at Armadale, in Skye, and theparty w ere being entertained by the music of the bagpipes

,an

e lderly gentleman informed us that in some remote time the Macdonalds of Glengarry, having been injured or offended by theinhabitants of Culloden

,and resolving to have justice or vengeance,

came to Culloden on a Sunday,where

,find ing their enemies at

worship,they shut th em up in the Church

,which they se t on fire

and this,said h e

,i s th e tune th at the piper played while they

were burning. This story w as told to Johnson in 1773, and it'

i sworth noting that he renders the name given to h im of th e placewhere the burning took place into Culloden— a name with w hichhe w as naturally fam iliar. Hugh Miller in his Schools andSchoolmasters makes a passing reference to the passage in John

.son, and says that th e scene of the atrocity was the Church of

Cill ie ch riost, not Culloden . The O rigines Pa roch ia les repeats the

story of th e burning of the Church,and quotes Hugh Miller in

addition to Gregory and th e auth orities quoted by him. SirThomas Dick Lauder ’s Legend of Allan w ith the Red Jacket ”

gives an extended version of the story of the Raid of Cill ie ch riost,

touched up here and there by bits of local colour, which, whilethey serve to present the narrative in an attractive form

,put an

e nd to any pretension it might have to be treated as serioush istory. In th e History of th e Mackenzies

,

”M r Alexander Mac

kenzie treats the w h ole tradition of th e Raid of Cill ie ch riost ashistorical fact, and not merely so

,but he embodies in h is h istory a

narrative which appeared in a book entitled Highland Tales and

A Mode rn Ra id . 13

Legends,edited by himself

,containing statements which there

never w as even a restige of tradition to w arrant. According tothe veracious author of th ose tales

,Allan M acranald

,whose

personal prowess w a s only equalled by his intense ferocity,burn

ing to avenge th e losses of his clan in recent encounters with theMackenzies

,and particularly the d eath of the young Ch ief of

Glengarry (to w hose body a tradition,not mentioned by th e

w riter,says unspeakable indignity w as offered at the church of

Kintail), gathered together a number of th e most desperate of theclan

,and by a forced march a rrived at the Church of Cillie ch riost

on a Sunday forenoon,w hile it was fill e d w ith worshippers of th e

Clan Mackenzie . Surrounding th e building, the Macdonalds setfire to the thatched roof. Wh ile a gentle breeze from the eastfanned th e flam e s

,the song of pra ise mingled with the crackling

of the flames until th e worshippers, becoming conscious of theirsituation

,rushed to th e door and window s

,wh ere they were met

by a double row of bristling swords . The writer th en goes on to

describe the w ild wail of despair, the shrieks of women,th e

infuriated cries of men,and the helpless screaming of ch ildren

,

w hich,mingled w ith th e roar of th e flames

,appal led the Mac

donalds,but not Allan Dubh , w h o commanded that all wh o

attempted to escape should be thrust back into the flames,and

th ey were thrust back or mercilessly hewn down within the narrowporch until the dead bodies piled upon each other opposed an

insurmountable barrier to th e living .

” Mothers threw theirchildren from the window s

,but at the command of Allan of

Lundie,they were received on the points of the broadsw ords of

men in whose breasts mercy had no place .

” The Macdonalds aredescribed as listening with delight during the tragedy to the piperof the band

,who played round the burning building

,to drow n th e

screams of th e victims,an extempore pibroch

,which h as ever sin ce

been th e w ar-tune of Glengarry . Th en follows this brilliant pieceof writing—

“ East,West

,North

,and South, looked Allan Dubh

M a cranu il . Not a living soul met his eye . not a soundm e t his ear

,and h is own tiger soul sunk within him in dismay .

The parish of Cil lie ch riost seemed swept of every living thing .

The fearful silence th at prevailed in a quarter lately so thicklypeopled

,struck his followers with dread

,for they had given in one

h our 1h e inhabitants of a whole parish one terrible grave . Th e

desert w hich they had created fill e d them with dismay,heigh tened

into terror by the h ow ls of the m asterless sheep-dogs,and they

turned to fly . The w riter then goes 0 11 to say th at Allan, beforeleaving Cil lie ch riost, divided his party into two, one returning by

14 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

Glenconvm th ,and the oth er by Inverness. He then describes the

pursuit of th e tw o parties, th e former, which w as under thecommand of Allan himself, by a party of Mackenzies under Alexander Mackenzie of 0 0 111

,and th e latter by a party under Murdoch

Mackenzie ofRedcastle . Redcastle overtook th e Macdonalds he wasin pursuit of while they were in a h ouse at Torbre ck, near Inverness ,resting. He se t th e house on fire , and th e Macdonalds, thirty-sevenin number

,suffered th e death wh ich , according to th e writer, th ey

h ad earlier in th e day so wantonly inflict e d . Th e party under Coul,

says th e w riter,overtook th e Macdonalds as th ey were resting

on th e h ills tow ards th e burn of Aultsigh , a burn which w e

know lies to the south of Glen -Urquh art and betw een it andGl enm oriston . The Macdonalds fle d towards the burn

,but many

missed the ford and fell unde r‘

th e swords of the Mackenzies . Theremainder held on for miles, and, when morning daw ned, Allanand h is party were seen ascending th e southern ridge of GlenUrquhart (that is, still towards th e Aultsigh ), with the Mackenziesclose in th eir rear. Allan called on h is men to disperse

,and th en

set forward at th e heigh t of h is speed, but, after a time, found theMackenzies still follow ing him in one unbroken mass . Again

,

says the writer,Allan divided his m en

,and bent his fl ight towards

the shore of Loch Ness, but the foe still followed h im . He thencommanded his fe w remaining followers to leave him

,and they

d id se . What follows h ad better be given in the writer’s ownw ords Taking a short course towards the fearful ravine of

Au ltsigh (one would like to ask the writer if th i s is th e sameAultsigh near which the previous nigh t

’s battle took place), hedivested himself of h is plaid and buckler

,and turning to the

leader of the Mackenzies,who had nearly come up to him

,

beckoned him to follow 5 then,with a fe w yards of a run

,he

sprang over the yawning chasm . Mackenzie attempted to follow,

but only succeeded in touch ing the opposite bank w ith his toes .Slipping down, he clung to a slender sh oot of hazel which grewover th e brink . Allan

,noticing th e agitation of th e hazel

,

returned,and

,saying to Mackenzie, I have given much to your

race this day, I sh all give them this also, — surely now the debt ispaid, out th e tw ig w ith h is sword

,and Mackenzie w as dashed

from crag to crag until he reached the stream below a bloody andmis—sh apen mass . ” Allan recomm enced his fl ight

,but

,being

w ounded by a musket shot from one of the Mackenzies,

’

he plungedinto Loch Ness, and swam tow ards the oppos ite shore . Allan ’

s

friend, Fraser of Foyers, attracted by the sight of the armed menon th e opposite side of th e loch

,and seeing a man swimming

,h ad

A Mode rn Ra id. 15

h is boat launche d, and rescued Allan, who remained in th e houseo f Foyers until h is wound w as cured .

Such is th e account given of th e raid of Cill ie ch riost in theHigh land Tales and Legends, and quoted in the History of theMackenzies

,and it is quoted in all seriousness without com ment

,

— all but th e statement that the leader of the Mackenzies w ask illed

,which M r Mackenzie correctly points out w a s not the fact .

Alexander Mackenzie of Coul,the leader of the party w h o went in

pursuit of Allan M acranald,i s known to have lived until 1650

forty-seven years after the raid . In this very important particular

,therefore

,of the fate of th e leader

,th e legend is admittedly

inaccurate . Moreover,its account of the battle 0 11 the banks of

th e Aultsigh , th e subsequent pursuit by moonlight, until in themorning th e Macdonalds were seen ascending the southern ridgeof Glen-Urquhart

,still towards the Aultsigh they h ad been fle e ing

from all nigh t,i s a grotesque absurdityf Th e fearful silence

,of

w hich the chief ch aracteristic was the bow ling of masterless sh eepd ogs, is somewhat difficult to real ise, and it is quite as difficult tounderstand h ow if, as is stated in one sentence, the Macdonaldshad given th e inhabitants of a wh ole parish one terrible grave

,

the next can be true w hich states that the terrible deed roused theMackenzies as effectually as if th e fie ry cross had been sentth rough their territories . If the first statement were true

,th ere

would be no Mackenzie left in Kilch rist to carry the fie ry cross, orto be roused by the terrible deed .

Stripped, h owever, of its admitted inaccuracies and of its

unintelligibilities,the narrative contains these assertions

,the truth

of which I mean to test1 . That th e Church of Cillie ch riost with its congregation of

worshippers was burnt by th e Macdonalds under Allan Macranald of Lundy in 1603 and

2 . Th at the Macdonalds fled hurriedly from Cil l ie ch riost, and,

w hen pursued by the Mackenzies,their fligh t became a rou t.

Th e tw o must to some extent be taken together.It w ill be remembered th at

,so far as the reading public is con

cerned,the story of the burning of the Church originated with

G regory . Th e authorities quoted by Gregory are the LetterfearnM S . ; Sir Robert Gordon

’s History of Sutherland, p . 248g and

Reg . Privy Seal XCIV. 142 . I h ave not seen the LetterfearnM S

,but I h ave seen one of earlier date

,which I shall immediately

refer to . Sir Robert Gordon’s History was written in 1639,and

the write r w as an interested spectator of events in th e High lands.for many years before that. At the date of the raid, he w as 23

16 Ga e l ic Socie ty of Inve rne ss.

years of age . What he says at the place cited by Gregory isThe year of God 1602 , th e tribe of Clan Kenzie fell at variancewith the Laird of Glengarry (one of the Clanranald), who, beingunexpert and unskilful in the law s of the realm,

th e Clan Kenzieeasily entrapped h im within the compass thereof, and secretlych arged h im (but not personally) to appear before th e Justic e atEdinburgh, h aving, in th e meantime, slain tw o of his kinsmen .

Glengarry , not knowing, or neglecting the charge and summons,came not to Edinburgh at the prefixt day, but went about to»

avenge th e slaugh ter of his kinsmen, whereby he w as denouncedrebel and outlawed together with divers of his follow ers . So bythe means and credit of the Earl of Dunfermline , Lord Chancellorof Scotland, Kenneth Mackenzie, Lord of Kintail

,did purchase a

commission against Glengarry and his m e n,

'

w h e reby proceededgreat slaughter and trouble . Mackenzie , being assisted by th e

neighbouring countries,by virtue of his commission

, w ent intoMorall and spoiled Gl engarrie his countrey, wasting and destroying the same with fire and sw ord at his pleasure . Th en

,in his.

return from Morall,he be se idge d the Castle of Strome, which in

end was rendered onto him by the Captain onto w hom Gl engarrie

had committed th e defence thereof. The Earl of Sutherland (byreason of the old friendship and amitie between his family and th eClan Kenzie) sent twelve score well-appointed and chosen men toassist Mackenzie in this expedition

,who w ere conducted by John

Gordoun of Em bo . Thereafter Mackenzie did invade Gl engarriehis eldest son whom they killed with sixty of his followers

,not

without some slaughter of th e Clan Kenzie likewise . In end,after

great slaughter on either syd, they came to a friendl ie aggrie m ent

and d e cre it—arb itral l,whereby Gl engarrie (for to obteyne his peace)

wes glaid to quyte and renunce to Kenneth Mackenzie (w h o w a s

afterwards created Lord of Kinta il e ) the inheritance of the Stromewith the land adjacent . Th us doe the tryb of Clan Kenzie becomegreat in these pa irts, still encroaching upon their neighbours, who ,

are onacqu e nte d with th e law es of this Kingdom e .

”

[Gordon’

s

Earldom of Sutherland, p . 248 ] It will thus be seen that Sir

Robert Gordon,w hile treating with some detail the quarrel

between the Mackenzies and th e Macdonalds— even noticing th ekilling of two of Glengarry ’s kinsmen by Lord Kintail makes no

reference to th e raid of Cill ie ch riost, which , if it had involved themurder and sacrilege which Gregory ascribed to it

,would surely

have been deemed worthy of notice by a contemporary historiantreating of the relations of the parties to it

,and favourably dis

posed to the Mackenzies. Perhaps,however

,the most important

A Mode rn Ra id.

fact for us at present is that Gordon does not say a w ord towarrant th e statement for which Gregory quotes h im as auth ority .

I have not been able to consult the Register of t h e Privy Sealreferred to by Gregory, but it h a s been examined for

me by Sir William Fraser,and it dorms not support

Gregory’s account

,wh ile it is in exact accord w ith that given

in th e “ Ch iefs of Grant,

w hich I shall imme d iately quote.Th is leaves us with th e Letterfearn M S . It is somewh at unsa tis

factory to h ave to dispose of its auth or ity with out h aving seen it,but let it be assumed th at it states the church and congregationwere burnt . My answ er is

,It cannot be true . The Letterfearn

M S . is said to h ave been written by M r Joh n Macrae, w h o becameminister of Dingwall in 1674, and wh o w as in all probability bornabout 1640 . Th e raid of Cill ie ch riost

,th erefore

,took place

betw een thirty and forty years before h is birth . This,ho wever,

w ould not be enough to discredit such an account in th e Letterfearn M S . if it contained it . But if there is an earlier M S . thanth e Letterfearn one

,of at least equal auth ority in every oth er

respect,and containing a detailed account of the raid , th en th at

account must be accepted in preference to any later one . Such anaccount w e h ave in a M S . history of th e Mackenzies, written eitherby M r Farquh ar Macrae

,who w as born at Islandona in in 1580,

w ho became ministe r of Kintail and Constable of I slandona in in16 18

,and w h o l ived until 1662

,or by his son

,M r John

Macrae (th e uncle of th e writer of the Letterfearn M S . ) w h o w a s

born in 1614,e leven years after the raid

,and w h o became minister

of Dingw all in 1640 . Both father and son were favouriteswith Earls Colin and George of Seaforth , the latter of w hom 0 11

trusted th e education of h is son,Kenneth

,Lord Kintail

,w h o

became third Earl of Seaforth 0 11 h is fath er’s death in 1651, to

M r Farquhar. Th e contents of th e M S . w ould point to M r Far

quh ar Macrae a s th e w riter of it . Th e document bears internalevidence of its genuineness, and it is the Ancient M S .

”so fre

quently quoted by M r Mackenzie in his “ History of th e M ac

kenzies . I a m indebted to M r Mackenzie for the opportunity of

exam ining and quoting from it . Much of the Letterfearn M S .

w as,I am informed by M r M ackenzie

,copied from it. Th e account

th is M S . gives of th e Raid of Cill ie ch riost is as follow s Sh ortlyafter th is

,Allan M a cranald of Lundy made ane onset to th e Braes

of Ross,and burnt the lands of Cil l ie ch roist and other adjacent

towns, w hereupon my Lord Kintail sends tw o parties in pursu it ofh im

,one commanded by Murdo M ackenzie of Redcastle

,the other

by A lexander Mackenzie of Coul . Redcastle went the w av of

18 Gae lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

Inverness to Strath e rrick, and, accidentally, in a tow n called Torriebre ck, he gets intelligence th at Angus M a crory and thirty-six of

h 1s follow ers were drinking in a change -house near by . A m an of

Redcastle,being well acquaint, called Donald M ackenne th Peiper,

led them secretly to th e h ouse, sets it on fire, and every man ascame out th ey killed . Ranald himself coming at last to th e door,he sough t quarters , which Redcastle would have granted him,

butone Donald M accurch ie said, You shall have such quarters as you

gave to Donald M acconoch y Chyle (this Donald w as a very prettyfellow of th e Clan Ian Odhar, w h o w a s ki lled by th is Rana ld afterhe h ad given him quarter, when young Glengarry h arried Lochcarron), se , when he understood there was no mercy for him,

heran out . Th e oth er gave such a race after him, came so near h imth at he could not shoot him,

struks him with the bow on the head,

which he brake,throw s him flat to the ground

,but or he can

recover himself,he sticket him with his dirk (so w e may see one

ill turn meets another). O f his company none escaped, except onesubtle fellow (which I cannot forget), w h o came out at the roof ofthe house

,began to tirr it and crying for water, and said, with a

loud voice,Mackenzie

,th ough you have a quarrel against the

Clan Ram ald,I hope you have none against my master and me

,

w h en you burn my house after this manner. ’ With this he w entfree

,a s if h e had been landlord indeed

,and Redcastle turns home

ward with his company . The other party that went withAlexander Mackenzie of Coul went th e way of Beauly to Urquh artand to Gl enm oriston

,and fore take s Allan M a cranald resting th em

selves on a sh e ill in little huts,near a rough burn called Aldsayh .

Giving the alarm,some of them

,w ith Allan

,fought manfully

,

others fle d,which all al ike of them were forced in end to do

,but

,

as their misfortune w a s,they missed the ford

,the burn was so

rough running twixt tw o craigs that severals broke their bonesthere , sh unning their killing they met death in their way, butB anald

, being half naked as he fle d,lapp just over it

,and made

his e scape of all the rest. Th e pursuers seeing him loupe and onthe other side

,notw ith standing thereof

,could not be persuaded he

( l id it, and no m an ever saw th at place yet that could believe it,

which, being several times asked of himself afterw ards,he said he

knew sensibly he loupt that very place, but h ow he came over th athe knew not, except it w a s w ith the wings of fear and providence .but give h im a l l the world he would not try it again .

Th is is the earliest written account of the Raid of Cil l1e ch riost,and the fact that it tells the story of the raid without in the mostremote way suggesting that anything so terrible and unusual a s

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20‘

G’

a e /ic Socie ty of Inverne ss .

William O l eph ant of New ton Knight, our Advocate, for our interest

,for not finding of suffic ient caution and surety to our Justi c e

Clerk and h is Deputes,acted in our books of adjournal that he

should compear before our Justic e and h is deputes,and underlie

th e laws for the treasonable and w ilful l raising of fire,and cruelly

and numerciful ly murdering and slaying of the said umquhileAl exander M acCaye , umquh ile Johne, and umquhile Donald MacCay is, and Alexander Ga ld, and tenants to th esaid M r John Mackenzie

,of the said tow n and lands of Gilch riste

,

burn ing and destroying oi'

the number of twenty—seven dw ellinghouses within the said town

,with the barns

,byres

,and kilns

belonging th ereto, and burning and destroying of th e said M r

John his baill librarie and books,together with twenty score bolls

oats and eigh t score bolls be1 e,being in the said M r Johne h is

barn and barnyard,and th e ftously stealing and away-taking of nine

piece of horse with the said M r Johne his own best h orse,th 1 e e

score ten oxen and kye,and that m the month of September

,the

year of God 1603 years,th e time of the feud then standing

betwixt umquhile Kenneth Lord Kinta il l and Donald M acangus of

Gle ngarrie .

”

This narration,says Sir Will iam Fraser

,divests the raid of

Cill ie ch riost of its traditionary horrors , and reduces it to thedimensions .of an attack by a party of Macdonalds

,under Allan

dubh M acranald,upon th e Archdean of Ross

,w h o

,being a Mac

kenzie of prominence,would be peculiarly obnoxious to the raiders .

The resistance of th e Arch de an ’

s tenants to the attack on theirlaird probably incited the Macdonalds to extend their destructiveoperations to th eir dw ell ings in addition to that of the Archdean

,

and in the strife several of th e tenants w ere slain . It is im possible to suppose th at h ad any terrible sacrilege and cruelty takenplace such a s tradition relates

,it w ould have been omitted from

the ch arge against the Laird of Lundie, especially wh en th e Archdean himself was the author of theIt is difficult to overtake and more difficult to kill a falsehood

when it gets a day’s start . How much more d ifficul t when it gets

a start of more than a century . It is for th ose who allege th at th emen of Glengarry committed the atrocity of burning a church fullof people to prove their case . I f th ey say it i s proved by a tradition

,I reply that there never w as a vestige of tradition even to

justify the h orrible details piled up by the writer of the legend

quoted by M r Mackenzie in his H1story of the Mackenzies . ” S e

far as th ese are concerned w e are able to say that they

Ch ie fs of Grant, Vol . I . , ma. 221-2 .

AMode rn Ra id . 21

originated in the fertile brain of the nineteenth centurywriter quoted— I must say improperly quoted— by M r M ao

kenzie . As to the bare tale th at a church and congregation were burnt at Kilch rist

,of which th ere is a tradition, I

say that, in the face not merely of the absence of contemporarye vidence to support it, but of the positive evidence afforded byc ontemporary w riters , one of w hom

,the w riter of the “ Ancient

M S ,

” describes the w hole raid,and

,in spite of what w ould h ave

s eemed,h ad the story of the burning of the ch urch occurred, th e

d ivine retribution which overtook many of th e raiders at Torbre ckon the same day

,says nothing of a ch urch being burnt, while he

describes all else minutely— in the face of that evidence I say th etradition must yield . Th e proceedings taken nineteen years afterby the Arch dean of Ross

,and the narrative given in th em, dispel

a ny remaining vestige of doubt .It may be objected that the Archdean only pursued Allan of

Lundie for th e loss sustained by himself and h is own tenants, andthat mention of th e burning of the church and congregation wasnot a matter on account of wh i ch he w ould persona lly prosecute .

Perhaps so,but no one w h o reads the Privy Counci l Records of

th e period will maintain that even in a semi—private prosecutiona rising out of the raid, the fact th at one m an even h ad been burntto death would have remained unmentioned if it w ere the fact.Th e meaning of th e narrative in the letter of gift manifestly isth at the men were killed in tight w hile resisting th e raiders.What th en becomes of th e promenade of Glengarry ’ s piper roundth e burning church improvising a ne w pibroch ? Th en

,w h y

should not th e burning of th e church h e complained oi,if it took

place,as well as the twenty- seven houses 2 Th ese h ouses no more

belonged to the Archdean than the church , ye t he mentions thefact that they and th eir barns

,byres

,and kilns w ere burnt

,not

because they belonged to h im,but as part of the narrative h e laid

before the Crown describing the raid in order to obtain the conc urrence of the Lord Advocate to th e criminal prosecution . Thenarrative names four persons w h o w ere killed

,and it indicates that

there may h ave been a fifth . Th at is th e death -roll of the raid .

Had it been O therwise,the complaint w ould have mentioned th e

fact . An examination of th e Privy Council Records of th e time,

when such complaints were com m on,will prove this . Wh at then

becomes of the church full of men,w om en

,and children 21 There

is some reason to believe,m oreover

,that th e Arch dean himself

w as at the time serving the cure of Cil lie ch riost— a t a l l events,h e

h ad h is residence th ere,and was certainly incumbent of the neigh

22 Gae lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

h e ur ing parish of Kil l e arnan ,and Cil l ie ch riost w a s w ithin th e

Diocese in w h ich he was a high ch urch dignitary . Is it probablethat th is gentleman w ould h ave m ade th e burning of twenty

-sevenblack h ouses matter of complaint to th e Privy Council and noteven refer to the fact th at a ch urch with in h is Diocese had beenburnt at the same time w ith its w hole congregation ? The thingis incredible . In a letter I h ad a fe w days ago from Sir WilliamFraser

,th at learned writer says,

“ had such an outrage occurred,

it could not fail to h ave been specially noticed in th e proceedingsagainst th e raiders, and the absence of any such ch arge againstth em outw eighs th e tradition how ever precise . Many traditionsas persistent and precise as th is about the burning of thew orsh ippers h ave been exploded .

The origin of the tradition is not far to seek . There is a mucholder tradition th at in 1487 , before th e battle of Park

,th e Mac

donalds burnt th e ch urch of the neigh bouring parish of Contin,

w ith a large number of Mackenzies who h ad fle d to 1t for refugein th e belief th at their enemies w ould respect their sanctuaryIt is easy to understand h ow

,in th e course of years

,the two

stories got mixed, until now the earlier association of the burningof worshippers w ith th e Contin church is forgotten

,and the story

transferred to Cill ie ch riost . It is not at all improbable,too

,th at

Contin was th e name mentioned in Dr Joh nson’

s presence,a lthough

he rendered it Culloden,either through imperfect hearing or imper

fee t recollection .

The church burning part of the story disposed oi,the

remainder of the tradition is not of so m uch consequence,but it

is instructive to know that the most ardent believers in thetradition say that there is no place on the Aultsigh w here Allan ’

s

w onderful leap could have been made . True,th ey point to

another place a fe w miles away,which might fit into the tradition .

But th e tradition that Aultsigh w a s the place is precise,and w as

as universally accepted as the burning of the church,until scrut in

ised . Again, th e story of the leap into Loch Ness and th e rescueby Fraser of Foyers is contradicted by local traditions in Glengarry and Gl e nm oriston .

In the form er,the tradition is th at th e Laird of Lundie

returned home im mediately after the raid,and

,in Gl enm oriston

,

tradition points out the place half a mile below Torgoyl e Bridge,where Allan and his people crossed the River M oriston 0 11 theirreturn h ome from the raid . And this not only fits in w ith theother local traditions connected w ith th e raid

,but it accounts for

A Mode rn Ra id. 23

the carrying off of the Archdean of Ross ’s cattle— an impossiblefeat h ad th e fligh t from Cill ie oh riost been so h urried and the subsequent rout of th e raiders been so complete as the writer quotedby M r Mackenzie would h ave us believe . Th e proceedings by th eArch dean state th at 70 cattle were taken from Cill ie ch riost

,and

th e fact that th e proceedings were taken 19years afterw ards sh ow sth at th e raiders succeeded in carrying them away

,and th at any

pursuit wh ich may have taken place w as unsuccessful . Theraiders

,th erefore

,would seem to have returned home somewhat

leisurely,and th e skirmish at Aultsigh w as probably no more

th an a ch ance encounter betw een a rear -guard of the Macdonalds,under Allan himself

,and a pursuing party of the Mackenzies

,w h o

came up too late to engage t h e main body of th e Macdonalds .

The w rite r of th e ancient M S . says noth ing of a leap into LochNess or a rescue by Fraser of Foyers

,and th e inference is fair

that Allan returned to Glengarry . Th e fact th at h e h ad two

hiding-places in his nati ve glen goes to show that he w as soughtfor by a force so strong th at h e could not hope to beat them inopen figh t . It is extremely improbable th at against such a forceth e Laird of Foyers would have been able to defend h im . It i smuch more probable th at Allan reached his native glen and h isisland fastness immediately after th e raid . He had not been longat Lundie w h en

,according to local tradition, a strong body of

Kintail Mackenzies surrounded th e Loch and attempte d to capturehim in th e night time . Allan w a s alone

,and

,but for h is boldness

w ould h ave been lost . He adopted tactics similar to thoseadopted by th e blacksmith of Moy

,nearly a century and a half

later,to deceive his foes . Pretending to have a large body of

men at hand he called in a loud voice,

“ Our common enemy ishere

,surround th em . Midnight courage is a rare thing, and the

Kintail men fearing to meet a superior force of whose dispositionthey knew noth ing, took to fligh t over the hill . Allan fol low edthem

,and by shooting an arrow at one of his fle e ing foes when he

got him between h im and th e sky-l ine

,h e succeeded in killing

twenty-one of them before they reached the summit of the hill .This tradition can

,of course

,only be accepted with very consider

able m odification . It is,how ever

,instructive as showing th e tw o

l ines in which tradition has gone in dealing w ith Allan M a cranald .

In h is ow n country he h as been made a miracle of bravery andskill as a leader . In the country of his enemies the Mackenzies

,

he has been ma de a miracle of ferocity.

After th is,Allan

,it is said

,felt that his island must be supple

m ente d by a second retreat,and the cave wa s prepared . H e

24 Ga e l ic 8o.c19ty of Inve rne ss .

secured th e services of a mason from the low country to make uphis cave

,and when the mason work was finish e d and the cave

ready for occupation , Allan asked his assistant to go inside and se e

if all w a s right . Th is the mason did, and, as he came out, thehero of Cil l ie ch riost struck off his head

,so that no one but himself

sh ould know of the hiding place . O n the moor overhead,at a

spot a fe w hundred yards low er dow n the stream,a place is

sh own w h ere a flat stone l e t into the ground is said to mark th e

mason’

s grave . So long as Allan of Lundie was believedguilty of burning women and children in th e Church of Gilliech riost

,th is story might h ave been credible, but if the raid

of Cil lie ch riost was what I take it to have been, a successful foray by a h andful of Glengarry men l e d by Allanof Lundie

,a brave and skilfu

'

l captain, into the heart of th e territory of a foe much more numerous th an th emselves, if th e story ofth e fligh t of the Kintail men from Loch Lundie is even partiallytrue

,th en the story of the dastardly treach ery to the mason is

incred ible . The fearless leader of the men of Glengarry could nothave done it.

We were able to examine all the islands on Loch Lund1eth rough the kindness of M r Malcolm

,Invergarry

,w h o placed a

guide and a boat at our disposal . One at least of th e islands onth e Loch i s artificial

,and anoth er

,a larger island

,i s joined by an

a rtific ia l causeway to the mainland .

GL ENM O RISTO N AND ITS TRADITIONS .

Leaving Loch Lundie and its islands,w e proceeded a sh ort

distance along the road,and then starting 0 11 to the right, began

to climb the ridge separating Glengarry from Gl e nm oriston . Asomewhat rough ride of six or seven miles over peat bags and rocksbrought us to th e summit of the ridge . In a moment Gl enm oris

ton from Ce anacroc to Dundreggan broke upon our sight,

affording in its beautiful and cultured loveliness. such a contrastto th e bleak and dreary scenes through w hich w e had been ridingfor h ours th at it looked like a bit of fairyland suddenly disclosedto us . But w e soon had our attention called to obj ects of interestnearer at h and . All around us w ere rude cairns of stones,n ( ne of them large, but all built w ith some degree of careof th e stones found in the vicinity . There is no name norinscription outside, and no burial inside , but yet each cairnis th e record of a burial — a pathetic record of man’s longingto h ave his bones laid with the dust of his kindred . After

A Mode rn Ra id. 25

the Glengarry em igrations of the latter part of th e last centurya nd th e beginning of th e present

,th at glen w a s to some extent

re -peopled from Gl enm oriston . But the hearts of the migratedpe ople remained in th eir native glen, and th eir last wish w a s thatth eir dust should be carried back over th e h ill

,and laid in the old

ch urchyard of Gl enm oriston— h ow old no one know s— where theira ncestors h ad been buried for generations . And as one after theo th er the emigrants— emigrants from home

,a lthough only to a

neighbouring glen— died,th eir surviving kin and neighbours car

ried th e '

rude coffin over th e bleak moor,mile after mile toil somely,

and sadly and silently enough,until th ey reached this spot

,w here

th e glen they still called home lay like a lovely picture below them .

Behind lay th e land of th eir adoption,bleak

,barren

,brow n

,and

cold— colder still as the land of the stranger. In front,below th e

softly w ooded slopes, ran smoothly along its pearl-besprinkled bedth e lovely M oriston , w ith th e narrow h augh lands on either bank,clothed in mixed green and gold of the ripening grain . Whatwonder then that th e spot w here

,after perh aps years of absence,

the old home came once more in sight — in sigh t to a l l on that hilltop but th e forever closed eyes of their silent burden — the Highlander should instinctively build a cairn a s his far—aw ay ancestorsdid w h ere a warrior died . And such i s th e history of the Ceann

.a -l-M h a im cairns .A sh ort w ay down the slope on the Gle nm oriston side a series

of gravelly ridges runs along the flank of the hill . Th ey form anoticeable feature in the landscape

,and local tradition connects

them with an invasion of th e glen by th e m e n of Skye somewherein the fifte enth century . Whether such an invasion ever tookplace or not th e ridges are much older th an th at, for our geologist

(the Senior Bailie) had no difficulty in pronouncing them th e lateral m oraines of a glacier which fil l e d Gl e nm oriston a long timebefore Sky e m e n began to invade the mainland .

Remounting our ponies after examining the moraines,a sh ort

steep ride brought us to a portion of General Wade ’s road fromFort-Augustus

,follow ing w h ich w e came to the ne w road through

Gl enm oriston,and th en , crossing th e river by the ford at Achlain,

w e visited the old churchyard of Gl e nm oriston — one of th e oldestin the country— in the centre of w h ich lie th e bones of the anoest ors of our host

,w hose family

,Mac-Ian—Ch aoil

,w a s one of four

septs of Macdonalds,w h o w ere pow erful in Gl e nm oriston until the

d ownfall of the Lordship of th e Isles . Nocw ith stand ing thetransfer of th e patrimony of th eir Ch ief and Clan to theG rants

,these Macdonalds stuck to their glen

,and they remain

26 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

there honoured and honourable to this day , In or near th ech urchyard th ere was at one time a Roman Catholic Ch apel,th e only vestige of which now is a stone rudely hollow ed into th eform of a basin, wh ich w a s at one tim e probably used as a HolyWater Font at the Chapel door.Leaving th e ch urch yard, a fe w minutes brought us to the

schoolh ouse,wh ere Mrs Macpherson (th e niece of our host) had for

hours h ad w aiting for us a table loaded with good things, afterpartaking of wh ich w e w ere fain to seek our pillows, but th ere w asso much to comment and speculate on that

,notw ithstanding four

A .M . was fixed for turning out, it w as a good h our past midnightbefore we separated .

Breakfast between four and five in the morning is not usuallya hearty meal

,but know ing

,th ough only by report

,something of

'

wh at w a s before us,w e made it as hearty as we could . Starting

by from Gl enm oriston Schoolh ouse,a run of a mile along th e

left bank of the M oriston brought us to Torgoyl e Bridge , and themain road th rough O

Gl enm oriston . As we drove along,our host

,

afire w ith th e love and pride of h is native glen, had story or legend‘

for every mile of the way . Here,on the left

,was the road by

which that ill-mannered,though inspired, giant, Dr Samuel John

son,rode from Fort—Augustus to Skye . Yonder sheep-fank at th e

roadside,on your right

,i s all that remains of Aonach Inn

,where

Joh nson and Boswell passed the night,and where Joh nson

,desiring

to do a politeness to the Innkeeper’s daughter,whom he found

,

apparently to his surprise,to be a young lady of some education,

presented her w ith a book he had purchased in Inverness— a copyof Cocker’s Arithmetic That green spot on the other side of th eriver is B a ll indrom

,w h ere our host’s great-grandfathe r lived in.

1746, and there, two h undred yards nearer the river, i s where adetachment of th e Royal Arm y encamped while the turbulentHighlanders were being quelled, and their Prince hunted for afterCulloden . Wh ile the troops w ere so encamped above

,a son w as

born to the man below . B ut the Gl e nm oriston men were knownto h ave been in sympathy with the Stuart cause

,and to have been

on their w ay to j oin the Prince on the day of Culloden, and to.

have turned back only on meeting t h e fugitives from that fatalfie l d . From the time therefore that the King’s troops pitchedth eir camp in the Glen until they left it

,th e people were murdered

and robbed at the sw eet will of th e Duke of Cumberland ’s gentlemen . In the hope that in their absence their wives and familieswould be safe from insult

,many of the men of Gl enm oriston left

their homes for a time,and took up their abode m the recesses of

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Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

prisoner. At th is point, says the tradition, the Mac -Ian-Ch aoil

sallied forth at th e h ead of his men, attacked the Camerons, andrescued their prisoner. Th e Camerons managed, however, inretreating

,to carry off seven of th e Gordons wh om th ey had

taken,but

,finding th eir prisoners an incumbrance th ey struck

off th eir h eads at Cnockna ce ann,a name which survives to testify

to the tragedy . Not content, says tradition, with merely rescuingthe Marquis

,the Mac—Ian-Ch aoil nursed h im until he h ad

recovered from h is w ound,and th en had him sent safely home .

The tradition goes on to narrate that some time afterw ards Macd onald being in Strathbogie went to Gordon Cast le and askedfor th e Marquis . For a long time he was denied access b y theretainers

,to whom he was unknown, but his persistency in the

end led to the Marquis being told of the rough- looking High landerw h o stood at the door of Gordon Castle demanding access to itsmaster. When th e Marquis knew w h o his visitor was

,he not

only w elcomed him a s an h onoured guest and as one to whom h e

o w ed his life,but he caused a lintel to be put over the chief

entrance to Gordon Castle,bearing this Gaelic inscription, Cha

bh i Mac Iain Ch aoil a mach agus Gordonach a stigh”

— that aMac Ian Ch aoil shall not be w ith out and a Gordon w ithin . So

says tradition,and looking to the gigantic proportions of the

r epresentatives of Mac- Ian—Ch aoil in th e pre sent day, we couldwell believe th at the accession of even a very fe w of such men toone side would turn defeat into victory . As to th e rest of the.story is there not th e battl e fie ld and Cnockna c e ann and GordonCastle all to prove the truth of it

I am indebted to M r William Mackay, the author of a forthcoming History of the Glen and of the parish of which it formspart, for information w hich led me to w hat is probably thehistorical foundation of th e tradition . Students of Scots Historyin the 17th century know that when Montrose was maintaininghis heroi c struggle on behalf of Charles I . in Scotland

,in 1645

and the early part of 1646,until in compliance with the twice

repeated command of the King he disbanded h is army,th ere w as

none w h o gave h im such doubtful and half-hearted support as theMarquis of Huntly . Th e cause of Huntly ’s lukew armness wouldnot perh aps be far to seek . Montrose disbanded his forces inJ uly 16 46 and sailed for Norw ay on 3rd September following .

In December Huntly obtained a commission from the King,w h o

was with th e Scots army in England Virtually a prisoner,commis

sioning h im to levy forces in th e North . In'

J anuary 1647 theScots army committed th e infamy of giving up the King to th e

A Mode rn Ra id . 291

English,and Leslie march ed northw ard to suppress the rising

headed by Huntly. Th en w a s seen Huntly’s incapacity to fil l th e

place of Montrose,a leader w h ose greatness h e was too sm all a

man to se e — a leader too w ith w hom had h e loyally co-operated,

‘ th e h istory of our country migh t have been ch ang ed . Huntlyretreated before Leslie th rough Badenoch into Lochaber, w here h edisbanded his men

,retaining only a small party a s a body—guard

for himself and h is son . With th ese he continued h is fligh t

th rough th e Caledonian Valley . In Gl enm oriston,

says M r

Mackay,

“ h e was overtaken by General Middleton whom Lesli esent in pursuit, and a conflict followed in which h is party wasdefeated and several of h is men slain . He himself escaped for th etime

,but in Novem ber following h e w as taken prisoner in

Strathdon . It appears from the editor’s introduction to th e

Memoirs of Sir Ew en Cameron th at some of th e Clan Cameronassisted General Middleton when he defeated Huntly at th e Braesof Gl enm oriston in 1647 — a fact w h ich no doubt gave riseto the tradition that th e conflict was betw een the Cameronsand t h e Gordons . History does not say h ow the Marquis ,

escaped from th e fie ld,or where to

,but th ere is no reason

to doubt the tradition that h e obtained assistance andsh elter in the immediate neigh bourhood and from Mac- l an—Ch aoil .

As to th e rest of the tradition I fear it must be given up.

Huntly w a s a fugitive w ith a price on h is head from th e time t h econflict in Gl e nm oriston took place until h is capture in Nove m be rfollow ing, and from the time of his capture he remained a close

prisoner in Edinburgh , until in March 1649,h e was led forth to

execution . Th ere w a s 110 Marquis of Huntly in Gordon Castleuntil after the Restoration in 1660

,and th e Marquis th en w a s th e

second in succession after the Marquis w h o w as wounded in Glenm oriston. The tradition furnish es another instance of h ow

unreliabl e mere tradition is as a basis for historical narrative . Th e

story probably had its origin in a much earlier tradition of theEarl of Mar

,w h o

,as he fled wounded from the battle of Inver

lochy in 1431,w a s kindly treated by a man O ’

B irrin,w h o after

wards w ent to Kildrum m ie Castle, and, after experiencing diffi cultyin getting access to th e Earl , at last saw h im

,and w as sent home

rich in the possession of sixty cow s .

THE B ATTLE O F GLENSH IEL .

But while th e story,of th e battle of th e Braes of Gl enm oriston

i s telling,w e are passing h istoric ground on the other side .

Away on the left, 0 11 the face of the almost precipitous cl iffs.

-3O Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss.

bounding th e glen on the south,runs a narrow ledge r1s111g

gradually tow ards the summit at th e west. This is know n as th eSpanish road . Th e name carries us back to that little knownep isode in th e Jacobite Rebell ions, th e battle of Glenshiel, whichtook place on 10th June, 1719. After the failure of th e risingunder the Earl of Mar in 1715 , the Jacobites received offers of

assistance from Spain, and an imposing expedition was fitte d outto effect a landing in th e south of England

,while at the same

time a number of Spanish troops w a s to be landed in th e Highlands to create a diversion . Th e Mackenzies and other clans loyalto the ex iled royal family w ere expected to rally round the Spanishforce

,with w hom were the Earl of Seaforth

,th e Marquis of Tulli

h ardine,and Lord George Murray . The fle e t destined to land th e

invaders in th e south was dispersed by a storm and accomplishednoth ing

,w hile th e expedition to the north w as

,as soon as it had

landed,distracted by dissensions am ong its chiefs . After spending

a short time in Stornow ay,the ships sa iled tow ards th e west

coast of the mainland,and the Spaniards w ere landed at Eilean

Donan Castle,which th ey proceeded to put into a defens ive state .

The Government w a s,however

,on the outlook for the invaders,

and in a fe w days tw o or three warships sailed up Loch Duich,and

battered the w alls of Eilean Donan Castle,wh ich were never

meant to resist artillery,until they began to tumble about th e

ears of the garrison . Leaving Eilean Donan therefore,the

Spaniards,along with the Mackenzies

,Macraes

,M acl ennans

,and

Macgregors— the latter under Rob Roy— marched to Glenshiel,

where they were attacked and defeated by General Wightman,

who h ad marched from Inverness to meet them . During thebattle, the Spaniards, whose conduct was not heroic, retired to

th e h eigh ts of Sgurr Ouran, where next morning they laid downth eir arms

,and 274 of them w ere conveyed to Edinburgh as

prisoners . History does not say by wh at route they were convey e d, but it is impossible to believe that General Wightman,whose force included four compan ies of dragoons and some ligh tmortars, and w h o had come from Inverness to Glenshiel by w ayof Strath glass and Glen Afi

'

ric,would have attempted to return by

a road impassable for cavalry,or would have divided his force by

sending h is prisoners under an escort by a different route fromthat taken by the main body . The “ Spanish Road ”

did not therefore get its name from Wigh tman takingh is prisoners along it

,and there is no local explanation

,

so far as I know, of th e origin of the name but as

th e number of Spaniards w h o surrendered is less than th e loweste stimate of the number who landed

,and they do not seem to have

A Mode rn Ra id. 31

s uffered much , if any, loss in Wightman’s attack

,it seems probable

that between th e time the Spaniards retired to th e h eights of

Sgurr Ouran, on l 0th June, and th e time th e main body of th em-laid down th eir arms next day, some of th em may h ave brokena way from the main body, and, j oining th e High landers w h o dispe rse d th at nigh t, h ave found th eir way over the watershed by th eimpassable- looking path in the steep rock face over Loch Cluniew hich has since borne their name .

SGU RR NAN CO NB HAIREAN .

We were now driving along the shores of Loch Clunie,which

l ay unrufiie d by so much a s a ripple at th e foot of the h ills,w hose

summits pierced the clouds, levying from them in tribute thew aters which fille d the lake below . A mile or two on w e left ourc onveyances and mounted the saddle

,for w e were now under

Sgurr nan Conbh a ire cm ,the highest mountain in Gl enm oriston

,

rising as it does 3634 feet above th e level of th e se a . Leaving~our ponies after mounting some 2000 feet

,w e made th e rest of

our w ay on foot. Gradually the vegetation became scantier, more.stinted and more Alpine in character, and at one point, wh ere theb iting wind blow s w ith terrible force from the corries beyond

,the

vegetable world is represented by a solitary l ich en . O n we pressupw ards

,now w ith a comparatively clear sky overh ead, now

th rough driving mist that envelopes us and the wh ole mountaintop in impenetrab le gloom . O n we go through it all, trusting toProvidence and our own good fortune th at our journey will not bel ost . And we are not disappointed . As we near the summit awonderful panorama opens out before us . There in front risesM am Soul

,topping the mountains of Strath gla ss and Glen Afiric .

Away to th e east and lying far below us i s the summit of

M e a lfourvonie , w hile further on th e summits of the M onadh l iadh

range loom through the haze . Far to the south-west we can justmake out th e summit of Ben Nevis as the mist rises for a minuteor tw o at a time . To the west rise the sharp peaks of theCuch ull in Hills in Skye, and as we look round towards the NorthWest w e see far away the wonderful hills of Torridon

,while nearer

at hand Cra l ich,Sgurr Ouran, and Ben At tow rear th eir lofty

heads to the sky. Al l round is a forest of hill-tops . We stand onth e top of a high mountain in a mountainous country

,and the

whole wonderful picture l ies at our feet. We are not on th e

highest mountain in Scotland but there is no Scottish mountainfrom whose summit a more wonderful panorama can be seen . Standing in the middle of the country, at the dividing of the waters and

32 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

I

in the midst of mountains, it commands a view of mountain, loch,and valley

,w hich probably no oth er mountain can surpass . After

indulging in a leaping competition, in which the Senior Bailiesucceeded in distancing all competi tors not merely among his citybred companions, but among th e gamekeep ers and ghillies of theparty— and building a cairn on th e mountain top to commemorateth e visit of th e elite of th e m agistracy of the Capital of the Highlands to

_ the summit, and having an inscription cut into the hardwh instone by the Versatile Senior Ba ilie, w e move on indulgingby th e way in the luxury of a snow -ball figh t in July, and then w e

stand on th e shoulder of the ridge dividing Corriegoe from GlenAffric . Here th e scenery is grand beyond description . O n theleft w e look sheer down into Glen Afi‘

ric, at th e bottom of wh i ch

the river Grivie i s seen running like a silver streak for miles tofall into Loch Afiric and ultimately into the Moray Firth , w h ileon th e opposite side of Glen Atfric the red-scarred m pe of th e

mountain rises without a break from the bottom of the valley fora thousand feet. O n the right, more than a thousand feet below,

l ies .

Corriegoe , bounded by m ountains, which, on tw o of their three faces,are sheer precipices . Beyond lies Glen Fada, with the river Doerunning down its centre to join th e M oriston at Ce anacroo. Infront

,too

,rising out of Glen Fada

,are those weird- looking red

hills,the Ram and the Aonach Sasunn

,forming of themselves ,

features in the landscape which do not allow it to be easily for

gotten.

PRINCE CHARLES AND THE SEVEN M EN O F GL ENM O RISTO N.

Now b egm s the descent into Corrigoe , lying a th ousand feetbelow us . The mountain slopes steeply down on this side

,present

ing a smooth- looking grassy surface, down which we make our w ayby a series of w hat would be less fittingly described as steps thansh ort leaps . Arrived at the foot

,a fe w yards w alk brought us to

th e heap of tumbled rock forming th e cave in which for a shorttime Prince Ch arles lay in hiding in J uly

,1746 . At the foot of

a perpendicular cliff l ies this mass of rock , which ages ago

separated itself from th e c l ilf above,and

,falling down

,

broke into huge fragments,which lying together form the

rude walls and umbrella-l ik'e roof of a rough shelter ash elter often welcome enough in this storm-sw ept Corrie

,

w hich, even now,is many miles from a human habitation . To

th is sh elter there resorted in 1746 , after Culloden, and whileGl enm oriston and the w h ole country round w as occupied byHanoverian troops, Patrick Grant, a farmer known as Black Peter

to w ait till th e evil days h ad passed,and to lie in w ait for th eir

enemies, to w h om th ey more t h an once dealt a blow . To th esemen came

,on 28th J uly

,1746

,th eir Prince in pitiable pligh t.

He h ad just passed th rough a cordon of troops,drawn round the

district wh ere he w a s know n to be after h is return to the mainland from his w anderings in the Islands . He w a s weary w ithtravel and exposure

,and had not tasted food for forty- eight h ours .

His cloth es,insufficient at their best to protect h im from the

rigours of th e climate to which he w a s now exposed at all h ours,were in rags . It w as now three month s after Culloden

,and all

th at time Charles had been a fugitive w ith a price on h is h e ad .

Constantly in the pow er of a people steeped in poverty,h e never

appears to have feared that th e price of blood would tempt th emto betray h im

,and

,to th e eternal honour of the High land people,

be it said,th at t h ey not only Justifie d his confide nce , but bray e d,

nay 0 0 111 ted,d e a th

,so a s th ey migh t save th is man

,for w h ose

betraya l a fortune w as ofie re d . Th 1 e e month s of w andering, andof almost incredible escapes

,and Charles found himself near the

hiding place of the G le nm oriston men . Th e story of th e ir fide l ityi s told in history

,and need not be h ere repeated . Th ey took an

oath that th eir backs “ sh ould be to God and their faces to th e

devil,th at all th e curses t h e Scriptures did pronounce migh t come

upon them and all th eir posterity,if they did not stand firm to

the Prince in th e greatest dangers, and if th ey should discover toany person

,m an

,wo m an , or child

,th at the Prince w as in th eir

keeping,till once h is person should be out of danger. ” Ch arles

said they w ere h is first Privy Council since Culloden,and w ell

they deserved th e name,for so faithful ly did they keep their oath

that not one of them disclosed the fact th at he had been w iththem till a year after h e had sailed to France . For three daysthe cave in Corrigoe w a s the home of the Prince, and there, whilehis faithful friends mounted watch at their sentry posts at thehead and foot of th e Glen, and sent out foraging parties to fetchprovisions

,he obtained much—needed rest. After leaving Corrie

goe,th e Gle nm oriston m en formed th e Prince ’s bodyguard unt il

they had conducted him safely through th e lines of h is enemies,and handed him over 0 11 2 1st August, near L och Arka ig, to Macdonell of Loch Garry and Cam e ron of Clunes, faithful friends, w h oprovided for his future safety 3

able roof of M r Macpherson,d inner and a sound sleep awaited us .

”Our raid wound up with a peaceful dayClunie

,and next morning a drive dow n the

Torgoyl e , Dundreggan, and Invermoriston, to Loch-Ness,where

we again joined th e Gondolier” for home .

An interesting discussion followed, in th e course of w h ich M r

Colin Ch isholm said,with reference to th e Pibroch of Cille

chriost — The tradition h e had heard from his boyhood— betweens ixty and seventy years ago — w as that the party of Macdonaldsc rossed the river at Beauly, and it was when they looked beh ind,and saw their work of destruction going on

,that the piper str i;ck

.p th e pibroch . They were glad to keep quiet till they got out oft h e clutches of the Mackenzie s

,and it was wh en they were opposite

Beauly,at “ B ruth ach -a -Ph uirt

”on the other side of the river,

that the pibroch w as played for the first time . When th e pipersaw what w as going on

,he made the pipes speak for him

,and this

i s what they said

Ch‘

i mi thall-ud,

An sm h d m or

Ch i mi thall-ud,

An sm hd morChi mi thall-ud

,

An sm nd m or’S Cill-a -Ch riosda

Na lasa ir m hoir.

Sm h d a m u igh

Sm hd a stighSm h d a m u igh

Sm h d a stighSm h d a m u igh

Sm h d a stighSm h d mo dh unaohAh sm hd m or

Sm hd mor fe adh a’ bhaile

Sm h d rnor fe adh a’ bh ail e

Sm h d mor fe adh a’ bhaile

Cill-a-ch rosda na teine .

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S ann o m h e ad'

h on an fhog/La ir,Fh ua ir sinn ra bh adh a dh ’

fhogh nadh .

He re fog/ea ir rhymes w ith ra bh a dh , and the rhyme is unimpeachable ; only to make this apparent it sh ould be written as it w a scomposed

S ar m 0 m h e adh on an f/zagh a ir,Fh ua ir sinn ragh a idh a dh

’fh ogh nadh .

We need not enumerate instances ; on every page“

the efforts of

the ed itor to make our bard speak grammatically, and to conformh is vocables to wh at he calls “ the allowed standard of Gaelicorth ograph y , are only too apparent . He h as succeeded in this.way in m aking his poems more intelligible to general readers 5 buthe secured this greater intelligibility at a high

’

price . In onerespect

,it w a s fortunate that th e labours of Rob Donn fell into

the hands of so able and accomplished a countrym an ; in anotherrespect

,this very accomplishment produced two evil results it

deprived these poems of a great deal of rhythmica l beauty,and

,

what is more to be regretted for philological purposes,the

voca lism us of th e dialect h as not been preserved . Without an

acquaintance with th e latter,l ittle progress can be m ade in the

study of d ialect,and so in th e work before us we expect little

help from th e pages of Rob Donn .

Th ere are two main dialects of Scottish Gaelic— a northern anda south ern . That which we propose to examine belongs

,of course

,

to th e former. It so happens,how ever

,that in the case of th e

test- sound, the Reay country proves an exception . Theexp erim enta m crucis between north and south is th is— a greatertendency to dipth ongise the long 6 sound into to on the part ofthe former. Thus

,southern beu l becomes northern bia l .

Curiously enough, w e have little partiality for this sound . Wesubjoin a list of words which shows h ow widely we have diverged

,

not only from the northern dialects as a whole,but also from that

of Assvnt and the south ern districts of the county. The onlyexplanation th at needs be made is that the small vow el insertedafte r th e initial consonant in th e third column 18 placed there topreserve t h e sound 0 1 th e consonant proceeding

Th e Dia le ct of th e Re ay Country . 37.

Re ay Country .

h ealsge al

nealetc .

In th e great majority of cases we approximate the southern dialect .We place above th e following list

,English words to denote the

precise sound of the vow el

South . North .

fatebrengfeurn1e ud

etc .

Th e difference between th e first and last column is so slight thatit cannot be marked by a change of orth ograph y ; still, it i spalpable to th e ear

,and may be said to consist in th is— a

tendency in th e latter to approach the deeper a sound heard inca in . In th e follow ing words

,th e Reay country coincides with

th e southern dialect z— w d e an, ge ug, m e adh on

,fench

,sgl e ut, reub,

beuc . Only in tw o or three instances do we coincide with thenorth ern dialect a s d iag, cia d (

’teen,

O n the whole,th en , we arrive at th i s conclusion, that the

Reay country dialect,so far as th e test-sound is concerned, should

be ranked w ith th e southern dialect and,whenever it sh ows a

tendency to break away from th e latter,it is alw ays in the

direction of the broad a sound. We have hardly a trace of themain ch aracteristic of northern dialects — the dipth ongisa tion of

long e into fia — which Professor Rh ys notices as th e peculiarity of

th e northern,and w hich he ascribes to the possession of a more

musical ear. Th at which marks us off from all oth ers isunquestionably our partial ity for the bre ad a sound . Not onlyhave w e turned 6 long into a broad

,but in numberless cases

we have changed south ern 0 into ( 1. O f course,one requires

to exercise some caution here for many words appear in literaturewith an 0 which are never so pronounced by th e people . Foca l

and cos are examples written with an 0 in deference to Irishorth ography

,but pronounced by the p e ople

,north and south

,as

fa ca l ca s. Scottish Gaelic as a whole differs from the Irish in itssubstitution of a , for o and if th is tendency has been carried anywhere into excess it is in the Reay Country . Here are a fewe xamples 1

Re ag/ Country .

cainbreugfeurn1eud

etc .

m ischiefinasmuch asetc .

There are some half—a -dozen instances in which, with all ourpredilection for the ah-sound w e h ave refused the southern a

South .

faltbainh etrasgadh

gabh

etc .

Such instances » of perverseness are, however, rare .

Th e u-sound .

-The next favourite vowel-sound in the ReayCountry is to. It is in great requisition, and does duty for variousvowels and dipth ongs . Thus

,u for o— Dol dul

,oh air ube ir,

dom h a il dum h ail , drola drula,tobar tubar, tom baca tum

baca. U for adh — In all participles,bua ladh becomes bual-u .

This is the Shibboleth of Sutherlandshire

U for a m h — de anam h dean“ ,

n ihk— fh e ara ibh fhear-u .

With all our partiality for this sound we pronounce thedemonstrative sud as Sid .

Hitherto we have spoken as if there were only one dialectthrough out the Reay Country in point of fact

,h owever

,one

could easily form as many sub-dialects as there are townships . Nodoubt th is arose from want of intercourse but now,

with betterroads, and means of transit

,the reverse process i s setting ih .

Still there is scarcely a village on the north coast which has notits own peculiarity in tone or diction . Portskerra is distantonly three miles from Strathy yet the difference of accent is so

marked that a total stranger can at once perceive it . The pe cul iarity of the inhabitants of the former tow nship is a hiatus in themiddle of every syllable — thus rendering a monosyllabic sound

Reay Country .

foltboinne

trosgadh

gobh

etc .

Th e Dia le ct of th e Re ay Country. 39

impossible . Besides,they have a Shibboleth which is interesting

in its w ay , and which they seldom or never ge t rid of. Th e

demonstrative particle sin,th a t, is pronounced elsewhere in the

Reay Country a s sh in,and righ tly so but th e people of Portskerra

make it sin,without aspirating the s . Th e natives of Knapdale

and Stra th bran have the same peculiarity . Had they carried thispeculiarity so far as to embrace so and sud there would have beensome grounds for the orthographical variety represented by theseparticles . Th e reason why they h ave developed so singular a dialect is probably due to the fact that they are a fish ing community,and intermarry to such an extent as to occasion a saying verycommon in the country Ingh e an an tighe ud h -urad

,poede ri

gill e an tighe ud stan .

Proceeding w estward along the north coast we find each villagewith its own Shibboleth . Naver is characterised with the dipth onga l sound oi — making the long 0 sound in coit (coracle), poit

(pot) a very decided oi sound In Melness,again

,the partiality for

th e broad a h sound so characteristic of the wh ole Reay Country iscarried to its utmost limit. Such words a s sin (th at) and te ine

(fire ) are pronounced sh an t-ch an. Coming to Durness we find anew characteristic— th at of e cl ipsis~ m aking its appearance . Air

an lea th ad becomes a ir a’

lea thad . It is only when w e reachAssyut th at eclipsis proper is heard. H e re m u lla ch na m bea h n i sm u lla ch na m eann an duine , an nuine w

pre tty much as in Lewis .But the mention of such peculiarities would be an endless

,as it

w ould be a profitl e ss task . Strathy and Strathy Head areseparated only by a small stream yet th e former makes m i-fl win

mi-hian,and the latter mi-hain (cain). Indeed

,th is w ord is pro

nounced four ways within the county and if w e embrace thewhole High lands we sh all find the following variations— m i-h eun

(literary), m i —h e en,m z

'

f h a e,m i—h ian

,m i -h a in

,m i -h i . Th e same

liberty h as not been taken w ith the second personal pronoun itstands firm ly thu

-fh e in north and south . S ibb-fe in i s pronouncedin th e Reay Country as sh uqveun

— th e latter limb being of

respectable antiquity,being the form used in Macrae

’

s MSS . (1688)in th e religious poems of M r Alex . Munro, catechist, Strathnaver.

Th e w ord ceudna (same)presents a diffi culty which is overcomedifferently by th e north and south . The latter generally leavesth e d altogether out of account ; w e transpose th e letters

,and

make it ciand . Now,reasoning inductively, one seems warranted

in coming to the conclusion that ch iand must eventually becomech ia nn (a s and became ann) ; yet th e word appears as ch q

'

jnd inMacrae’s M S .

,show ing that it w as pronounced precisely as to-day

over two hundred years ago.

simple,and in th i s respect agree w ith th e natives of

(1

Th i s letter,be fore or after a small vow el

,h a s th e soft pro

nunc iationj. Th us,Latin m oa

’ i w ould,in a Celtic rnouth

,become

m ajz'

. When th e h m a l syllable dropped oil,the effect of its

presence,once upon a time , w a s felt in th e soft (1 sound and to

make this apparent to th e e ye it is spelled m a id . Now,in th e

Reay country this soft sound is,in th e great majority of cases

,

discarded . Guide m

'

is pronounce d in the south a s cujeri ; by us,

in spite of the small vow el, it is pronounced cooth e ri . In the sameway the interrogative part icle d e is pronounced by u s h ard ; andin th is respect w e h appen to be correct, for d e is a contraction forciod e

,w h ere th e d

, flanke d by a broad vow e l,h as th e broad

sound . Th is antipath y to th e soft sound of d plays h avoc amongth e remnant of our ca se endings w e make no distinction betweenth e sound of d in th e nom . bard

,and its ge n . ba ird .

f

In Gaelic philology this letter occasions considerable difficulty ,

because when aspirated it disappears altogeth er . B ut th at whichcalls for mention h ere is th e exceedingly large number of w ordsw h ich h as taken on pe rmanently the prosth etic f in our dialect

S c ut/t . Re a z/ Country .

e aga l fe aga l

aca in fa ca in

rabh adh fragh a idh

a ith n fa ith n

e asgann fe asgann

an e e l duit a m fee l duitnit folt

etc .

fearcomplainw arningcom mandeeldo you know

abh rad eye-browsomeetc .

Th e reason of so much confusion in our dia lects regarding thisle tter is obvious ; in th e oblique cases

,th e f ‘

of th e nominativedisappears and in th is way w a s in many cases discarded altogether in the nominative . B y a mistaken analogy, it w a s placedat th e beginning of some w ords wh ere it h ad no righ t to be put .

Wh en this letter is preceded or follow ed by a small vow el , wec an distinguish w ith out d ifficul ty the aspirated and non-aspiratedsound a l e ine

,h is sh irt

,is distinct from a le ine . h e r sh irt . But

w h en it happens to be a broad vow el,th ere is no appreciable

d ifference a la im h,h is h and

,is pronounced exactly a le im /t

,h e r

hand .

When this letter is preceded by r assimilation takes placeB e urla becomes Beula ; forladh , fol ladh , etc .

m

In th e single mute north and south agree but, when aspiratedwe vocalise it

,while th e south makes it equivalent to a

ThusRe ag/ Country .

a —u — inn

sauinn

au irc,also auric

etc .

n

Both north and south make th is letter equivalent to r after 0 .

O nc e cna m h becomes croc cra m h . We make it r in several oth erc ases — a inm = d irm

,and eanra ich (soup) e a rra ich by assim i lation

We make no d i stinction betw een the aspira ted and nona spirated sound of th is letter. Th ere is

,h ow eve r

,a d istinct pe cu

l iarity in th e slend er and l iquid sound w e give it in a’

uine (like then of English ne w ), a s opposed to th e south ern doona .

74

We can distinguish betw een th e aspirated and non-aspiratedsounds . A r ian rh e in (his own method) is quite distinct from a

Sgave rise .

Th e impersonal form of th e verb (cognate with Latin videtur) isseen in su gh e xpre ssm ns, B h ath ar a toga il an tighe,

”w hich ‘are

common .

Guttural stems are still preserved— na th a ir, ge n na th m ch

m a th a z'

r gives gen . m a th a r,and also a guttural genitive in th e

phrase m a c-m a th m ch (mother’ s son). Compare m a ter

,m a trix

,

m a tric—is.

N0 less important than the above is the light cast by a careful study of dialect upon obsolete expressions . In the l ist of

adverbs given in Stewart’s Grammar ”a m h an (downwards)

occurs,and in th e foot-note he suggests it may come from an older

form,a m fan . Now it so happens that we use this latter form

not as an adverb only,but also a s an adj ective — the comparative

degree of wh ich occurs in the first stanza of Rob Donn ’

s elegy onLord Reay

S an rinn as f/za ine fo’

n n ir .

This brings us to note the great number of words used in dialects wh ich never ge t th e length of print

,and are not to be found

in dictionaries . Th ere are scores of such words in every districtgradually falling into disuse. This is one of the reasons why ourplace-names are not more intelligible to us . If these termswere carefully collected it w ould be found useful to th e

student of topograph y,and to the com parative philologist al ike .

I subjoin a list of words which are seldom h e ard but in Sutherlandsh ire

, and some of them only in th e Reay Country

L o‘

p an— A soft

,muddy place . Enters into our topography,

but the places are insignificant .r

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

black-mail .A very striking feature of th e dialect we are considering is the

extent to w hich it is permeated with foreign material . From theisolated position of the Reay Country one migh t naturally expectto find th e language h ere in its greatest purity . But such is notthe case . Th ree distinct causes of this corrupt l on may be men

‘

tione d fi beginning with th e most recent :

1 . The economic changes of the last and early part of this century

,whereby an influx of south country farm ers and sh epherds

took place— greatly to the deterioration of our speech .

2 . The disbanding of th e Reay F e nc ibl e s— after m 1x1ng withEnglish—speaking peoples, at a much earlier da te . Wh en w e con

sider that almost every family in the Reay Country h ad one ormore members in th e army

,we can form some idea of th e influ

ence they would exert upon th e language on the return home of

great num bers of th em . Such w ords as kisse ag for 1959, and similar corruptions

,may undoubte dly be traced back to th ese days .

3 . But the great disturbing influe nc e w as the Norse invasion,lasting from th e 9th to the 12th c e 11tury . Fully seventy per cent .of the f0 1 e w n m aterial 1n our dia lec t 1s due to th e Norwegian, andnot to th e Engl ish stranger . To the Norse influe nc e upon thedialect of th e Reay Country

,then

,let us now briefly turn .

Th e influe nc e of the Norse upon Scottish Gaelic as a whole isrecognised on a l l h ands

,bu t now h ere thorough ly sifted . It is also

admitted that it h as left greater traces on the w est and northcoast dialects and it is usual to bring forward struth

,strain

,

stra th,etc .

,a s instances . A thorough investigation, however, of

the dialects of th e north and western shores,sh ould

,we feel sure

,

yield more astonishing results than are hith erto dreamt of,and

prove that we ow e . more to the hardy Norseman than w e give him

Th e Dia le ct of th e Re ay Country . 451

credit for. It is natural to suppose that Sutherland would earlyfall under the sway of th ese Norse invaders from its proximity toOrkney and Caithness indeed

,th e name itself is to be ascribed to .

them— Sudr—l’and . Th e topographical record makes it abundantlymanifest th at th e wh ole county w a s overrun by th em 5 and tracesof th eir stay with us remain not only in our place—names

,but also

in th e l iving speech of th e people . Th e most distinctive ch aract e ristic of th e dialect of th e Reay Country is th e broad a h - soundand j ust as the English -speaking parts of Scotland are indebted tothe Scandinavian for their bre a d accent

,so are th e Celtic- speaking

'

people of Sutherland . Th e Gaelic of Sutherlandsh ire in general,and of the Reay Country in particular

,may be termed the Doric

of Gaelic dialects,and th is feature is due to th e fact th at w e came

more under Norse influenc e th an our south ern n eigh bours,and

h ad not a standard of w ritten Gaelic l ike th e south-w est of Argyllto counteract the foreign influenc e .

B ut not only h a s the Norse invasion left its traces upon ourvow el system

,but w e h ave in the Reay Country several examples

of Norse w ords th at are used to th e present day in Iceland . Hereare some, which I observed in th e notes of the Corp us Poe ticumB ore a le

( l ) The name for a bull in the east O f Iceland is tuddt'

; whena Reay Country herd has occas1on to call this animal tow ards himh is expression is tua dh i

,tuadh i — th e usual changes being made

,

those of dipth ongisation and aspiration .

(2) The dairymaid’

s call in Iceland is kuskus,kuskus

,kus/ans

(root seen in Scot . qu—e y) that of th e Reay Country maid is likeit,husgus, lm sgus, h usgus.

(3) Th e borrow ing was not all on one side . They have takenfrom us ca lm an

,and ta rje , dove , and bu l l .

(4) In driving away cattle, the Reay country h erd makes use '

of a word w hich , phonetica lly spelled, w ould appear a s tirrh i— thevoice resting on th e r . Th e Norse to drive is trrrh i .

These terms are mostly connected w ith agriculture. I neednot enumerate th e nautical terms (sgiob, seol , etc .) as th ey arecommon to North and South .

From Norse times w e have inh erited the fol low inn a r l,tc

‘

trn,

ba le,d e i le

,de i lig (d e aling), sgoi l, sgil ling, sgil, sgam m al

,slauca ’r (a

slouching fellow), and many others, which are often supposed to “

be English corruptions . Indeed,it is more th an l ikely that our

sitsda n for which w e are twitted by our southern neighbours

,may claim an equally remote origin — from Norse th usuno’

4 6 Gae l ic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

Pre isQead/z, may be from Irish p red—ch im or Norse p restr, either of

Which alternative gives it the air of antiquity. If it w as a

c orruption of English p rea ch it should be p re iseadh , for soft ch

becom es in Gaelic s by rule .

Again,our fish —names are nearly all of Norse origin . All along

th e north and east coast of Sutherland, th e name for cod is eil igfrom keila, the gadus longus of the Norse Edda in Assynt it i strosg. Further examples are cnudan

, ged'

dag, lang, sga t'

t,from

Norse cnudr, gedda, langa, dzc . It would seem that the east andnorth of Sutherland came to a much larger extent under Norsesway

,ch iefly because more fertile and accessible th an th e wilds of

Assynt topography serves to confirm this,but we must leave M r

Joh n Mackay, of Hereford, to say , from h is examination of thetopographical record

,to w hat extent this is true .

12 th DECEM B ER, 18829.

At this meeting, M r Otto Siepm ann,the College, Inverness,

w as elected an ordinary member of th e Society . Thereafter, theSecretary read a m ost inse re sting paper, contributed by th e Re v .

J . M . Macgregor, Farr, entitled,“ The Early History of the Clan

was favourably received by th e members present.M r Macgregor does not wish h is paper to be printed at present.

19m DECEM B ER,1888.

At this meeting,M r J . R. Macphail

,advocate

,13 South

Charlotte Street,Edinburgh

,and M r John Macdonald

,Hotel

keeper,Dalwhinnie

,w ere elected ordinary members of the

Society . Thereafter,M r Alex . Mach ain

,M .A.

,read a paper con

tributed by th e Re v. M r Campbe ll,Tires

,entitled

,

“ °Fionn ’sRansom . M r Campbell ’s paper w as as follows

FIONN ’S RANSO M .

In a dedicatory Gaelic letter to an Earl ofArgyll in a Gaelic‘book on prayer, publish ed a s early as 1567 by Carse w e ll , Bishop

‘of Argyll, th e Bish op complains th at h is countrymen were fonderof listening to idle tales about th e Fe m ne , or heroes of the time ofFionn M acCum h a il

,than of taking any interest in the Word of

God .

”0 11 this subj ect the w riter is indebted for his information

Fionn’

s Ransom . 47

to a rare work, Ah L a oidh e ada ir Ga e lic (the Gaelic Hym na l),published about the year 1836 by Kennedy

,under th e patron

age and recommendation of Re v . Dr Macleod of Campsie . Thesame continued to be the case until very recent times 5 and aperson w h o w as about 70 years of age, a few years ago, in givingan account of old High land h abits to the writer

,said that wh en

,

e .g .,the people of a place assembled to build a boundary dyke

,

some one would observe th at th ey should w ait till so and so came,

and w h en he appeared,as th e day was good and long, one or other

would remark th at th e ne w -comer migh t tell, before they began,some incident in the history of th e Fian band . Th e whole partythen sat round th e story-teller

,and listened to his marvellous

a ccount . B y the time th at h e w a s done,the sun w a s draw ing

westward,and some one would then say It w a s hardly w orth

w hile beginning that day, and that he might tell some other storysuggested by th e previous narrative . Wh en the second story w a s

finish e d th e sun w as w ell nigh setting, and th e parties separated,

a fter agreeing to m eet next day,as nothing had been done that

d ay . Th ese were th e good old, easy days, w h en the saying,

Hurry no man ’s cattle,held its ground, and people were not

pressed to th e same extent a s now for the means of l iving.

In w h at th e writer h as to say upon the subj ect of th ese heroict ales, he prefers to use th e name Fionn M a cCum h a i l, and th e hostof the Fians for Fea chd na F éinne . Th e renderings of Fenian andFingal ian have oth er ideas attached to them and the w riter’sinformation and belief in th e va lue of th e tales

,a s h istorical or

archaeological,i s entirely founded upon th em as they exist in

popular tradition . It seems to h im that in this way they aremore free from the embellishments of idle fancy

,and

,in their own

proper place,subservient to the elucidation of truth .

Th ese h eroes are to this day prominent in proverbs andr iddles and sayings and references to th em and th eir actionsoccur continually in comm on every-day conversa tion

,although the

precise incident to which reference is made may not be known . Itis in th is w ay th at people speak of Ossian after th e Fians— O ssian

a n d e igh na Féinne , and in th e riddle“ Fionu w ent to th e hill

,and

did not go he buried his wife th ere,and did not bury her”

Ch a idh Fionn do’

n bh e inn,’

3 01m d ea ch a idh id ir ; th iodla t'

c e hkean

a r m,

’

s Ch a do th iodh la z’

c idir,ao.

Very prominent among these stories are those referring toF ionn and h is dog

,Bran

,wh ich had a venomous or death—inflicting

c law or spur on its foot; Fionn’s vis its to th e Kingdom of B ig Men ;

h ow Fionn got his wife the death of h is nephew,Diarmid the

w ars in which he was engaged,& c .

,dzc .

various forms and in many different tales . O ne of t hese h asalready been made public

,and is to be found in page 184 of th e

“ Scottish Celtic Review ,

” publish ed Nove m be r,1882 .

In the tale here given ,th e reader’s attention is first draw n to

the Little,th ickset

,insignificant m a 11f

’— Fea r be ag, iosa l

,

lap ana ch . From another source,th e w riter has heard this d e scrip

tion of h im

Ah fe a r, beag, tosa l lap a na ch ,A ch e m la ch duinn nan ge a r cang,

A ghfruag uch d an d irt]

,

’

S a gh ru ag dra’a ir a cid

,

A bh olg sa ighdea dh le nim h ,

Gun ch eire gun i tea ch, a ir .

”

The l ittle,low -set swaddler

,

His russet coat and sine w y muscles,

The hair of his breast pointing upwards,

Th e hair of his h ead reach ing to h is breast,His bag of arrows death —inflicting without wax or feathering .

L ap ana ch does not mean that he was under-sized in the samew ay that children are , but that he w as a full-gow n individual,under-sized

,and sinew y

,or muscular. Perhaps this adj ective ,

L apana ch , i s the origin of th e name Laplander— th e people of

Lapland being of smaller height and low er stature than theaverage European . The Laplanders

,although under—sized in point

of h eight, are strong in muscle, and their appearance generally isonly th at of people l iving in a very cold climate

,and on fat and

unctuous food .

The word e ang is, to th e lexicographer, worthy of attention .

It is not a word of common u se , but it is well known in somepoetic expressions . The boast of the young deer was that noanimal ever planted foot on hil l-side that could catch it

S lea m huinn’s a s buidh e m o

‘

bbte n,

’S Ch a do ch a ir 6 e ang a ir slia bh ,B ea th a ich 7 150 -1971, a bh e ireadh. orm .

Fionn’

s Ransom . 49

Slippery and yellow is my skin,

And never planted foot on hill-sideAny living beast that could catch me .

L eum nan ce ith z'

r e ang .

— Th e agile spring of four boundsd enotes a standing leap, or one a s high and as far as one is

capable of.Gun gh ligte adh nan eang.

— Without a spring in the muscl e sis said of a person entirely exhausted

,so that he is unable to rattle

h is bones, or move a sinew or muscle, however strong these mayhave been .

’S a otrom e cm g is said of a young person with a

jaunty air . Th e l ittle sw addler,w h o w as despised by the other

nobles as dw arfish ,w a s received by Fionn M a cCum h a il , and his

request w as acceded to . Though h is request at the time appearedtrifling, it proved afterw ards to be of great moment. Fionn, inthis matter

,appears true to his character as The real old

,

country gentleman,all of th e olden time .

”

E fEm'

g w as a recompense, or th e taking of the part of any one,or v indicating h is ch aracter after death ,

and in th is case it seemsto denote th e avenging or clearing and th e making good th e injuryd one to Fionn . It does not seem to convey th e idea of vengeance,or the requital of loss or injury by a retal iation equally severe .

It h as been said to the w riter th at e ang meant a mark in thec entre of th e archer’s bow

,w ith anoth er tow ards each end for the

guidance of th e archer’s aim . In th is case the e ang of the bow

m ay mean the w h ole twang of the bow,implying the w h ole

strength of th e w eapon,both w ood and string— the Gaelic word

e ang, and th e English tw a ng, being, etymologically and onomatopee ia , th e same w ord

,and th e whole derived from the sound or

resonance arising wh en the arrow is launch ed . The trebly nimbleor agile leap is one in which the whole powers of the man ’s bodyare exercised

,and the muscles are brought into play like the string

of the bow .

There are many traditional tales in th e Highlands of muchintere st

,and referring to more modern times

,in which little men

of dwarfish and even pigmy-si ze figure a s good bow -men,slay

ing men of large size and powerful make by their dexterity in th e useof th e bow and arrow . Th e reader w ill readily remem ber of LittleJoh n”

of Robin Hood fame,reputed in his time one of the most

skilful archers of Sh erwood Forest.Another indication of Lappish connection w orth attention is

that there w as at one time in th e Highlands of Scotland a lullabyfor young children

,in which the words occur

,O u deer ’s milk I

90 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

w as reared . Air ba inh e 72a m fia dh fl wga a’h m i . The writer him

self h as not been able to ge t th e w ords of the lullaby but theselullabies, like the nam es of places, are very enduring in theirexistence , and perhaps can yet be fallen in w ith in other places

,

and among other peopl e . The rescue of this and other lullabiesand Gaelic antiquities in an available form would be a boon to th ephilologist and anth ropologist .The quiet tackling of even th e weakly w ith misfortune and

form idable events, and th e perseverance.

against impendingcalamities, denoted by these tales, are lessons from which everyone can draw a moral for himself.In th e dispersion of languages and primeval tribes, the names

of pl aces,and still surviving indications, are much to be looked to

and,before parting with the subj ect, it may be permissable to

point out that th e word already mentioned ( e cm g), being connectedwith th e Engl ish tw ang”

from th e resonance of the weapon,may

also have its analogy and relatives in th e Kangarroo andBoom e rang of th e native Austral ian, the first of these words

,in

name and meaning, being very like e ang a ruiclh — th e hoppingor ag il e l e apnng of th e animal taking the place of what in otheranimals is running, and th e other deriving its name froh i thesound of th e weapon when thrown over the h ead into the air.

The names of places in the rigorous climate of th e north are

not very easily comeatable,most of them being made known to

us th rough alien tongues . Kam sch atka cannot but arrest attention from the beginning of the word resembling so much the cam us

or indentation of th e se a into the land, w hich is so common innames of undoubted Gaelic origin

,l ike Cam buskenne th

, Ca m us

dz'

onbh a ig, in Skye, & c .,& c . It is also noticeable from th e

differentiating noun or locality preceding the adjective or oth eradjunct by w h ich th e locality or place name is denoted

,as well as

from its common occurrence in the names of places . It is obse rvable that in Gaelic the differentiating noun always prt c e de s, andnever follows

,th e place name

,as it always does in English . The

person acquainted w ith both languages can in this respect compareNew ton and B a i le —nodh a . B a i le i s

,in Gaelic

,at the beginning of

the place nam e,but in English at th e end .

The tale as here given was told last spring by John Brown,

Kilmoluag, and was written out from very full notes taken at th et ime . The obj ect of the writer has always bee n

,in all matters

afie cting Celtic antiquities, to make whatever he deems worthy of

preservation, as available and reliable to t h e reader as to himself,w ithout addition , suppression, or embellishment . In the tale

, th e

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

52 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

Dh’

fh albh e so gu Fionn,’

s dh’ innis e dh a gu

’

n do dh iult iadS id n ile e ,

’

s dh’

fh arra id e dh e th an l e ige adh esan com h lad h ris e .

L e igidh ,” orsa Fionn

,

’

s fh e arr th u na cla ch co-dhin .

Ch uir iad mach an long . Th ug iad toiseach ri m uir’s d e ire adh

ri tir ; th og iad 11a siuil bh re ach dadh bh a ide a lach an agh a idh

na’n cranna ibh fada, fulanga ch fiuth a l e soirbh e as,beag lagh a ch

c iuin bh e ire adh duil e a ch far craoibh,se il e a ch far b e inn

,

’

s fraoch

og as bhun’

s a s fhre um a ich e an cur na fa irge fiolcanich fa lcana ich

an l e a th a ir fh inn,

’s an l e ath ar fh aisg,

’s an fh aoch aig bheag ch rom

chiar bha se ach d bl iadh na air an a ige a l tort ch nig ch nag air beulm or

,

’sad air a h -urlair. ’

S e bu c h e ol’

s bu ch auran doibh,

sgiam h ul e asgan, scre ada il fh iaclan,a bh e ist bu moth a a g- ith e na

be isd bu l i igh adh’

s a bh e isd bu lugh adh d e anam h mar a dh ’

fh e uda idh i . Gh e arra i an coinl e an coirce a ig a ro-th oise ach l e

fe abh as a stiuirim ich e ,’

s dh e anadh Fioum Mac Cum h a il iu il natoiseach

,stiuir na de ire adh ,

’

s b e irt na buillsge in,

’s sh uidh ich iad a

c oursa air Riogh ach d na Fear Mora.

Mar bha iad da lath a a ig se oladh dh’

iarr Fionn air RidireCh la idh e am h se alltuinn o

’

n ch rann am fa ic e adh e fearann . Ch a idh

Ridire Ch la idh e a rnh so a star beag suas,’

s thill e nuas ’s th uirt e

nach robb re inu no e arra inn ri fh a ic inn . Dh’iarr Fionn so air

Ridire Ch u irn dol dh’

fh e uch a in am fa igh e adh esan se a lladh airfearann

,

’s ch a idh esan suas astar goire ad

’

sa ch rann,

’

s thill e nuas’s th uirt e nach robb sga th adh do th alam h na do th uar ’

s anfh radh rac . Dh

’

iarr an so Fionn air an Ridire Dh earg se a l ltuinn

uath a idh am fa ic e adh e fearann,’

s cha d e ach a idh esan suas ach

gl e idh bh eag asta ir’

sa ch rann dar a th e arra in e,

’

s th u irt e nachrobh fearann no for m ri fh aicinn,

’

s nach robh’san t- se al ladh ach

mur ’s ath ar. Dh ’ e

'

irich so an Fear Beag Iosal L apanach ,’

s th uirt

e riuth a,Mur d e anam h sibb na b ’

fh e arr na sid bha e e heart com ath dh iubh fuire a ch far an robb sibh

,

” ’

s leum e ’s ra inig e barr a

ch roinn ;’s mar thill e air a is th uirt e ri Fionn

,Tha e mor a

d h’

fh e annag’

s beag dh ’

fh e arann,ach cum rom h ad mar tha thu .

”

Ah lath a’r na m h a ire a ch bha iad ’

sa ch a ladh an Riogh a ch d11am Fear Mora .

Nar ra inig iad an aca irsa id cha ’n fh aigh e adh iad air tir. Bha

tri Ga th an Te innte ach cua irte a ch adh a ch a ladh .

Sin ch uir’n Fear Beag Iosa l L apanach , Sgiath bh uca ide a ch

,

bh aca ide a ch air a la im h ch l i’s air a la im h dh e is,

’s thug e leum nan

tri eang a s is bh a e air tir. Mar fh ua ir e fh e in gu tir thug e Fionn’sa th ri co-dh altan ann cuid e a ch d . Gh abh iad sin gu siubh a l aneilean na ’

n c e ath rar. Mar bha iad dol roim h e th ac h a ir riuth a

boiriona ch m or,

’

s m e asan,donn

,buile agannta a ig a sail,

’

s h -nile

Fionn’

s Ransom . 53

h -nair sh e a lladh a m e asan air Fionn bh iodh na fica lan dol ann murbha iad riabh

,

’

s mur th ionnda ih h a m e asan a ch ulth aobh bh a nafia clan fa lbh a Fionn . Sh aoil an so na cc -dh a ltan a ig Fionn gunrobh é irig Ph inu aca, agus gh oid i ad leo an Te Mhor ’

s a m e asan

da’n luing,’

s dh’

fh ag iad an Fear Beag Iosal L apanach’

s an eilean .

B h a esan siubh a l’s a sior iom a ch d roim h e

’

s an dorch adh nah —oidh ch e ch unna ic e both an beag

’

s solus ann . Ch a idh e st igh’s

bha teinne m or ann an sin ach cha robb duine roim h e . Ch a

robb e bh eag sam bi d’

dh’

u ine adh fe ith e am h,

’s ag e isde a ch d nar

th a inig Duine M or dh ach a idh ,’

s th uirt e

Gu de na igh e a ch d an Fh ir B h ig, iosa il , lapana ich ?Th uirt esan —

“ Nach robb na igh e ach d sam bith m ar fh a igh

e adh e a lg an Fhear M h br th a inig stigh i .

Ch a’

n eil mo na igh e ach d fh e in ach boch d,

ors’ an Fear M or.

Th a mo ph iu th ar a luinn a nigh e adh mi’

s bhallah ionla id narth iginn dh ach a idh o ch ur a chath

,

’s a bh ith inn co-sunnda ch an

la th a’r

‘

n m h aire ach dh ol chur chath ’s ch om h ra ig

’

s bha mi riabh ,air toirt air falbh ’

s i air chall ’

s a ir se ach ran orm .

”

Mur d e anam h i ach sin dh u it,

” ars’ Fear Beag Iosal L apanach ,ma dh ’

fh e uda ibh gun dean mi fh e in e,

” ’s gh abh e sios

’

s nith e’sa bh al lan ionla id e

,

’s cha robh fear ud riabh na b ’

aoibh e ana ich e

na bh a e sin .

Th a inig nis bra th a ir eile dh a c h aidh,

’

s th uirt e nar bha estigh , De na igh e a ch d an Fh ir B h ig, iosa l , lapana ich ?

Cha ’n eil bheag no mh or do na igh e a ch d agamsa, ors

’

FearBeag Iosa l L apana c h , mur fa igh mi uat th ein i .

”

Cha ’

n eil fath mo na igh e ach d- sa ach trom,

ors’

fear so. M u

ph iuth ar gh radh ach a nigh e adh mi’

s a bh allah ionla id,

’s an

fh e asga ir an de igh inn a ch ath ,’

s bh ith inn an la th a ’r 11a m h a ire ach

co math ’s a bh a mi riabh

,air a toirt air falbh

,

’

s a m e asan donn,

builge anta , a ig a sail .”

Mur de anam h i ach sin,

ors’ Fear Beag Iosal L apanach ,

fe uda idh mise a im e a s air ’

s ch ur e ’

m brath a ir m or so’

sa

bh a llan ionla id’

s nith gh lan e e ,’

s an lath a ’r

’n m h a ire a ch bha e

eheart co i‘

1r dhol an chath ’

sa bha e riabh .

Th a inig an ath -fh ear dh iu sin rith ist dh ach a idh ,’

s th uirt eeheart se ana ch as th u irt a bh rath ran . De sge ul an Fhir B h igIosail L apana ich ?

Ch a’

n e il innse sge oil’

sa1n bith agamsa, ors’ esan

,nach eil

na ’s fh e arr ag an fh ear mhor la idir th a inig dh ach a idh .

”

Cha ’11 eil mo ch uid sge oil

- sa ach truagh ,”th uirt esan . Tha

m o ph iuth ar ch euta ch a n ith e adh mi ’s a bhallah ionlaid dar

th ill inn o chur a chath,

’s bh ith inn an la ’rna m h a ire ach na b’

fh e arr

54 Gae l ic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

na cha mi riabh gu dol air m’

a is a ch ath’

s a ch om h rag, air a toirtair fa lbh ’

s bidh mi 1118 gun ehli gun ch om h a irl e .

”

Mur d e anadh i a c h sin duit fe uda idh mi fh c in feuch a in ris,

ors’ Fear Beag Iosa l L apana ch ,

’

s th ug e do ch e ann eile an taigh ee,

’s nith ’

s gh lan e’s a bh allah ionlad e ’

s an 1a’

r na m h a ire ach ,

bh a e na bu de ise adh 1i a bh a e riabh roim h e air son cath ’

s

com h rag ch um a il .

An sin th uirt am Fear Beag Iosal L apanach —“ Ah l e ig s ibb

m i se ch ur a chath noch d air urson 1”

Th uirt fear do 11a bra ith re an ri s—“ Dh 111ne th ruaigh de tha

th usa dol dh e anam h ann leat th ein dar th a iad cum a il rinne nartriuir

Ach nach innis sibh dh om h gu de na bh e il tigh inn churdragh oirbh 2

”ors

’

Fe ar Beag .

Fh re aga ir sin fear dh iu gun robb re isim e ad sh a igh de aran

tigh inn,’

s ged ch u ire adh e an ceann far 11-uile h -aon diu,gun robh

cailleach mhor th ige adh a s a dh e igh inn’

s stopan ath-b‘i e oth a ich e

a ice,

’

s nar ch uire adh i meur a s an stopan ath-bh e oth a ich e na’mbeul gu

’n é ire adh h -nile aon diu beo .

An dig ach sin “

A”ors

’ esan .

‘Thig,ors ’ an ath-fh e arr

,

“re ise am a id eile s cruite aran c iu il

air an ceann,

’

s c uire adh iad sin ad ch ada l thu .

Ah dig ach sin 2” ors ’ esan .

Th ig,

”ors

’fear eile dh iu,

Bodach M or U am h anta.

Gabh anda,a l e agas tu

’sa bh e ir uat do bh e ath a , mur cum thu cath

oidh ch e ris’

s Caillea'

ch Mhor‘

s m u gh e ibh i dln dhu it m arbh a idh

h -ana il thu .

An dig ach sin ? ors esan .

Thu irt iadsan nach dige adh ,’

s fh ua ir e c e ad falbh an oidh ch e

sin th an a bh a ta il .Nur ra inig e ch unna ic e cheud re ise a m a id tigh inn

’

s ch a idh efalach

, gus an de a ch a idh iad se a ch ad’

s th a inig e air an cul th aobh

s m arbh e h -uil e h -aon riabh dhin . Chunna ic e nis Cai lleachMhor, th ar tombais a m e uda ch d

,tigh inn stopan ath-bh e oth a ich e

na la im h ,’

s m ar Ch unna ic esan i tigh inn l e ig e thein na sh ine adh’s an str~ath ’

san robb na daoine m arbh . Chur ise corag as anste pan ath-bh e oth aich e an a m beul an th ir bh a la im h ris ’

s leume h e o. Chur i na bh enl -san an ath -h -ua ir i ’

s thug e dh ith achorag o

’

n ruide an . Gh laoidh ise,Gum bu tu fear m u dh

’

e ire adh

do sh lioch d do m h a th ar dh’

é ire agh e as do na b h e il na’

11 la idh e adh

sm

Cha m bi ach ’

s mi an darna fear dh ’

é ire a s, s dh’

e l rich e ’

s

th ilg e 11a 311111 dh iu lo cheile,agus cha robb e sin ach uine gh oirid

Fionn’

s Ransom . 55

an de igh inn am blar sin chur se ach ad dar chual e na cruite arance olm h or sin tigh inn,

’s an ath-re ise am a id casa air. Bha 6 air

ch laoidh th airis’s e tuite a m na ch adal

’

s ga chum a il fh e in na

a ire ac h a , ch a ire a ch e ceann a ch la idh e am h ri uch dan a ch oise adh ,’s

bh arr ri m h ala idh ’s h -nile cnota ch cada il bh a tigh inn air, bha an

cla idh e am h ga ch um ail na dh uisge adh’s mar th a inig bh uidh e an

sh a igh de aran faq asg dha, gh abh e air an culth aobh’s m h arbh e

nile iad . Sm aontich e so nach biodh am Bodach M or ro fh ada

gun tigh inn, a gus th oisich e air d e anam h toll farsuinn domhainanns an ta lam h

’s gu chur th a iris le fiodh

,

’s l e feur

,

’s l e cbna ich .

Dar bh a e gu bhi ch rna ich te , an croma-ciar’s an rath-dorch a an

fh e asga ir th a inig am Bodach Uamanda Gh abh anda mi-chuimse ach mi—ch oim e asach ad

’s th oise ach e thein ’

s Fear Beag IosalL apana ch air cur a chath . Th e ann iad ri cheil gu garbh, gabha idh

,

’s am

’s an ruith dh luth aich iad air an fh osgladh bh a

’san

lar ’s ch a idh am Fear M or ann

,

’

s th ua ir esan coth rom air a ch e annth oirt dh e th .

Beagan uine an de igh inn so th a inig a ch a ill e ach bu m h oth a’s

bu mhor. Nar bh a i gu bh iodh lamb ris , bh a h -ana il ga lagach adh

dh’fh euch e cc math ’

s b’

urra inn dha cum a il ua ith e ,’

s bha iadc luich c h ath adh ch uid bu m h oth a do ’

n oidh ch e . Ann an brise adhsoil l e arach d an lath a

,nar dh uisg fear do na brath re an th uirt e ris

fli e in Fe um a idh m is é ire adh,th a mi cinnte ach gu bh e il a fear

ch a idh chur chath air m o shon m arbh o chion fh adadh . Th u irt

fear eile— “ Cha ’ne sin

’s duil e adh dhuit

,ach gum bi do riogh

a ch d air a sgrios .

” Ach th uirt an treasa brath a ir riu nilefh e arr dhuin dol far a bh e il iad cur a chath .

” ’Sa mach gh abh

iad ’

s thug iad orra far an robb iad a clu ich bh ata il ibh . Aird hoibh ruigh e ach d th ua ir iad a Ch a ill e ach Mhor ’

s Fear BeagIosal L apana ch air toirt th a iris taobh air taobh .

Th uirt fear do na bra ith re an O nach d ’th oir thu dh om h an

cla idh e am h fench an cur mi an ceann far na h e iste . ”“ Fo n rinn mi fh e in an troidh

,ui mi an t-orla ich

,ors

’ FearBeag Iosa l L apanach ,

“ ach cur th ii sa do m h eur ann san stopana th bh e oth a ich e ad thall as our am bh e ulsa sin 1.

Rinn e so ’s dar fh ua ir Fear Beag Iosa l L apanach , so gh lua is e

’s sguab e

’n ceann bhar na ca il l ich ,

’s bha i m arbh

Thog na fir m h ora leo dh ach a idh e sin air an gua ill e an. B h a

iad fuire ach com h ladh .

Aon lath a ch a idh Fear Beag Iosal L apanach mach air ch ua irtfe adh a m h onaidh ,

’s Ch unna ic e dubh aradh froise adh tigh inn as

an Aird-’n- iar-th uath, as an d

’

th a inig m arcaich e steud dhuibh,

’s

thug e garbh ionnsuidh air an Fh ear Bheag Iosal L apanach , ach

56 Ga e l ic Socie ty of Inve rne ss.

th arruinn esan a ch la idh e am h ,’s chur e ’

n ce ann do m h arca ich e nasteud dh uibh . Nar fh ua ir e m arbh e

,dh

’

fh euch e sin gu de nafiach an bha e giulan . Nar rannsa ich e cha do th ach a ir ris ach dachir, sporan seang sioda

’

s sia fia clan Fh inn’

ic Cum h a il ann.

Thill e dh ach a idh Sid a ice .

Dh’fh arra id Fear do na B ra ith re an, De Ch unna ic e ’

n dinghair a ch ua irt

Th uirt esan Nach ibaca ni sam bi thug toille a ch adh dha,

ach dubh radh froise a s an Airde -’

n- iar-th ua th as‘

an d’

th a inigm arca ich e steud dh u ibh .

’

S dh’

fh euch e ris a ch e ann th oirt

fh aram sadh,ach th arruinn m ise m u ch la idh e am h as sgar mi dh

’

e san an ceann,”ors

’ Fear Beag Iosal L apanach .

De fh ua ir thu na luib ors’

iadsan .

Cha d ’ nair ach da chir,

’

s sporan seang sie da, anns an

robh sia fiaclan,”ors

’ esan .

Och,och ors

’am brath a ir m or

, cha d ’ rinn thu do mbathriabh dh uinn

,nach d ’ rinn thu do chron an diu dar m h arbh th u

aon bh rath a ir ar n-athar,bha cur cua irt ua ir ’

sa bh l iadhna air uil eRiogh ach dan an Domhain dam h a ir,

’sa th ige adh th oirt dhuinne

e ach dra idh air gach m i mar bha dol .”’S e th uirt an Fear Beag Iosal L apanach ruith e sin Mar ’

e il

an gniom h rinn mi ta itne ach l e ibh,ni mi eheart obleas oirbh

fh e in .

”

Sin th uirt fear eile do na braith re an S fh adadh fon tha e’san da ilgne ach d gur e fear th ige adh th ogal Eirig Fh inn

’ic

Cum h a il bh e ire adh saorsadh dhuinne as gach cath a s com h rag.

”

Th uirt am Fear Beag Iosal L apana ch gun robh e sm aointe ach

adh air falbh nis bho ’11 fhuair e Eirig Fh inn . M u ch oinne am h sin

th uirt na bra ith re an ris, gum fa igh e adh e uapadh -san steud dubh am h arca ich e adh an cuan glas mar m ach a ire geal sgiam h a ch . S

bh e ir thu ar na igh e ach d-ne do’r piuth a ir,

’s bith e adh i agad fh e in

na m naoi ph osdadh .

”

Thug esan ’s an steud an agh a idh air an Fh é inn,

’8 am bial an

ath adh’

s an fh e asga ir bha e l e Fionn Mac Cum h a il , dh’

fh arra id

dh e th the1n ’s do ch o-dh altan an d ’uar iad an é irig.

’

S fh re aga ir iadsan, Nach d ’

nair. ” Thug esan m ach an sporan seang siodadh’s

na sia fiaclan ann,

’s th uirt e ri F ionn Tha t-é irig an sin, ’

s ch a

d’ rinn do ch o-dh altan fh aigh inn dh uit .

FIONN ’S RANSOM.

Once upon a time F ionn and his three foster-brothers,the

Red Knight, the Knight of the Cairn,and the Knight of th e

Sword went to the hunting hill . They sat down,to look around

Fionn’

s Ransom . 5T

them,on a sunny, rocky, eminence sheltered from the wind, and

in the sun’s warmth,where they could se e everyone, and no one

could se e them . When they were seated there sometime, theKnight of the Sw ord said

,

“ Is it possible for me to think that .

anyone h as walked on earth or traversed the air,w h o could

despise or look down upon Fionn M accum h ail w hen h is th ree fosterbrothers are near him ?” The w ords were hardly uttered whenthey observed the darkening and heard th e sound of the approachand passing of a show er from th e north -w est

,out of wh ich came a

rider on a black steed . He came straight where Fionn w as, andstruck him on the mouth

,knocking out three upper and three lower '

teeth . Then the Knight of th e Sword stood and said, that theearth would make a hollow in the sole of his foot, and the sky anest in the crown of his head

,before hi s footsteps would return,

Until I avenge Fionn’s injury.

” The other foster—broth ers saidthe same .

‘

They then went down to the sh ore,and began to fit .

out a sh ip'

to go aw ay ih . They were not long engaged in thiswork when they saw a little

,low -se t

,insignificant looking man ap

proach ing the place w here they w ere . Th ey addressed h im,and in

reply,he asked the Knight of th e Sword for permission to

accompany them on th e ship . Th e Knight of the Swordanswered

,No of what use would a trifling l ittle man like you

be to us for going in a ship 12” He th en made a request of th e

Kn ight of the Cairn,if there w as any way by which he would be

allowed to go with them on their travels,but the Knight of the

Cairn replied th at they had no need of such an unlikely person as

he w as in a sh ip . He then in the same way asked th e RedKnight

,w ho said that it w as improper of him to put such a ques

tion ;“Wh o could have the audacity to take an insignificant

looking creature of mean,russety appearance

,such as you are

,

in a ship to se a 7” He now went where F ionn w a s and told himth at the others had all refused him

,and asked him if he would

allow him to accompany him.

“ I g ive you permission,” said Fionn

, you are of more valueth an a stone anyhow .

”

They then launched the ship . Th ey turned the prow se a

ward and the stem to land,and raised the speckled towering sails

against the tall,tough

, strong masts, with a slight, soft gentlebreeze

,th at would strip leaves from trees

,willow from hill

,and

young heather from its rootlets and grasp, lash ing the se a wildlyinto waves and foam in the seething expanse far and near, whileth e l ittle crooked

,swarthy whelk that w a s seven years at the

bottom of the se a gave a creaking sound on the gunwale and a .

5 8 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss.

thum p on th e bottom of the boat. Their murmuring music and

l asting sound of grumbling w ere the chim ing of eels, the gnashingof teeth, the biggest beast devouring th e smaller beast, and th el ittle beast doing as best it could . The ship could cut a grain of

oats with the edge of h e r’

prow from th e excellence of her steering,and Fionn M a ccum h ail w a s guide at the prow , helm in the stem ,

and tackle in the centre, and they directed her course for th eKingdom of Big Men . When they h ad been tw o days sailing,Fionn desired th e Knight of the Sw ord to look from the mastwhether he could se e land . He w ent a short distance up themast

,returned

,and said there w a s no part or portion of land

visible . Then Fionn asked the Knight of the Cairn to try if hecould discern land . He w ent a short distance up th e mast andcame down and said that there was no trace or appearance of landin sight . Fionn now asked the Red Knight to

'

look closely fromh im whether he could ge t a view of land . The Red Knight onlyclimbed up the mast a short w ay when he returned , saying thatthere w as neither land nor earth to be seen, nothing but se a andsky . Then the little insignificant man stood and said to them,

If you could not acquit yourselves better than that you m ight aswell have remained w here you w ere

,

” and he gave a bound andreached the top of the m ast. When he came down he said toF ionn

,It is too large to be a hooded cre w and too small to be

land,but keep the course you are on .

” Next day they were inharbour in the Kingdom of Big Men .

When they reached the anchoring ground they could not gett o land . There were three fie ry darts gleaming all roundthe harbour. Then the little

,low -se t

,w addling man put

a hollow-sh aped,resisting shield on his right hand and

on his left,gave the standing (or magic) leap of three

bounds,and reached land . After that he took Fionn and

his three foster-brothers safely on shore with him. They,

“

four, then began to walk abroad through the island . O n theirway they met a tall woman w i th a brown

,fat . lit tle Lap dog at

her heels, and every time the Lap dog looked at Fionn his lostteeth were in their place in h is mou th as they sh ould be

,but

when th e Lap dog turned from him the teeth dropped out .The foster-broth ers ne w thought they had found F ionn’

s

ransom, and they carried 0 1? with them the tall w om an and theLap dog to th e ship, and left the l ittle low -se t swaddler alone on

the island . He wa s travelling,and ever m oving right on before him.

In th e dusk of the evening he saw a small d'

welling-house,with a

light in it, by the roadside . He entered,and found a large fire

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m ent of soldiers , and although he beh eaded eve ry one of th em a

tall old w oman cam e after h im with a life -restoring stoup in h e rhand

,and w hen sh e dipped h e r finge r in the life-restoring stoup

and put it in the mouths of th e men every one of them sprang upalive .

Will any others come (I asked the swaddler.Th ere will come th en, resumed the next of the brothers

,

another regim ent of soldiers with musical harpers at their head,and th ey will se t you to sleep .

Will none oth er than th ese come said h e .

Then w il l come,said the third brother

,a tall old man of

t e rrific and gruesome appearance, w h o will take your life unlessyou can keep com batting him all night . After him

,a tall old

woman w ill come,and if you let her ge t near you her breath will

kill you .

”

The swaddler th en a sked if any others would come .The brothers told him that none else w ould come .

He obtained permission to go away that night to the battle .When he reached he saw the first regiment approaching and hehid him self until they had passed ; h e

tD

th e n came up behind andkilled every one of them . He 110W saw a great enormous oldwoman com ing w ith a life-re sto1 ing stoup in her h and . When hesaw that sh e w a s near he laid him self dow n in the row among thedead men . She put her h uger out of the life—rest oring stoup inthe mouth of th e man nearest to him

,and he started up alive . ‘

She th en put her finge r in his mouth, and he took it off from theknuckles. Sh e cried out

,

“ O f all those lying th ere may you be the last man of yourmother’s race to rise .

”

No, but I shall be the second m an to rise,and he rose up

and th rew off both of their heads togeth er.He was there but a short time after he got that battle over

when he heard the musical harpers draw ing near and the nextregiment hurrying towards him . He w as overcome with fatigueand w as dropping asleep . To keep himself aw ake he placed thehilt of his sw ord to the upper part of his foot and the point to h iseyebrow, and whenever he began to nod the sword kept h imawake . When the band of soldiers passed near him he came upafter them and killed them all .

Fionn’

s Ransom . 61

He now th ought the tall old man w ould not be long of appearing

,and h e began to dig a deep h ole in th e earth and to cover it

w ith wood , grass, and moss . Wh en the pitfall w as nearly finish e d,

in the gathering twilight, th e te rrific and incomparably dreadfulbig grey man came, and he and the little sw addler began to figh t

a battle . Th ey attacked one anoth er roughly and fie rc e ly . Inth e h eat of th e conflic t th ey drew near th e opening that w a s inth e ground, and the terrible great man fell in . Th en the littleswaddler took the advantage of him,

and cut off h is head .

Sh ortly after this figh t w as over the old woman,w hose s ize

w as large and great, appeared . As sh e came close to him,her

breath w as weakening h im he endeavoured as much as h e couldto keep her from him,

and they fought almost all night . At thebreak of day

,when one of the broth ers aw oke

,he said to himself

,

I must rise,for I a m certain th at the man w h o w ent to figh t in

my place is long s ince dead.

”

Another of the brothers said, Th at part is not th e worst of itfor you, but th at your kingdom w ill be destroyed . The thirdbrother said to th em all

,We h ad better go together to the place

w here th e battle is being fough t . Th ey then se t off,and wh en

they arrived at th e place of battle th ey found the enorm ous old

wife and the little sw addler both togeth er quite exh austed . Oneof the broth ers then said, O h w ill you not give me the sw ordthat I may cut off th e w retch ed old w oman’

s h ead .

” Since Ifinish e d th e foot measure,

”said th e l ittle swaddle r

,I will under

take th e inch measure, but, do you put your h uger in that littlelife -restoring stoup over th ere

,and th en place it in my mouth .

Wh en th e l ittle sw addler h ad th is done to h im,he rose

,

swept th e head off th e old woman,and killed h e r.

Th e tall men then carried him home on th eir shoulders,and

they continued to live togeth er .One day wh en th e l ittle swaddler went to th e hill to look

abroad,he saw the darkening of a sh ow er coming from th e north

west,out of w hich came a rider on a black steed

, w ho fie rc e lyattacked th e l ittle swaddler but he drew h is sword

,and cut off

the h ead of th e rider of the black steed . Th en the little swaddler,

h uding that h e w as quite dead,tried to ge t what valuables h e

possessed but,on searching h im ,

h e found only two combs and aslim

,silken purse

,in which w ere F ionn M a cCum h a il

’

s six teeth .

He took possession of them,and returned home .

One of the brothers asked h im w h at he saw to-day (that day)on h is travels . He said that he did not se e anything tha t gavehim pleasure

,but the gloom of a sh ower from the north -west

,out

62 Gae lic Socie ty of Inve rness .

of which came a rider on a black steed . He tried to cut off m yhead

,but I drew my sword, and separated his head from h is

body, said the little sw addler .

What treasure have you found upon him they asked .

I only found‘

two combs and a slim ,silken purse

,in which

were six teeth,” said h e .

“ Alas ! alas said th e tallest brother you never did anygood for us before that is not equalled by the evil you h ave doneu

_

s to-day . You have killed our father’s only broth e r, w h o went.abroad once a year

,through every kingdom of the unive rse to its

remot est bounds, and returned to give us a history of everythingthat w as taking place .

”

Wh at th e l ittle swaddler said to them w as If the act that Iperformed is not pleasant to you , I w ill play th e self- same trick on

yourselves .”

Anoth er of the brothers then said It h a s been long foretoldthat it w ould be the restorer of Fionn M a cCum h a il

’

s loss w h o

w ould give us deliverance from all our w arfare and conflicts .

”

The 11ttl e sw addler now said that he thought he would leavethem

,as he had found Fionn

’

s ransom . In reply,the broth ers

said they would gi ve him a black s teed that would ride the greenocean

,as though it were the fair grassy land and you will

bring to our sister news of us,and make her your law ful wife .

The little man with the steed then directed his face for PeinneLand ; and, in the dusk and twilight of that evening, was withF lonn M a cCum h a il to enquire from him and from his fosterbrothers whether they h ad found th e ransom .

Th ey all answered that they had not found it . He then drewout the sl im silken purse

,with th e six teeth contained in it

,and

said to Fionn— “Your ransom is there,but your foster brothers

did not get it for you .

”

19m J ANUARY,1889.

At this meeting, after transacting some preliminary business .

in connection with the annual dinner,the Secretary read a paper

contributed by M r Charles Fraser-Mackintosh,M .P.

,entitled

,

“ Minor Highland S epts, No . 2 . The Macdonalds of Morar,

styled‘M a c M r M ackintosh ’s paper was as .

follows

Minor High land Septs . 63

MINOR HIGHLAND SEPTS, No . 2 .

THE MACDONALDS O F MO RAR, STYLED

MAC DHU GHAIL .

Th is family long held a prom inent position in Inverness-shire .

It descended from Allan M a cRuari,one of the most famous of th e

distinguished chiefs of Clan Rana ld, w h o w as executed for treasonable actions at Blair-Ath ole in 1509.

The first of the family was Dugald Macdonald, after whomth e lairds had the patronymic, and w ere in Gaelic styled “MacDh ugh a il

”- when in conjunction w ith t h e territorial designation

of Morar,“ Mac Vic Dh ugh a il ,

” by and in itse lf.There is some doubt as to the connection betw ixt Dugald and

Allan M acRuari. Th e historian of Clanranald,writing in 1819

,

describes him as son of “ Angus Re och,

”w h o was fourth son of

Allan M a cRuari and as at th at time th e unparalleled misfortunesw hich be fe l the main line (afterw ards a l lud to) had occurred,the h istorian thus feelingly refers to Morar as

“ a family whichhas supported the dignity of the name for ages, and whose worthwill be long remembered .

”M r Gregory, h ow ever, and M r Alex

ander Mackenzie,in his History of th e Macdonalds and Lords of

th e Isles, state th at Dugald w as the only son of Hanald,executed

111 15 13,eldest son of Allan M acRuari, and thus t h e real heir, who,

in consequence of h is cruelties,w as murdered sh ortly after h is

accession,and h is family excluded from th e succession . It w ould

be out of place here to enter fully into th e m atter,and the deseen

dants of Dugald , th ough they accep ted h is name, relinquish ed alltitle to th e chiefsh ip

,which remained unchallenged 1n Ian

M uidarta ch and h is descendants .Before giving some account of th e various heads of the Morar

family,it m ay be as well at th is point to describe their lands .

South Morar w as their chief residence,consisting of a 14 merk

land of old extent. North Morar,formerly part of Glengarry

,

w as j udicially sold in 1768, and bough t by Genera l Fraser of

Lovat,w h o w as anxious to add to h is political influe nc e . In

Gaelic,South Morar w as Morar-vic-Dh ugh a il ,

” and North Morar,

Morar—vic -Sh im m ie .

” South Morar, in its ent irety, was a fine

property,extending from the se a to th e head w aters of Glen Pean,

w hich flow into Loch Arka ig, and to th e sources of the riverFinnon

,wh ich runs into Loch Shiel . It contained all th e w aters

6 4 Gae lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

which run into one side of th e historic Loch Morar, including alsoth e whole of Loch B e ora id , in itself a grand sheet of w ater. Thereare some p1 etty islets in Loch M arar, in one of wh ich, it i s alleged,Simon Lord Lovat w a s taken in 1746 , concealed in th e hollowof an old t. .ree Th e tradition 1s inaccurate ; th ere are no appearanoes of old trees in the islands, and trees w h ich , I observe, by ana ccount of seeds and labour, were planted in 1802 , have been cutd own for estate purposes .

Th e place w h ere Lord Lovat w as taken, I am informed by M r

Eneas M acdonell of Morar, is called“ Druim -a —Ch uirn

,

”situated

on th e south e ast side of Loch Morar, part of th e farm of M e opl e .

M r Macdonell saw th e tree some forty years ago,th en much

!d ecayed, and h e understood th ere are at present no remains . He

took it to have been a fir,but those w ith h im made it h ardw ood .

Th e river Morar, w ith i ts rapids and falls,is m ost picturesque .

In Eigg, the Morar family h ad Gruill e n,Ga lm iste l l

,Sand ie m ore ,

Hollin, Knocke l ta ig, and Cl e ad e l l . Th ey also h ad th e lands of

L inacl e t-e in B enbe cula , and M a ch e rm e anach in South Uist . Oneo f th e cadets of Morar founded the family of Ga rrygh ou l , afterwards Ge rrinish , w hose descen dant in 1854 became heir to Morar

,

.a nd sold the estateWh en these lands in South Uist and B e nb e cula were sold to

Boisdale by Allan B oy ofMorar,it w a s said he had been outw itted

,

sa nd I observe a curious statement made in th e year 1854, by JohnMacdonald

,cottar in Arisaig

,then aged 82

,that the Ge rrinish

family had money on those lands which had been left to th em asTh anish d e arach d .

” The family has long b e e n out of Uist,but

has left some permanent memorials . Miss Mary Macdonald,a

m ember of the family,residing in Glasgow in 1854, aged 60, says,

“ Rana ld of Ge rrinish’

s first wife w a s Isobel,daugh ter of Morar .

S h e w as drow ned in th e ford .

‘The rock h as ever since been calledIsabe lla

'

s ltock .

’ I h ave seen it myself. ” Miss Macdonald ’ssister

,Mrs Anne Mackinnon

,says

,

“ I h ave often stood in th e

buryihg—

ground at How 1no1 e , b e tw e e 11 th e w aves of Ranald’

s two

wives . Th e burying-

g1ound i s called th e 1\/10 1 a1 family burying.ground— ih Gaelic

,Clac h 0 1 Cille~vic Coule .

The Morar farriily h ad at times o th er lands, particularly sevenm erks of Arisaig

,but th ose I have mentioned w ere all included in

the County Cess Roll,m ade up in 1691.

I . DU GAL D M ACDO NAL D w as succeeded byII . ALLAN, designed m 1538 as “ Allan Mac Coull M a cRanald

,

w h o, w ith his younger b1 other Lach lan , receive a grant of the non

!entry duties of 14 merks of Morar,9 nie rks in Eigg, 13 merks in

Minor High land Septs. 65

B enbe cula,and 7 merks of Arisaig. From this period

,at least,

commences th e distinct cor’

m e ction of th e Mac-Coul family w ithMorar. In a remission

,dated 3rd March

,15 66 , in favour of Clan

ram ald and h is friends and follow ers,th e first name after that of

John,th e chief

,and Allan

,Joh n 0 g, Roderick, Angus, and Donald

Gorme all h is sons,is that of “ Allan Mac Cou l Vic B anald de

Morar.Th e Clanranald h istorian seems to make him th e same person

a s Allan M a cRana ld of Easter Leys,w h o is found in 1581. I

infer th at Allan of Easter Leys was of th e Keppoch family . Hiseldest son and apparent h eir

,named John

,appears in 1588, and h e

himself w rites a long let ter,dated at th e Ch anonrie of Ross

,as

late a s 1596 . Allan th e second w as succeeded by111. ALEXANDER

,found in 16 10 as “ Alexander Mac-Allan-M ac

Coul M a cRana ld”of Morar . In h is tim e, th e Morar family w as in

th e heigh t of its prosperity . He received a Crow n Charter of al l

the lands above particularised,including th e seven merks in

Arisaig, from James VI .,dated Edinburgh , 15th March ,

16 10 .

Al exander,w ith consent of h is eldest son

,Allan Mor, feued out

ten pennies of Cle ade l l, Knockilta ig, and Hollin, in Eigg, to hisbroth er Rana ld

,in l ife-rent

,and th e latter’s son Angus , in fe e , in

the year 16 18. Th i s family of Knockilta ig ran on for a longtime

,and in 1818 its representative

,Capt . George Macdonald of

th e 68th Regiment , w as a claimant for the Morar estate, and triedto get himself appointed tutor-at-law to John, 12th of Morar

,but

the attempt failed,th ere being some doubt as to th e marriage of

th e Captain’s parents .IV . AL L AN M O R . In 1646 Allan styling him self

“ AllanVic A11iste r

,

”L a ird of Morar

,enters into a Bond of Friendsh ip

with John and Donald,elder and younger of Clanrana ld .

Th is would imply that th e ‘

M a c -Couls were independent of

Clan Ranald . Allan Mor h ad three sons,Allan 0 1g, h is successor,

Joh n,w h o died w ith out issue

,and Alexander

,ancestor of Garry

gual and Gerinish , w h ose descendants, as I h ave said, ultimatelysucceeded to th e estate . Allan Mor had one daughter

,w h o

m arried Alexander Macdonald of Kinlochmoidart,which Alexander

died in 1644 . Allan w as succeeded byV. AL L AN O IG

,and he in turn w as succeeded by his second

VI . ALEXANDER, who had several sons, including Allan B oy, whosucceeded, and John, the fourth son

,first of the Guidale family

,

whose grandson James, an idiot, was for a time proprietor of Morar .Alexander

,who was out with Dundee was succeeded by

6 6 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

VII.AL L AN RO Y . He is found party to a deed. in 1702 and

h e,described as yr. of Morar, w itnesses a deed in 1683. He died

prior to 1759, having been infeft in Morar in 1726 . He marriedMarjory

,youngest daughter of Sir Ew e n Cameron of Loch iel

,leav

ing five sons, w h o a l l died with out issue, save John,the eldest .

One of Allan Roy‘

s daughters married John 6th of Gl e nal ladal e,

and her son,Alexander

,young Gl e nallada l e , w as one of the first to

j oin Prince Charlie,and proved a most devoted adh erent .

Allan was somewh at facile,and in his time the family began to

decay . In 1748 he sold h is South Uist and B e nbe cula lands toBoisdale

,and feued Rh e ttland , part of South Morar. Ah old faded

document,being an agreement

’tw ixt Angus Macdonald of Rhettland

,and h is son, Al lan, is somew h at curious, and may be given,

as it relates to th e great em igration m ovement w hich h ad thenbegun

Att Sunisl e te r, 7th June, 1772 .

It is agreed and contracted betw ixt Angus M a cDonald of

Re tland and Al lan M acDonald,his eldest son

,whereas the said

Angus and Allan M acDona ld are to sell and dispose of the wholelands

,holding fe u of Joh n Macdonald of Morar

,do hereby bind

and oblige us heirs and successors to perform the following articlesand conditions . That is to say

,that th e third part of the price of

the foresaid lands are to be employed in making a purch ase inwh atever part they think most convenient in America

,and that

the foresaid Allan M acDonald, being the eldest son and h eir of theforesaid Angus M acDonald of Re tland

,i s to have the whole of these

lands purchased with the foresaid money,except five hundred acres

for each of his other four sons,and one thousand to be att th e

disposal of the foresaid Angus M a cDonald of Re t land,and the

oth er two parts of the price of foresaid lands to be equally dividedbetwixt the foresaid Angus M a cDonald of Re tland

,and the foresaid

Allan M acDona ld his son . I,Angus M a cDona ld of Re tland, and

Allan M acDonald,my son

,do hereby bind and oblige ourselves to

extend th e above upon stamped paper when convenient .In witness whereof we have signed these presents before these

witnesses— B anald M a cDona ld,tacksman of Grul in

,in Eigg, and

Donald M a cDonald,in Sunisl e te r. (Signed) Angus M a cDonald

,

Allan M acDonald, B anald M acDona ld

,witness

,Donald Mac

Donald,witness . ”

Rh e ttland was ultimately acquired by the sagacious JohnMacdonald of B orrodal e

,who afterw ards succeeded to Gle nal ladal e .

B y the advice of friends, Allan Roy interdicted himself fromacting without their consent

,but mischief had already been done .

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68 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

Isabella M ‘Dona ld, daughter to John M‘Dona ld of Morar

,the said

J M D . and L t . Simon M ‘Donald , younger of Morar, on the oth erpart

,th at is to say, th e said L t. M . M ‘D . having m arried the said

Isabella M ‘D . on t h e day of July last,w ith the consent of her

said fath er and brother . But no contract or mention of agreementbeing h ith erto extended, or mention in any manner except whatpassed verbally, and th e said John M ‘D .

,with consent of L t . Simon

M ‘Donald foresaid,obliges th em to pay to said L t . Miles M ‘D . th e

sum of £100 stg .,as portion or dowry, w ith th e annual rent

th ereof,from date of their marriage till paid . 111 consideration of

which,and on the oth er part

,th e said Lieut . Miles M ‘Dona ld

obliges h im and his heirs,& c .

,& c .

,& c .

,to secure to th e said Isa

bella M ‘Donald,h is spouse

,in case she survives h e r said husband

,

by good suffic ie nt land security,or by lodging a capital surn equal

thereto,the sum of £20 stg. yearly, beginning the first payment

thereof th e first term after her said husband ’

s decease,together

with an equal half of all th e movable stock,household furniture

,

or silver plate of w hatever kind that m ay happen to belong tothem at th e dissolution of the marriage

,in case no child or child

ren shall then live or be procreate betw een them ; but, in casethere are ch ildren or child then living procreate betw ixt them,

in

th at case sh e is only to have one—th ird of the movables,as also of

conquest from the time of their marriage, and sh e i s entitled tothe best horse

,together with thirty pounds stg. in name of a com

pl im ent and a grant of mourning .

Th e sum of £40 w as expended in John Macdonald ’s funeralexpenses

,including half an anker of rum and four casks of whisky.

He left two sons and two daughters — Simon, who succeededColonel Coll Macdonald

,2nd Battalion of the Royals

,one daugh

ter, Isabella, above referred to, and Margaret, wife of that wellknow n litigant; Dr Donald Macdonald, of Fort-Augustus . Joh n

was succeeded in the estate by his eldest son .

IX. S IM ON,afterw ards Major in the army, who m arried

,in

1784, Amelia, only child of Captain James Macdonell of Glenmeddle, younger son of Glengarry

,and Jean Gordon

,daughter of

old Gl enbucke tt .

Miss Macdone ll w a s highly accomplished,and an heiress

,and

the romantic circumstances connected with Morar’s successfulw ooing I have mentioned in anoth er place

,as these were related

to me by my mother,who w as personally acquainted with Major

and Mrs Macdonald . Old Morar,at the marriage of his son in

1784, gave over the estates, reserving a liferent .Sim on Macdonald built the house of Tray, afterwards called

Morar House, where he and his wife happily resided for some years,

Minor High land Sep ts . 69

he busying h imself in the pursuits of a country gentleman . Theywere both good musicians

,and in the small th ough varied library

at Tray at h is death,th ere w ere 11 volumes of music

,and amongst

h is effects, th ree violins and a piano . The old mansion of th e M a c

Couls was stone built, gabled, and thatch ed, situated a t Glenancre ss .Wh en Simon left Gle nancross

, and built Tray, his father Johnalso left it

,and

,a s I have said

,resided in a cottage at B una caim b ,

still standing, wh e re h e died . No vestige of th e Gle nancross

house remains .

Simon took great interest in urging the opening up of Lochiel ,Arisaig

,and the two Morars

,by good roads

,finding th en, as is

now,th e inconvenience of th e £20 lands of Loch iel being situated

in Argyle .

I give one of his letters as a specimen

Dear Sir,

— Th e Roman Catholic gentlemen in this neighbourh ood swore allegiance to His Maj esty last w eek, in complianceto the late Act in th eir favour

,which I h ere enclose

,but wish to

have returne d by my servant . You’ll find also enclosed a list of

th e gentlemen, to be delivered to the Sh eriff Clerk conformed toth e Act ; likew ise £2 1s, out of wh ich give the U l e rk £1 7s

,the

balance to credit of my own account. T h ere is enclosed a para

graph ,w h ich please transmit to Edinburgh with all despatch , to

be published in three different Edinburgh pap e rs,and in the

Gla sgow New s. Acquaint me of th e expense w ith due convenience,

and it will be remitted . I h ope,as th e gentlemen left it with me

to get th ese th ings done, you’ll be so good a s not neglect them. I

always am,dear Sir

,yours very s incerely

,

(Signed) SIM ON M ‘DO NAL D.

Arisaig,18th Augt .

,1793 .

His family increasing,and the old military spirit still glowing,

he again entered th e army . His mother—in-law,M rs Macdonell of

Gl enm e ddl e, writing from Inverie

,9th June

,1794, says -

“ M r

Macdonald h a s accepted of a Commission from the Marquis of

Huntly. Since it w as to be se , I w ish it h ad been sooner. He

h a s got some recruits . God grant all things may do well for himself and family .

”He became Major m the 92nd Regt

,and after

being abroad for some time,retired in bad health . He died on

th e 12th March , 1800, and in one of his last letters, h earing dateth e 13th Januar

-

v h e writes,

a lluding to a notorious quackmedicine of th e day termed “ the Balm of Gilead

,thus— “ The

G ilead cordial I have found be nefit from,so I mean to commission

70 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

a whole case from Edinburgh . If the effects are so sensibly feltin every complaint to w h ich it i s applied as a cure, it must be ablessing to society . Th e Major w as buried with his fath ers w ithin the w alls of th e ancient chapel at Kilm oire of Arisaig, one of

th e seven expiatory ch apels of “ Allan—nan-Creach,

”and a hand

some tombstone,costing £14 sterling

,i s ordered from Greenock .

This w a s the first blow to h is w idow, left with a young familyof five — Elizabeth

,James, Mary , Simon, and Joh n . Her next

m isfortune w as in th e year 1803, when, having previously removedto Inverness for th e sake of her childrens

’ education, sh e lost, inth e month of July

,her daughter Mary

,and in Novembe r, her

clever moth er,M rs Macdonell of Gl enm e ddl e . Both w ere

buried at Inverness . In these days, in towns, it w as customary to have a funeral dinner or entertainment ” as it w a s

termed,and it needed

,with oth er l iquors

,the consumption of 28

bottles of port to pay proper respect to the old lady ’s memory,at

Fraser’s hotel . I give a specimen of her letters

Sir,

— I would have wrote you sooner,according to promise

,

but was detained longer by the w ay here than I expected, by myrelations and friends in Perthshire . I only arrived h ere last w eek .

I long much to know about your Mrs M ‘Done ll and h ow a l l

matters are . I sincerely wish and hope all i s weel to your andher comfort. I am very anxious to hear. What can I think notto have had a letter or any accounts from m y daughter or fromKnoidart since I left Inverness . You cannot imagine my une asi

ness,God grant they may be all weel . 1 am amongst m y kindest

and best friends,but in the midst of all

,not happy with my

anxiety in not hearing from my daughter,the reason of which I

cannot comprehend . I have been at Lord Hende rlands mostlysince I came here . They are at M urrayfie ld, about two m iles fromtown . My Lord sets off the 15th for Inverness

,from Mercer of

Aldies . I dined at St Martins with Re m ul in,and returned to M r

Mercer’s at night. I only saw M r Fraser,Gortul e g he called

upon me the day I came to town he went north next day,but

says he returns soon . I beg to hear from you upon receipt of this .L e t me know all your news

,h ow they are at Invergarry

,what

has become of Mrs M ‘Cay , but I be g to know when you heardfrom Knoidart. I shall conclude with m y kindest com pts . to MrsM . and you, and am

,Dr . Sir

,your

'

assured friend,and humble

se rvt (S igned) JEAN MACDONELL .

Edin ., Carrube rs Close, Sept . l 0th , 1787 .

Direct to me at Mrs Laing’s, Carrubers Close, and care of

M r Angus M ‘Done l l,Merchant

,Parliament Close .

Minor High land Septs. 71

Compts . to M r John M ‘Donald and Mrs M ‘Dona ld, and togood Miss Gordon . Adieu , w rite me soon.

In 1804,when in h is 1111] year

,M rs Macdonald’

s youngestson

,John

,met w ith an accident, and began to show s igns of

fatuousness .

I h ave placed Maj or Simon Macdonald a s the 9th of M orarbecause

,th ough h e predeceased h is father, he had been put in pos

session of th e estate . He w as succeeded by h is e ldes t sonX . JAMES

,w h o

,in 1805 , like h is fath er and grandfather,

betook h imself to a military life,entering h is fath er’s regiment, as

seen by th e follow ing letter addressed to h is uncle, Colonel CollMacdonald

Aberdeen,28th September, 1805 .

Sir,

— Th e Marquis of Huntly is extremely h appy toacquaint you th at he h as now procured an ensigncy in th e 92ndfor your nephew

,James Macdonald .

(Signed) THos . J O HNSTO NE, Major of Brigade .

James Macdonald w as sent abroad immediately, saw m uch service

,and w ent th rough a deal of h ardship . It w as reported that

he w a s killed at Corunna,but

,in a letter from a friend of the family

in Edinburgh , da ted 31st January, 1809, it i s said—“ There h as

been w ord from James Morar,w h o it seems has been lucky enough

not to be at th e Battle of Corunna. He says the army h ave lostin all men in battle

,and left on the road in retreat from

fatigue but it is said confidently that 4500 only have been lost .James Morar w a s in the rear on th e march

,and was skirmishing

and retreating for three weeks .

”

James Macdonald returned home a major,and his mother

,

writing from Morar House,on 17th Octob e r, l809. says her son

Simon h ad a letter from Jam es. He is, I th ank God , w ell . His

regiment is at Woodbridge,in Suffolk . He i s put into the G rena

diers a s a mark of distinction .

His own views are well expressed in a long letter,dated Wood

bridge,18th October

,1809

,from which I make an extract I

am now th e representative of an ancient and honourable family,

with hardly a vestige of property,but the name

,with a family to

support,and debts to be expunged . Providing for the one

,and

supporting th e other,as becomes them

,are m y obj ects, and, w ith

th e assistance of God, ,I a m determined to overcome all obstacles

to effect them . The task is d ifficul t.

”

Alas 1th at such h igh hopes should be frustrated. He shortlyfell into ill health

,and died at Edinburgh

,after a lingering illness,

of Aberdeen, and afterwards atw as the favour ite of h is moth er and only surviving sister .

be imagined,th erefore

,what an overwh elming sh ock it was to these

loving ones to hear that in April,1812

,barely. six mon th s after h is

accession,he was killed by th e accidental discharge of h is gun

wh ile visiting a relative in M oidart . Upon h is way to shoot atKinlochmoidart

,Simon Macdonald stayed a nigh t at the house of

Irin . Starting off after bre akfast on 22nd April,in heal th and

spirits,he took up his gun

,which had been placed over night

against the wall behind a sofa . In doing this the gun went off,

th e contents penetrating his head, and, though he lived threehours

,never spoke . Simon was succeeded by h is only surviving

brother,

XI I . JO HN,12th of Morar . He

,as I have stated

,showed signs

of fatuousness as early as 1804,and

,by the time of h is accession ,

had quite sunk into idiotcy . He attained his maj ority in 1814 .

These unparalleled misfortunes l eft Mrs Macdonald w ith onlyone real comfort — her eldest daughter, Elizabeth . She

,like her ‘

m other,w as highly accomplished and well up to business . I can

not better illustrate th i s th an by giving a paper drawn out andholograph of herself

,early in 1814

,in reference to certain accounts

of cash and business,which h ad be e n laid before her mother and

herself

Memorandum as to the AccountsA. These two Accounts

,the £60 is not included in w hich he

was due Mrs M .

“ B . The Interest of Glengarry ’s Bond,wh ich was due tw o

years, h e sent by M r J . M . in 1809, which h e puts right in hisaccount, but in making up th e Interest

,he charged h e r Interest

upon from 1807 . And the Accounts he paid in the same way atthat time .

0 . These two accounts are th e sam e,but that the agency is

charged m ore in the last sent .

Minor High land Septs . 73

D. This Account he h as put John in place of Simon . In ith e charges with an Interview w ith our Lamented Simon wh en hewas in Mora1 . It w a s the day after h is coming of age , the 14thof April

,when every person know s th at h e w a s not at Inverness .

In John s accounts he h as ch a 1ge d th e Postages much more th anth ey are . As to mine, if h e sends the vouchers I sh all bes atisfie d .

”

Mrs Macdonald w as destined to lose, and that very shortly, asI have said

,her last comfort . B orroda l e w rite s on 4th July

,

1814 :

Dear Sir,

— M rs Macdonald,Morar

,w ith her poor reduced

family,arrived from Edinburgh 0 11 the 23rd of last month . M iss

Macdonald was much reduced indeed,but sh e retained such spirits

that I thought sh e migh t l ive a fe w weeks . Th e poor mothernever d e spa1re d of her recovery until Thursday n ight last

,late in

th e evening,and early on Friday morning sh e departed this life .

Th e interment is to be on Thursday . You will easily conceive thedistress of worth y M rs Macdonald on losing her last hope andonly comfort. I am happy to be able to say sh e bears this severetrial with a great degree of Ch ristian fort itude

,as much so as

could be expected from any wom an in her situation .

— I am,dear

Sir,yours very truly

,

(Signed) J O HN MACDONALD.

Morar House,4th July

,

B arisdal e, writing same day from Auch te rtyre , says : I am

just preparing to se t off for poor Betsy Morar’

s interment. Godh elp her distressed mother fe w women h ave suffered more in theworld

,or borne her fate w ith more resignation and fortitude .

”

In 1818,when certain formalities were to be gone th rough

with regard to the management of th e estate, an old friend writingby a messenger—a t arms to M r John Macdonald

,priest of Arisa ig,

and to M r Macdonell of Rh ue,says —

“ The bearer goes to citeJ oh n Morar, the remaining stock of my most affectionate friends

,

Major and Mrs Macdonald of Morar. That that family shouldhave been so reduced is truly distressing to me .

Mrs Macdonald did not long survive . Glengarry,w riting on

l 6th May, 1817, states—“ He expects setting out for the West

to attend the funeral of my poor cousin,Mrs Macdonald of Morar .

She left considerable means,Lord M e dwyn,

M r J A. Murray,

a fterwards Lord Murray,Wm . Macdonald of St Martins

,and Alex.

Macdonell of Rhue and L och sh ie l,being her executors . Mrs

Galbraith, daughter of Ranald Macdonell of Scotos,speaking in

74 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

1854, aged over 70, said I lived for th ree years preceding M rs

Macdonald ’s death w ith her at Morar House .” Space prevents mygiving one of her numerous letters . Lord Murray, her maternalcousin

,w a s appointed h e r residuary legatee, and th ough a great

part of it w as laid ou t by him for th e b enefit of the people, it didnot prove a success . He erected a monumental tablet in one of

the walls of Kilm oir chapel , w ith the following inscription

Sacred to the Memoryof

AMELIA,

Widow of Simon Macdonald of Morar,

O f th eir Daughter ELI ZA, and Sons,JAMES , SIMON, and JO HN.

The sorrows of a mother, borne with patience truly Christian , andthe sad fate of her family

,are here recorded .

RI P.

J . A. M .

,Posuit

,1843.

Colonel Coll Macdonald,only brother of Simon 9th of Morar

,

married Miss Frances Coch rane,and left an only child Mary . Th e

Colonel,who w a s in very good circumstances

,had to be placed

under restraint in 1814, and died towards the close of 1817 .

Mary Macdonald married Angus Macdonell,commonly called

“ Angus Inch,

”from his farm in the Brae of Lochaber. M r Eneas

Macdonell,Morar

,to w hom I am much indebted for information

in preparing this paper,describes Mrs Macdonell of Inch in th ese

words,in answer to my spe c ific enquiries, made in respect that sh e

and her descendants became h eirs of l ine of “ Mac Dhugh a il”

Mrs Macdonell was regarded by every one who saw h e r as avery handsome and beautiful woman . She retained her goodlooks and graces to the last . She was little past middle life whensh e died . The old Macdonalds of Morar were

,I have alw ays heard,

a good looking race . I am not sure whether Mrs Macdonell d i edbefore or after the family emigrated . My impression is that herdeath took place 111 this country. Mrs Macdonell was an elegant,agreeable

,well- informed woman .

” I observe that in August of

this present year,1888

,Archie

,youngest son of M r and Mrs Mac

donell of Inch,died at Melbourne .

John,12th of Morar

,w h o died about 1832 , w a s succeeded by

his second cousin,of the Guidale family .

XIII . JAMES , 13th of Morar,alst) fa tuous . He died about

1853, and the estate being destined to heirs m ale, he w a s succeeded

by a Very distant cousin of the Gerinish family,which h ad

emigrated to America,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

76 Ga e l ic Se e l e ty of Inve rne ss .

M r Cam pbell of Kilmartin 5 Captain Macleod of Cadboll,Cameron

High landers 5 Captain Davidson, do . 5 Lieut . Forbes, do . 5 SurgeonGeneral Grant

,M r Ch arles Innes, solicitor 5 Re v . A. C. Macdonald

,

Q ueen Street E C. Manse 5 M r Wm . Mackay,solic itor 5 Dr Murray,

and M r J Horne,of th e Geological Survey . Alex . M a cba in

,M .A.

,

and Bailie Mackenzie were croupiers, and among the companypresent w ere M r A. Ross

,arch itect ; M r Allan Macdonald, Com

m issioner for Th e Mackintosh ; M r Robert Grant,of Macdougall

Coy .

’s 5 Treasurer Jonath an Ross, M r James Barron,Ne ss Bank 5

M r Duncan Campbell , B al l ife ary ; Dr F . M . Mackenzie,Dr Me ir

,

Aberdeen 5 Re v . M r Sinton,Invergarry 5 M r James Gossip

,Inver

ness 5 M r A. M ach ardy , Ch ief-Constable 5 M r Donald Fraser of Millburn 5 M r Thom as Fraser

,do . 5M r Colin Ch isholm

,Namur Cottage 5

M rWm Macdonald,Sh eriff-Clerk Depute 5 M r G. J Campbell

,sol i

cite r 5 M r Joh n S . Fraser,solicitor 5 M r Henry V. Maccallum

,

Q ue ensgate Ch ambers ; M r T . G . Hende rson, M r Macdonald,

Superintendent of Police ; M r John Davidson,Inglis Street ; M r

Gilbert A. Matheson,M r Strickland

,Kenneth Street 5 M r Alex .

Fraser,draper

,Church Street ; M r Fraser

,B a l l ife ary 5 M r Mac

kenzie,Kenneth Street

,Inverness ; M r Walker

,Torbre ck ; M r

Wm . Macdonald,contractor ; M r Medlock

,j eweller ; M r John

Macdonald,Castle Street ; M r Paul Campbell

,Bridge Street 5

M r James Macbean,M r Wm . Miller

,Longman Road 5 M r Ew en

Macrae,K inb e a ch ie 5 M r Murdo Macrae

,do . 5 M r Wm . Macbean

,

Imperia l Hotel ; M r Joh n Whyte,M r Wm . Gunn

,Castle Street 5

M r Duncan H . Ch ish olm,do . 5 M r Cargill, accountant, Royal

Bank,Inverness 5 M r Farquhar Urquhart

,Un ion Street ; M r D.

M . Cameron,do. 5 M r Fleming

,Caledonian Bank

,Inverness 5 M r

Hugh Mackintosh , Castle Street 5 M r D. Ramsay,M r Mackintosh

,

Bank of Scotland,Secretary of the Society

,& c . Th e large dining

room w as beautifully decorated w ith clan tartans and stags’

h eads,

and on the large mirror the arms of The Mackintosh,w ith the

motto,Touch not a cat be t a glove

,

”w ere displayed .

After dinner,in the service of wh ich M r Macfarlane excelled

himself,th e loyal and patriotic toasts w ere given from the ch air.

In proposing the Q ueen, Sir Henry said he asked them to drinkto her, not only as sovereign of th e British Empire

,but as the

oldest rep1 e se ntative of royal families 0 11 the face of the earth

(applause) — w hich w as proved,as he w as convinced

,by her descent

from th e ancient Pictish K ings, w hose h eadquarters were at Inverness In proposing th e health of the Prince andPrincess of Wales and th e other members of the Royal family

,Sir

Henry said they could not forget in this connection the widowed

Annua l Dinne r. 77

lady,w h o w as now in this country

,th e Empress of Germany

(applause). He w a s sure th ey appreciated h e r virtues perh apswith considerably greater force th an th e subj ects of her latehusband did 5 and th ey w ould have learned with pleasure th atth e Empress h ad th e oth er day come into a singular piece of goodluck by having a legacy left her by an Italian lady

,w hich was

even w orthy of an Empress,the sum being stated at

(applause).Sir Henry

,in giving th e patriotic toast

,said they had been

told recently that the Highland regiments w ere not to be consid e re d as th e peculiar property of Scotland

,and th at th ey must

look forward to having in Scotland oth er regiments in th e

garrisons, because all w ere alike regiments of the British Empire .He w a s convinced that th ey would protest a s vigorously and succ e ssfu l ly against that innovation a s th ey d id against th e proposedabolition of th e High land regiments Many of th e

English battalions w ere no doubt quite as distinguish ed in th eirservice a s the Highland regiments, but they preferred to have th eHigh land bonnets in th eir midst

,and to see th eir sons serve th eir

Q ueen and country in th eir ranks In h is concludingsentences

,Sir Henry alluded to th e eminent military services of

Field-Marshal Sir Patrick Grant,one of the oldest members of

the Gaelic Society,remarking that h e w as sure it was a source of

satisfaction to them to find h is son at the table to associate withth e toast of the ArmyMajor Grant

,who was received with applause

,said he supposed

the old military Spirit still lingered in th e High lands,but h e

sometimes wondered if nothing more could be done to popularisethe army as a profession for Highlanders . Amongst those presentw ere no doubt landlords

,municipal authorities

,factors

,employers

of labour,and tenants of large farms

,men w h o in town and

country districts exercised auth ority and influenc e,wh o must know

of many fine young fellow s who w ere idling away th eir time,and

living from hand to mouth,and w h o

,if th ey could be induced to

j oin the army,w ould be nefit both th emselves and do a service to

their country He wished “ some influe nc e tow ardsa military career could be brought to bear upon this class . He

did not refer to those young fellow s who w ere doing their duty bystriving to h elp forward the trade and agriculture of the country

,

whose assistance w a s required at home,but to those

,and th ere

were many,

. h e w a s afraid,in the Highlands

,who w ere idling

a long and were a burden to their families and a. degradation tothemselves and their race In the army they w ould

Ga e l ic Soc ie ty of Inve rne ss .

become gallant soldiers, and they w ould earn, what they had littleprospect of earning otherwise, a pension to comfort them in theirold age He des ired to thank Sir Henry for the termsin wh ich he had alluded to h is father It w as a grandthing to have a father to be as proud of as h e w as of h is . In hisold age nothing delighted Sir Pa trick Grant more th an to knowth at h is name was still looked upon w ith some affection in th e

High lands h e loved so w ellAt this stage of th e proceedings

,the Secretary

,M r Duncan

Mackintosh,read the annual report of

'

th e,

Executive,which w a s

a s follow s The Council have pleasure in reporting that theprosperity and usefulness of th e Society continue to increase .

During th e past year 45 new m embers were enrolled,and eleven

volumes added to th e library . The fourteenth volume of Transact ions is now in the b inder ’s hands, and will be delivered to thememb e rs in the course of a fe w days . It is one of the largest ofthe Society ’

s annual volumes,and it is believed that its contents

will be found of much interest and value . Th e syllabus for session1888—89 shows that th ere. is no abatement in the activity of themembers in the special fie ld wh ich the Society endeavours tocultivate . The Treasurer reports as follows z— Balance from lastyear

,£66 10s 4d 5 income during year, £12 1 18s 5 total revenue,

£188 8s 4d 5 expenditure during year, £165 2s 8d 5 balance inhand

,£23 5s 8d . The Council desire to point out that in con

sequence of the gradually ' increasing size of th e Society ’s annualvolume of Transactions

,the yearly expenditure is also greatly

increasing 5 and they w ould urgen tly impress on th e members thenecessity of doing what lies in th eir power to increase the list of

the Society ’s life and honorary members . The study of thequestions in which the Society is specially interested h as greatlye xtended since the foundation of the Society

,and able scholars are

ready to contribute to the Transactions 5 but without a considerable increase in the Society ’s revenue

,th e Council fe el that they

cannot issue to the members volum es of such size and value as,with a larger income

,they would be in a position to publish . In

connection w ith this subj ect,the Council have to acknow ledge with

gratitude the liberality of M r Macdonald of Skeabost, w h o hasdefrayed the cost of the fa c sim i le s appearing in Volume XIV. now

about to be issued,of documents from Lord Macdonald ’ s Charter

Chest, and also of Th e Mackintosh, Chief of the Society, w h o hasoffered a prize of £10 10s for the best essay on the social conditionof the Highlands since 1800 . Th is prize has been advertised

,and

it is h oped th e successful essay w ill appear in the next volume ofTransactions .”

Annua l Dinne r. 79

Apologies for absence h ad been received from th e fol low ingmembers — Sir Kenneth S . Mackenzie of Gairloch 5 Sir KennethMath eson of Loch alsh 5 M r R. B . Finlay

, Q .C.,M .P. 5 M r C

,Fraser

Mackintosh of Drummond,M .P. 5 M r. D. H . Macfarlane

,London 5

M r D. Cam eron of Loch i el ; M r Alex . Mackintosh of Holme 5 M r

Duncan Forbes of Culloden ; M r Suth erland of Skibo 5 M r IanMacph erson Grant of B al linda lloch 5 M r L . Macdonald of Skeabost 5M r J ames E. B . Baillie of Doch four ; M r L . Macph erson of Glentruim 5 M r P. L . Bankes

,Ach’ nash een

,Ross-shire ;M r D. Cameron

,

M on ia ck Castle 5 Dr Masson, Edinburgh 5 M r Donald Davidson of

Drummond Park ; M r J Macph erson,Caledonian United Service

Club,Edinburgh 5 M r Joh n Henderson

,Town Clerk

,Fortrose 5

M r A. Burgess, banker, Gairloch ; M r A. Mackintosh Sh aw,

London 5 Re v . C . H. Goldthw aite,Th e Manse

,Glen—Urquh art-5 Dr

Miller,Fort-William ; M r A. Macph erson

,solicitor

,Kingussi e 5

Rev . Joh n Mackintosh,E C . Manse

,Fort-William 5 Re v . Alexander

Bisset,The Abbey

,Fort Augustus M r A. A. Carmichael, Raeburn

Place,Ed inburgh 5 M r Duncan : f nzie s

,B ogart ; te v . Robert

Munro,E C. Manse

,Old Kilpatrick

,Glasgow 5 M r Ewen T. Miller

,

Fort-William 5 M r Ew en Cameron,do . 5 Rev . J P. Campbell

,

Manse of Urquhar t 5 M r H . Bannerman,South port 5 M r D. Mac

lach lan,Edinburgh 5 M r G. M . Suth erland

,Wick ; M r Jam es M .

Gow,Union Bank

,Hunter Square

,Glan W 5 M r Alex . Maclean

,

Greenock 5 M r Joh n Mackay,C .E.

,Hereford 5 M r A. C. Mackenzie

,

M aryburgh 5 Fie ld-Marsh al Sir Patrick Grant,Ch elsea . The

Secretary furth er stated that he had received a telegram from TheMackintosh

,w ishing a ll success to th e gathering, and read the

following telegram from Mary Mackellar,the bard of the Society

-“ B ua idh agus pise ach , sith agus sonus

,do fh ear na cathrach

agus do ’n ch om unn.

”

Th e Chairman,in proposing the toast of th e evening, Success

to th e Gaelic Society of Inverness,

”said — I must again repeat the

apology w h ich I made at the beginning of our proceedings, thatmy occupancy of th is position arose from the unfortunate absenceof Th e Mackintosh of M a ckm tosh

,and that it is only a fe w hours

ago th at I understood I w as to take h is place . I h ope,therefore

,

th at you w ill not expect from me such an elaborate and thoughtful address as i s usually delivered on occasions of this kind . Th e

toast is one w e can all drink with enthusiasm,and the subj ect of

th e toast is one to which w e can refe r,I th ink

,with unmixed

satisfaction The Gaelic Society of Inverness is,it

appears to m e,fa ir1y and fully fulfill ing th e obj ects which its

founders had in view . I t has been doing its utm ost to preserve

80 Gae lic Socie ty of Inverne ss .

th e ancient High land feeling, to encourage t h e native Highlandl iterature

,and preserve th e records of Highland history . Th e

Secretary h as j ust told us th at th e annual volume of the Society ’

s

transactions w ou ld be placed in th e h ands of members in a fewdays

,and h e has kindly placed in my hands an advanced copy

,

wh ich,as you w ill see

,i s a very bulky and respectable - book

(applause). O n looking over th e index,one can see th at th e

volume contains a great deal of matter wh ich w ill be valuablealways as Highland history There are varioussocieties w h ich , in these days, undertake to put into our hand sin re adable forn1

,re cords and documents relating to th e history

of our country, so far as hith erto h a s not been published .

I happen to belong to two of those societies,and

,while the sub

scription is a guinea per annum for one or t wo volumes,I venture

to say that there is more readable matter in th i s volume than inthe publications of the new Spalding Club

,or the Royal B istori

cal Society,s ince th ey commenced business Now

,

this is one of the h elds in which this Society can be peculiarlyuseful

,and in which it may still more extend its efforts . We have

in th i s volume a few sim i le of a Clan Macdonald Ch arter,dated

1744,be a 1 ing the signature of Donald Cam e 1on of Lochiel (the

gentle Loch iel) and two other chiefs ; a most interest ing document,but I a m sorry to say its term s ind icate th e beginning of the decadence of th e true Highland spirit which characterised the oldentime . I have not read it through , but I see it is an agreementbetween th e th ree chiefs to th e cfie ct that thefts and other depredations having become injuriously comm on

,th ey bind themselves

in the most ignominious manner— (laughter)— ~to put theseoffences down 5 not only se

,but they agree to subscribe a certain

sum to bring the offenders to j ustice at the County Courts . Sucha thing could not be done unless th e Highland chiefs had gonedow n greatly in the world At an earlier and morespirited period

,if the chiefs could not protect their thieves and

depredators,they w ould h ave hung them themselves

Another feature of the volume is the unpublish ed correspondenceof Lord Lovat

,contributed by our friend M r Wm . Mackay

,sol ici

tor,whose forthcoming w ork on the history of th e Castle and Glen

of Urquh art we are all looking forward to with much anticipationand interest Th ere are various other important sub

je cts d iscussed in th e volume,and the matter thus given ,

which will prove valuable,as has been recently remarked by those

of high authority upon these topics, to all Celtic scholars interested in the social

,political

,and antiquarian history of the High

Annua l Dinne r. 81

land people I think w e may sincerely congratulateourselves on the fact th at the Society is prospering, and doing i tsduty w ell The membership continues large, and,upon the two occasions I w a s present recently, a satisfactoryamount of interest w as shown

‘

ih the papers read 5 but I onl yw ish that more would, by th eir attendance at th e w eeklymeetings

,testify to th eir interest in th e Society ’s work .

Th ere is only one subj ect to w hich I wish to refer,and it

is one on w h ich I have spoken on form er occasions 5 I mean thepromo tion of the native industries of the High landsSince I last alluded to the subj ect

,M r Al exander Ross h as contri

buted a paper to th e Field Club transactions, in which h e gives alist of the native High land dyes used long ago in . th e w e aving of

tartans for High land soldiers,and thus e lucidates an interes t ing

department of a par ticular industry . We hear a great deal aboutthe land question and about th e future of the High lands

,and th e

capacity of this part of th e country to maintain a large population .

I se e th at our friend M r Mackenzie,w h o

,I am sorry to se e i s not

present to -nigh t,told an audience at Kingussie th e other day that

h e h ad th och t out the land question and also “wroch t it c ot ”

(laugh ter). I cannot say,w ith regard to the question to w h ich I

have referred,th at I have w roch t it oot 5 but I feel quite satis

fie d th at th e comfort and happiness of the High land people couldnot be more thorough ly or e ffic ie ntly prom oted th an by e ncouraging the revival of th e old domestic manufactures wh ich used to bech aracteristic of the country It was true

,perh aps

,

th at hand-made goods could not compe te with the productions of

modern mach inery,but so far as usefulness and economy w as

concerned, I am c onvinced that home-made material i s far more

profitabl e in the end 1 do not refer alone to themanufacture of stockings and tweeds, although nothing is morebeautiful in the w orld than the Highland tartans and checks .Th ere is also the art of carving, wh ich w as pre-eminent as anindustry in byegone times, and the w orking of metals . In Indiaat this day a common peasant w ill produce an artistic article fora fe w rupees, and th ere is no doubt that much valuable work of asimilar kind used to be done in the Highlands in ancient times bynumbers of the peasantry

,w h o received their education in the

Celtic monasteries . With regard to wood-carving,I can rememb e r

the period when beautifully carved articles w ere exposed for saleat th e Inverness marke t . An effort h as lately been made in th eLovat country to revive this art

,and at the Sutherland Exh i

bition, held in Inverness last summer, a considerable amount of

6

82 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

work,

m ucl of w hich w a s executed in cottage h omes, w as

exh ibited . As I have said, if th is Society could accomplish someth ing in the w ay of promoting th e native industries andmanufactures of th e High lands, a great deal w ould be done to addto the comfort and happiness and contentm ent of the Highlandpeople People cannot l ive on small plots of: landentirely by that land . O n a recent occasion I passed a day atDuny e gan ,

in Skye,along w ith my friend

,M r Mackay

,and

happened to hear th at a young lady had telegraph ed to Paris fora bonnet in order to attend a m a1 ri age . Now crofts cannot produce Parisian bonnets, h owever well the Highland ques tion maybe th och t and w roch t oot— (laugh ter)— and th e people ought toknow th at . Th ey w ould be very much happier with the articlesof their own manufacture 5 and I w ould suggest that aprize should be given to the woman who dressed best in material sof her own manufacture Sir Henry concluded bygiving th e toast, which was drunk with enthusiasm .

M r Alexander Ross,architect

,proposed the toast of the Mem

bers of Parliament for Highland Counties and Burghs, and saidhe was sure they would all agree w ith him in saying that

,what

ever their politics,the desire of all of them was to promote the

interests of the constituencies they rep'

re sentedRe v . Thomas Sinton

,Invergarry

, proposed the Language andLiterature of the Gael He felt not a little honoured

,

he said,in being asked to propose this toast

,which must be

regarded in some respects as the toast of the evening. Althougha Borderer by name

,he w a s fully th ree-fourths Celtic by descent

,

and altogether Highland in his appreciation of the language andliterature of the Gael There was an element ot

'

truth

in that hoary myth as to the antiquity of the Gaelic language 5 itwas far less artificial than Engl ish or any of th e great Europeantongues He thought it was in a peculiar sense thelanguage of the heart and of nature Through itsmedium the religious instinct found ready utterance 5 so did al l

the emotions and affections which were common to all time .Surely no other language cam e more pleasantly from the lips of

children . The Gaelic bards had deeply revolved the mysteries of

nature, and their verses vividly portray th e ch anging face of

n ature in storm and calm and sunshine . Inpoetry of this description the literature of the Gael w as particularly rich . TakeOssian for instance . They should not lose sight of the intrinsicmerits of the work amid discussions and controversies as towhether it was composed by the Bard of Cona or the Bard of

Badenoch If by James Macpherson,then that gentleman

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84 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

M r Campbell made a brief reply to th e toast, and M r M acbain

also refra ined from entering at any length into the subj ect, on th e

ground that,besid e s being admirably treated by M r Sinton

,it had

been th rashed out many times on previous occasions . M r Mach ain,

in the course of a reference to ancient Highland stories, suggestedthe formation of a society in Inve rness to publish som e of th e

Edinburgh manuscripts— a sort ofGaelic Text SocietyHe th ought th e proj ect worthy of being taken up in Inverness

(applause).M r D. Campbell gave th e toast of Highland Education,

andin doing so said th at, being an old schoolmaster himself

,h e w as in

a position to contrast th e old system with the ne w . In h is day,

education was conducted at a very che ap rate— a t a rate of

expense which,he ventured to say , would not keep the creaking

wheels of the present machinery going — (laughter and applause)— but still the old parochial sch oolmaster rendered very e fficient

services to the country Moreover,the old system

w as,he maintained

,tlfe right system

,because it w as based on the

eternal and immutable law s of nature— (laughter and applause)whilst the present system w a s based upon th e falsehood of equality

-upon the supposition that children could be driven through certain codes

,and turned out equally perfect scholars . The result

of this system w a s,he thought

,th at clever ch ildren rece ived

more damage than “ dolts” received in advantage . Under the oldsystem all ch ildren up to ten or eleven years of age rece ived fairplay

,but after that age the schoolmaster and the fathers consulted

together,and if Joh nny w as not making so much progress as

Jamie,Joh nny was put to his legitimate occupation, say h erding

,

and Jamie was consecrated to a higher position in life,for which

his abilities fitte d him . B y a great deal of sacrific e,Jamie w as

sent to college,and he came out as a doctor or clergyman

,and w as

an honour to his native glen . B y this process of elimination,the

intellectual aristocracy of the country had a chance of coming tothe front He admitted that the present systemcould not be altered as long as payment by results was maintained

,

and he hoped th at the expense which the new system incurredwould be w arranted by the results attained 5 but his opinion wasthat the present system w as more applicable to England

,which

had been deficie nt in educational organisation as compared w 1th

Scotland He coupled the toast w ith the name of M r

Charles Innes,who

,he said

,had rendered great service to the

cause of education in the Highlands4 — (applause)— ~ and was atthe present time doing a great deal of educational service by

Annua l Dinne r. 85

revealing to th e people of thc Highlands another Highlands inanoth er country which deserved thei1 favourable consideration

(applause).M r Ch arles Inne s, w h o w as received with applause, said that

during th e past year Highland education had been thoroughlymaintained 5 it h ad not in any way retrograded, but, on thecontrary

,improved— (applause ) One remarkable thing about the

e xisting system w a s that th e number of defaulting parents who donot send th eir ch ildren to sch ool was decreasing . Those parentswere generally to blame . They were actuated by either of tw omotives 5 they w ere eith er perfectly indifferent to the education of

their children,or so greedy th at they w ere willing to sa crific e th eir

intere sts by w ith draw ing them from school in order to reap thebe nefit of th eir labour. Hith erto School Boards had tried thee ffect ofmoral suasion

,but w ith no great success, and the con

sequence must be that hereafter the requirements of th e Act of

Parliament must be more rigorously enforced . He had latelynoticed in th e new spapers that certain clergymen had on platformand i n pulpit been doing all that they could to prohibit the teaching of dancing

,which w a s

,to his mind

,a very innocent amusement

— (applause)— and one wh ich, in a count1y such as the High lands,where amusements are scarce

,should rather be encourage d than

d iscouraged In a society of this sort they couldafford to tell those gentlemen w h at w as thought of their conduct 5and it w as interesting to note that

,w hile they preached against

dancing,he had looked long and in vain for speeches or sermons in

which th ese clergymen reproved the parents belonging to their owncongregations for allowing their children to grow up w ith out gettingany education whatever He w ould leave th e matterthere 5 merely adding that it w a s very difficult to se e why such aharmless amusement as dancing should be denounced, while th econduct of parents w h o allow ed their children to grow up in perfeet ignorance w a s passed over w ithout a w ord of reproof. Theonly matter connected with education which h ad occurred duringthe past year

,and wh ich w a s of importance to this part of the

country, w as th e proposed radical ch anges in the future management of the Society popularly known a s th e Accordingto the scheme w h 1ch had been framed

,but w hich had not yet been

formally sanctioned,a considerable portion of its w ealth w as to be

devoted to th e cause of secondary education in th e Highlands,

and each High land county w as to be entitled to elect a member ofthe ne w Board of Governors 5 th e constituency being the Chairmenof School Boards . He understood that for Inve rr. e ss- shire Rev.

86 Ga e l ic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

Dr Mackenzie,Kingussie , w as to be appointed representative 5 and

it might interest th em to know that, as the result of a suggestionmade by his friends

,a m ajority of th e Chairmen of School Boards

in Ross and Crom arty had signifie d their intention of electing h im

(M r Innes) a s th eir representative (applause)— se that it wouldnot be ne cessary for Inverness-sh ire or Ross—shire at anyrate to gooutside th e Highlands for parties w illing to serve themM r Innes concluded by an interesting reference to his recent soj ournin Canada

,making particular allusion to the influential positions

High landers,w h o had received their education at the old Parochial

Schools,had w on for th emselves in that colony .

The Ch airman,in submitting the toast of th e “ Agricultural

and Commercial Interests of th e Highlands,said th e situation

w as summed up in answ ers which he had lately received from tw o

people to w hom he put a question as to the aspect of affairs. Theone

,an old smuggler — (laughter)— and a crofter told him things

were twice as good as last year,and the other

,a factor

,said they

were no doubt vastly improved,b ecause he found that the tenants

at the last rent collection,not only took their dram cordially

,but

afterwards drank freely by themselves— (laughter) — a thing theyhad not been in the habit of doing in recent years . Sir Henrygave examples of h ow native Scotchmen . by industry and intell igence , succeeded abroad . These were the things, he said, thatm ade them hopeful of Highl a nd people— (applause) - and theyshould put their foot down upon any attempt to say that theywere to remain here in a country which they loved

,but which

could not support them. They were born here,they w ould come

back here,but they sh ould rule the Empire

M r Walker,Torbre ck, in replying to the toast, said he was old

enough to have seen several ups and downs in the agriculturalworld . He remembered well the time of th e Russian war

,w hen

all agricultural produce in this country went up to fabulous prices,£5 being a common figure for a quarter of wheat . These werethe times when farmers could live and do well . B ut a m ania forfarming was the result

,and bankers

,and lawyers

,merchants

,and

tradesmen flocke d out into the country from every town in GreatBritain to take farms

,the result being that land rose far above its

value,and prices fell . In less than ten years

,helped by a fe w

backw ard seasons,h e

,as a farmer

,was delivering o ats in Inverness

at 15s per quarter. This was in 1864,and t h e price mentioned

w as the lowest he received at that dep ressed period . As a conse

quence , a great cry got up that farming, at least in the Highlands,was done forever

,and that good prices would never be obtained

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88 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

natural that in a town associated so closely w ith the name of DrCarru thers th e study of l iterature sh ould form the chief aim of

m any of th e societies which existed in th eir midstDr Murray

,President of th e Fie ld Club

,replied .

M r James Barron,Ne ss Bank

,proposed the toast of th e Non

Reside nt Members,to w hich Dr Moir

,Aberdeen

,replied

,and

,in

doing se,referred to the very deep inte1 e st taken by High landers

in th e proceedings of the Society .

Captain Ch ish olm,Glassburn

,proposed th e toast of th e Pro

vost,Magistrates, and

T own Counc l l of Inverness,to which the

Provost rep lied .

Dr F . M . Mackenzie proposed the toast of the Clergy of al l

Denominations .Rev . A. C . Macdonald, in reply, said it was often felt to be a

matter of regret that there w ere so many churches and sects inth e land . He was not sure but they all had some high end toserve . An endless density that

‘

tends to their endless unity w as

the ch aracteristic of creation . The perfection of a church w as notto be found in the lower forms of a stupid union , it w a s to b efound

,if anywhere

,in a splendid divergence of thought and feel

ing . Th e w eakness of the churches was th at which w as the curseof all the professions— j ealousy . It destroys the Spirit of brotherhood that ought to subsist betw een all . In a sense he cons ideredthe Pope w a s his brother

,although h e did not ow n him ,

bu t

relationship did not depend upon h is consent Truthw as divided among th e sects

,and he w as so convinced of the

divine economy of divisions th at h e would not,if he had the

pow er,destroy any of th em . They came toge th e 1 by elective

affinity , and each had some great e lement of t1uth that perhapsnone of the othe1 s h ad (applause). Truth w as so vast that it w asnot given to any one m an or any se t of

‘

men to t el l th e whole of

it . It took each to tell h is own side, and then th e whole w a s not

told . Ages to come must correct past agesM r Alex . Macdonald proposed the toast of th e Press

,to wh ich

M r D. K . Clark,of the I nverness Courier, replied .

M r William Mackay,solicitor

,proposed th e toast of the Chief

of th e ? oc ie ty— Th e Mackintosh— who

,in the w ords of his tele

gram,w as present w ith them in spirit that evening

Th e toast w as drunk w ith Highland honours . M r Mackay thengave th e toast of the Chairman

,which w as enthusiastically

responded to .

Colonel Alexander Ross proposed the health of their excellentand energetic Secretary and Treasurer

,M r Duncan Mackintosh

,

Ah -nua / Dinne r. 89

B ank of Scotland The very pleasant evening whichth ey h ad enjoyed w as in a great measure due to him . He hadbrought to bear an amount of ability and zeal in th e affairs of theS ociety which w as really surprising. He was quite satisfie d thatth e business part of the Society w a s never better conducted thanit is now in h is h ands M r Mackintosh brieflyreplied

,stating th at no re w ard w ould give him greater satisfaction

than th e splendid gathering th ey h ad th at evening.

M r Colin Ch ish olm proposed the toast of th e Croupiers,both

of whom replied,and the proceedings thereafter term inated.

During the evening songs were given by several gentlemen,a nd Colonel Gostwyck Gard and Captain Ch isholm

,Glassburn

,

played some excellent pipe music,to which several gent lemen

e nJoye d a dance . Pipe M aJor Ferguson of the l st Volunteer Battalion Cameron Highlanders, played appropriate pipe music duringth e dinner and between the toasts .

e m J ANUAR r, 1889.

A meeting w a s held on this date for the purpose of nominatingoth ee-bearers for 1889. All th e business having been transacted

,

th e meeting assumed the form of a Highland“ Ceilidh

,

” when amost pleasant evening was passed .

3011 J AN UARY,1889.

O h this date the meeting was devoted to the election of office

bearers for 1889. Th e following gentlemen were duly electedmembers of the Society

,v iz .

—M r Donald Fraser of Millburn,

life-member 5 and M r James Ross,solicitor

,Inverness

,ordinary

m ember.

6th FEB RUARY,1889.

At this meeting M r John M a cph e re on, Inverguseran, w as electeda member of the Society . Th ereafter

,M r Alex . Mach ain

,M .A .

,

on behalf of M r Hector Maclean,Islay

,read a paper

,entitled

,

The Races from w hich th e Modern Scottish Nation h as beenEvolved .

”M r Maclean’s paper was as follows

90 Gae lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

THE RACES FROM WHICH THE MODERN SCOTTISHNATION HAS BEEN EVO LVED .

The science of anthropology has advanced with remarkablyrapid steps during the last fifty years . At the early stage of thescience it w a s generally supposed that conquering races almostentirely extirpated those wh ich preceded them ,

and intermixedwith the latter but little . The Lowland Scotch and English weresupposed to be pure Saxons or Teutons

,and the Scotch High

landers,Welsh

,Irish

,and French were considered to be mostly

Kelts . It is now fully ascertained that every nation is a muchblended race

,and that even the physical peculiarities of the

earliest races are to be observed among modern populations . Th e

languages of nations have changed, but racial ch aracteristics havesurvived the old dead tongues . In Arabia

,four racial types h ave

been pointed out 5 but th e Arabic, the speech of one of these fourraces

,a Semitic tongue akin to Hebrew

,replaced the languages of

the other three races . The language of modern Armenia is anAryan tongu e introduced by its Iranian conquerors, but the predominant type among th e modern Armenians does not resemblethat of the ancient Persian conquerors as represented on theancient monuments 5 but it resembles another represented uponthem w hen the speech of Armenia was Vannic

,a language akin to

Akkadian,M edic

,and Elamite — non-Semitic and non-Aryan

ancient tongues . In an article in the Nove m be r number of TheJournal -of th e Anthropological Institute,

” entitled The Races ofthe Babylonian Empire

,

” by G . Bertin,

it is shown thatthe ancient Babylonian empire

,extending from the Persian Gulf

and the Red Sea,on the south

,to the mountains of Armenia

,in

the north,and from th e Mediterranean Sea

,in the w est

,to the

mountain range in the east,from Armenia to Persia

,w a s inhabited

by four races ; and that four racial types corresponding to theseare still to be observed in all the countries which were ancientlyincluded in the Babylonian em pire . The ancient monuments of

Assyria. Babylonia, Syria, and Egypt, point out to us clearly thatcommixtures of races abounded in the world in pre historic timeseven in the least cultured portions of it . Races never intermixuniformly, for mixed breeds present individuals who resemblemuch more one type than t h e others from which they are derived

,

hence by analytical investiga tion the ch aracteri stics of th e originalraces may be ascertained .

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92 Ga e l ic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

d ifferent languages spoken in the country, w e learn that there isnot a physical human type found in the Highlands that is not metw ith in th e Lowlands 5 only that some types are more frequent inth e Highlands than in the Low lands, and others more frequent in

th e Low lands than in th e Highlands . The types vary in differentc ounties and in different districts . The peasantry of th e southe ast of Scotland resemble those of Northern England ; they areseemingly m uscular, large, and tall, and they have broader heads,rounder figure s and features than their countrymen in the Westand North . They have generally very fair complexions

,blue or

light grey eyes,and their h air varies from light red to flaxen

y ellow,th rough divers shades of brow n . The prominent over

h anging eyebrow s . so common in the Highlands, are less so insouth eastern Scotland, and the eyes are less sunken . The forehead and chin are rounded

,and the nose

,which is rather short

than long,tends to straightness . The south-east of Scotland

formed part of the kingdom of Northumbria until th e reign of

Kenneth the Th ird of Scotland,w h en it w a s added to Scotland

,

but on condition th at the inhabitants were to retain their own

laws and languages . The Anglian population w as afterwardsincreased by fugitives from the north of England after the Normanconquest . The type is Anglian ch icfly . M r D. Mackintosh,

RES,in h is article in the “ Transactions of the Ethne

logical Society of London,

” entitle d Results of E thnologicalObservations made in England and Wales

,says In th e county

of Durham th e existence of a fair and tall race,not Scandinavian

,

and apparently superimposed on the British population,would

lead one to suppose that th ere is an Anglian type d 1stinct fromSaxon

,and probably standing m id—w ay betw een Saxon and Dane .

This type,th e detailed characteristics of which I am not prepared

to state,is found not only in Durham

,but in the south -east of

Scotland,in the d i strict marked German in Dr Kom bst ’

s map,and

scattered over th e east—central districts of —Vol . I . Ne w

S eries, pp . 2 19-220 . M r Mackintosh has pointed out several

vari eties of such as the Saxon,

so Keltic types,which

he calls Gaelic and description of w hat hecalls the Saxon typ brow n hair or flaxen,

rather broad semi- c sem i- circular eyebrow s,

blue or bluish grey and prominent eyes,nearly straight nose of

moderate length,rather short broad face

,low cheekbones

,

e xcessively regular features,flat ears

,head of a form between a

short parallelogram and a round form,figure smooth and free

Mode rn Scottish Na tion. 93

from proJe ctions, finge rs, hands , arms, and legs short, more or lesstendency to obesity, especially in the epigastric region, in extremecases giving rise to w h at is prov incially called a corporation

,

moderate stature . These ch aracteristics are considerably differentfrom th ose of th e Angl ian, Dane, Norsem an, or Kelt. Kelticch aracteristics are very observable in the population of Edinburgh .

Black hair,and black or dark brown eyes are remarkably frequent

,

but every variety of Scottish features may be studied in this city.

The peasantry of Gallow ay are a very ath letic people,equal

ling or perh aps exceeding in statu i e the inh abitants of th e southeast of Scotland . Th e predominant cast of features is elonga ted

,

th e face is of a long, narrow ,oval form . It is sometimes of a.

pentagonal form,

ow ing to th e narrowness of th e ch in andprominence of th e cheek-bones

,the nose is long and frequently

aquiline,the eyes are grey or blue, the h air is generally brown,

and often of a dark sh ade . The people of Ayr do not differ m uchfrom those of Galloway, but th ere, more frequently than in Galloway

,a physiognomy and complexion have been observed nearly

resembling those of the southern Irish 5 blue, grey, and black eyes,hair frequently dark

,and even j et black

,seldom red

,but often of

a fine brigh t yellow . About Dumfries and Castle-Douglas, as th enames

,com plexions

,and features indicate

,a mixed population of

Galw egians and Teutonic borderers.Dr Beddoe th inks that squarish narrow foreheads

,eyes rather

deep in th e head,broad

,prom inent

,cheek-bones

,and narrow

angular chins, constitute the peculiarly Scotch cast of features .He is of opinion that these are rather prevalent in Kirkcaldy 5 buthe tells us that further to the east

,and especially at Anstruther

,

Pittenweem,Arbroath

,and perhaps Brechin and Dysart

,anoth er

type prevails ; figure bulkier, but not taller, face rounded, orsometimes squarish

,from breadth of lower J

'

aw,w hich does not

form an angular chin,cheek-bones not so much marked

,foreh ead

smooth and rounded,eyes not unfrequently hazel

,with ligh t eye

lashes,complexion

,& c .

, genera lly light throughout this division,except

,perh aps

,in the old city of Brechin . Red hair particularly

common at Perth,Arbroath

,Kirkcaldy. and Dysart , I have

reason to think that I h ave over- rated th e proportion of blackhair in Angus — (A contribution to Scottish Ethnology, by Joh nBeddoe

,B .A.

,M .D . , p . Dr Beddoe informs us th at in

approaching Aberdeen from the side of Inverness, he w as struckwith the breadth and roundness of the faces in many of theinhabitants

,but that no such idea had occurred to him wh en he

had visited Aberdeen on his return from Orkney and Caithness 5

94 Gae lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss.

that such of the peasantry whom he saw were mostly stout-builtmen

,not being tall

,but broad and burly 5 th at fair complexions

and ligh t eyes were almost universal 5 but that hair of a darkishbrown w a s not seldom conjoined 5 that flaxen w as more commonthan yellow hair 5 and that red hair was also frequent— (Ibid . p.

We are told by h im ,also

,th at his tables sh ow that he did not

find black hair at all confine d to particular districts ; that itappeared to be common in all pat ts of th e Highlands

,as compared

with those parts of England, and th e Scottish L owlands where thepopulation is supposed to be pretty pure ly Teutonic ; th at it i sa lso common in th e borders of Gallow ay 5 th at in Ayrshire w herehair of a clear bright yellow seems very common, th at wh ich iscoal black is not much less so 5 that in K intail black hair issingularly common, but that the proportion of fair hair (c h icflyy ellowish) is above the average 5 that red hair is more frequent inMarr th an in any other district he had visited, and that here tooa coal black hue is very common— (Ibid . p .

It may h e remarked th at th ere are many shades of red hair 5that there are tw o kinds of red hair in Scotland— the one a Keltic

,

and the other a Teutonic,ch aracteristic 5 the former is a bright or

orange red,and the other a light or yellow red

,called in Gaelic

buidh e - fruadh. 5 among the Cafi’

re s a rusty kind of red hair isoccasionally observed

,and I learn from a friend in Ne w Z ealand

th at the same kind of hair abounds among the Maoris . I mayperhaps be allowed to point out,

” Dr Beddoe tells us,that the

‘rutila e comae of th e Caledonians are still remarkably anduniformly common th roughout the whole region

,Highland and

Lowland,from the Forth to the Don

,and even to the Moray

Firth,but decidedly rare throughout the Highland country that

stretches conterminously with it on the w est” —(Ibid . p .

Red hair is not characteristic of Germany at the present day,

for it is fair hair— fiaxen straw colour,or flaxe n yellow— that

distinguishes the Germans of our day from th e most of otherEuropean nations

,as it does also Norw egians, Swedes, and Danes.

Norw egian hair and fe atures are easily pointed out in the Hebrides,Caithness

,Sutherland

,and the Western Coast of the mainland of

Scotland, from Sutherland to Argyllshire . And we learn fromother writers that it w as not characteristic of Germany in Ta citus’

s

time,for other old writers inform us th at they were fair-haired

then as now .

“ I will ne w state,Dr B e rldoe obse rve s, what are the com

pl exional characters I have been led to attribute to the two greate thnological sections of Britons

,as at present existing .

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96 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

allied to the Irish of Ulster, at the time that the Dalriadic Scotssettled in the High lands, and th at it would not take long forBritons and Scots to make themselves intelligible to one another.Kelt seems to me a preferable name to Celt 5 for in the time of

Caesar the Latin C was equivalent to K before 6 and i,and Ce l ia c

w as pronounced I( e lta e ; and there is the Keltoi of the Greeks .Professor Rhys supposes that the name means w arriors, and thatthe origin of it is probably the same as that of th e old Norse h i ldr

,

war.battle (Celtic Britain, p . With this derivation I entire ly

disagree . Th is name seems to me to be cognate with céi le,which

signifie s, in Gaelic, friend, com rade, or companion . From it isderived the modern Gaelic Cei lidh

, a Visit, or visiting 5 céilte a ch,

given to visit ing 5 céi lte ac h , a person w h o i s fond of visiting.

Ce lta e or Ke ltoi , th erefore, meant friends, companions, or comradesin th e ancient tongue of th e Kelts. The other name by whichth ey were known, Ga l li, according to Professor Rhys, meant warriors or brave men (Ibid .

, p . 2) 5 but I do not accept this explanation . There is the Gaelic word ga l, valour, from w hich there aremany derivatives 5 but th ere is also the old Gaelic ga l, which h asbecome ne w gaol, denoting kindred. Gaol now means love

,albeit

it formerly signifie d persons of the same family,clan

,or tribe .

Gaol is given in L lwyd’

s Arch aeologia Britannica as Gaelic for theLatin gens, and in the same w ork occurs Fe a rgoi l, a kinsman 5B ra th a ir gaoi l, a man of th e same tribe or clan . Previous to th etime of Caesar, and before the Roman conquest of Spain

,when

Kelts were sett led in regions w ide apart, such a s portions of Spain,

Germany,and Asia Minor

,Gall i or Galatae w ould be an appropriate

name for the w hole race,and Kelts for any branch of th em that

lived together within the bounds of the same territory 5 for thesewere companions or comrades . The name has blendedwith the names of Iberi

,Ligures

,and Scyth ae 5 so we have

Celtiberi in Spain 5 the Ce l toscyth ae , according to Strabo, inScythia

,in which he included Germany

,and Tacitus speaks of the

language of the Aesti i, who were situated to the east of the Baltic,as being more analogous to the British than to the Suevic 5 andthe Ce lto-Ligures in the south-east of Gaul . Dr Whitley Stokes

,

in h is Celtic Declension (Transactions of the Philological Society,1885, p . gives the declension of céle

,companion

,

”W. ci lydd,

protoce ltic célt’

é’

s,and classifie s it in Masculine Stems in 10 . Dr

P. W . Joyc e , in h is e dition'

of Book I . ,Part I . ,

of Keating’s Historyof Ireland (p. 38-37), translates ga ol by relationship ;

“agus fes

ga ch druinge diobh re in le ch éi le — “ and also the relationship of

each people of these same with each other. ”

Mode rn Scottish Na tion.

In speaking of the Kelts, Professor Rhys says Roughlyspeaking, h ow ever, one may say that th e whole Celtic family w as

m ade up of two branches or groups, the Goidelic group and th e

Gallo-Brythonic one ; and as Gaul ish IS long since dead, every Celtof the United Kingdom is, so far as language is concerned, either aGoidel or a Brython. Th e Goidels w ere undoubtedly the first

Celts to come to Britain, as their geographical position to th e westand north of the others would indicate, as well as the fact that notrace of them on the Continent can now be identified . They hadprobably been here for centuries w hen the B ryth one s, or Gaul s,came and drove them westward”

— (Celtic Britain, p .

There is not the sl ightest proof that the first Kelts w h o arrivedin Britain were called by themselves Goidels . Among all the tribenames of the ancient inh abitants of Great Britain th ere is nonew hich can be ide ntifie d with the name of Goidel , We knownothing of th e name in Brita in previous to the appearance of th e

Scots from Ireland in 360 . We learn from Irish history that t h eScots seized upon portions of Wales and settled there . ProfessorRhys brings forward ingenious arguments to prove t hat the GoidelsofWales were the remains of the ancient Kelts of Britain, in ord e rto confirm h is own theory— but these arguments are invalid .

Guydde l, the Welsh equivalent of Goide l, i s t h e Welshman’s name

for an Irishman,and th ere is l ittle reason to doubt that the Welsh

always considered the Goidels ofWales to be of Irish descent. Thedistinguished Professor Z immer, of Germany, accepts the statementof th e Irish chroniclers as fact— that the Scots made settlementsin North and South Wales . In the Archaeological Review for

October,1888, in the article Celtic Myth and Saga

,

” by AlfredNutt (p. the following passage occurs Professor Z immerpoints out that early Irish history falls into three periods

,the first

reaching from pre historic times to about the year 350 A .D. ,the

second to the end of the 7th century, and th e third to the beginning of the 11th century . N0 external activity regarding theIrish is recorded during the first period ; the second, on thecontrary

,witnesses the harrying of the coasts of Britain

,the

establish m ent of the kingdom of Dalriada,and the settlements in

North and South Wales 5 whilst the third period is filled by th e

wars w ith the North m en invaders . ”

Th at the first Keltic invaders of Britain would have come overthe narrowest portion of se a from Gaul to th e South-east

,there

need not be any hesitation in accepting but,as the Kelts

increased and extended int ) Spain and Germany,it is probable

that they invaded Britain from various parts of Gaul , and even

7

98 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

from Germany at successive periods . South-west Britain and Ireland may h ave been first invaded by Kelts from North westernGaul

,and from Spain , before th e Keltic occupiers of the east and

south east of Britain had succeeded in subduing the non—Keltictribes to th e west and south-west of th em . It would seem thatth e oldest name by which th e Kelts of Ireland called th emse lvesw a s Fene , and th e old Irish or Gaelic language is named B elreF éne, B élre , wh ich anciently denoted language has changed toB eur la,

,and is now understood to denote the English language . The

w ord Féine signifie s a farmer, a ploughman, a champion 5 in fact, oneof the people . There is reason to th ink that it is akin to fine , atribe or clan 5 for it also signifies a generation . Féinea ch a s denotesth e code of Irish laws , Judgments, h istory, genealogy. 111 Fiacc

’s

hymn,which gives a short biograph y of St Patrick

,the Kelts of

Ireland are designated fene

Pridch ais trifich te bl iadan orc i ch crist doth uata ib fene .

He preached (for) three score years Christ’s Cross to th e pagans

of (the) Féni (Stokes’Goid e lica

, pp. 127, The name Goidelappears to me to have been first given to the ruling mil itary clans ,and that subsequently it became common to a l l the Keltic peopleof Ireland . Wh en this had happened the ruling clans designatedth emselves Clanna M ilidh 5 l iterally, the soldier or w arrior

“'

c lans.

The words clann and m i lidh are both loan words from the Latin .

Th e Latin p lanta w as made into c la nn at a time when th e Goidelsfound a d ifficulty in pronouncing p ,

a s i s the case with other earlyloan words from the Latin ; m i lidh i s from the stem m i li t— of theLatin m i l es

,a soldier . After th e Goidelic Kelts h ad been

thoroughly amalgam ated with all the pre-Keltic tribes, Goide lbecame a general name for an Irishman 5 and, at the present day,a Gael ic—speaking Irishman calls h imself Ga oidh ea l

,and a Gaelic

Scotchman calls himself Ga idh e a l . Both these forms,w hich are

derived from Goide l,differ but little from each other 5 and, in both ,

th e (M i s silent,while the d was pronounced in Goide l . In the

Welsh name for an Irishman, Gwydde l , also derived from Goide l

,

th e medial d becomes dd,w hich

,in Welsh

,is e quivalent to th in

w ithe r .

The Scots are first mentioned by Roman writers about th e

y ear 360 . Th ey fought in alliance with the Picts against th eRomans . Th e figh ting m en of all countries in past times

,w hen

t h ey invaded a country foreign to them,usually designated them

selves by a name in their own language denoting warriors . Th isw a s the case with the Goidels in Britain . S coth , in old Irish , sig

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100 Gae lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

served— only a fe w words known as such ; but future researchamong th e dialects and sub-dialects of Albanic Gaelic may yetthrow light on this interesting, but obscure topic .

In the lists of the names of the Pictish kings, the forms of th enames are very unlike the forms of Keltic names, either Brythonicor Goidelic . B rude appears to h ave been a kingly name bestowedon the king, along with his own proper name . In one list ofPictish kings (Skene

’s Chronicles of the Picts and Scots, p. 3)

B rude occurs j oined to another name twenty- seven times . Again,

th e consonant 50 , so alien to old Goidelic names, i s remarkablyfrequent . M r Hyde Clarke calls “ B rude a Pictish kingly title

,

in h is paper,“ The Picts and Pre-Celtic Britain”

(published in“ The Transactions of the Royal Historical Society”

) 5 identifie sB rud e with Prytanis, the name of a king of Sparta

,with Proteus

,

the name of a king° of Egypt, and with Protus, the name, ac cording to Plutarch , of the founder of M assilia

,now Marseilles 5 also

with Fractus,the name of a king of Argos . “ I t is possible

,

”h e

says,

“ that Brutus,who expelled the Tarquins or Tarkon from

Rome,was himself of royal stock

,and that the name has nothing

to do with the term Brutus, as Brute,but expressed the kingly

title .

”He identifie s Drust with O tre us, the name of a king of

Phrygia,with Atreus

,the name of a king of Mycenae

,with

Eurystheus,the name of a king of Argos

,with Asturias

,the name

of a king° of Crete, with Astraeus, the name of a king of Arcadia 5again

,with a closer form

,Adrastus, the name of a king of Argos,

of a king of Sicyon, of the father of Eurydice, who married Ilos,King of Troy

,of a Phrygian prince of the time of Croesus

,K ing

of Lydia. He also identifie s Th rasydaeus, the name of a king ofThessaly

,w ith Drust

,and mentions Adrastia as the name of a

country near Troy. He considers Talargan to be identical withTelegonus

,the name of two kings of Egypt

,and of a king° of th e

Greek Islands ; and with Te lkh is, the name of an early king ofPeloponnesus 5 also with Th e lxion and Te lkh ine s, names of chiefsof Rh odes . All these names M r Hyde Clarke views as kinglytitles . And he observes that— “Although the several namesfigure in Greek books, and are commonly represented as Greek,they are to be accounted for as transliterations of names in earlierlanguages rendered into various Greek dialects . These dialectsw ere not always capable of reproducing the original sounds thesh w as one of these d ifficultie s . It is found in Hebrew for

Canaanite names, but in Greek it is supplied by sic,ks

,(110 . I t

must, therefore, be expected that we shall find variety of formsin the Greek renderings . Besides

,the syllables in Iberian are

Modern Scottish Na tion. 101

c apable of transposition, and l and 7° were not always dis

t inguish e d .

Irish writers, following the opinions of classical authors,e xplained their own name for them, Cruithnigh , by tracing it toc ruth , form or figure , and inferred that they w ere so namedbecause they painted a variety of figures on their bodies 5 but th ename Cruith nigh i s derived from Cruith in, and Cruith in i s atransformation of Prydyn,

made at a time when th e Goidelsreplaced p by hard 0 , wh en p lum ,

a small soft feath er,was

converted into c laim ,now c lo

‘

z

'

m h,meaning° down and also wool

,

p a llium into ca i lle,a veil

,and p lanta into c la nn, ch ild1

°

e n, _

a clan .

The Picts and other peoples of North Britain transformed theancient name Britannia into Prydyn,

a s th e people of SouthBritain m odifie d it into Prydain

,so th e South B ritons understood

Prydyn to denote North Britain. Th e Goidels called it Crui th intua th

,by wh ose writers w e are informed that it was th e country

of the Picts . The Cruith nigh of Ireland were th erefore a colonyof Picts from North Britain 5 but as the same pre 'Ke ltic raceabounded in Ireland, great confusion pervades the early history of

this peopl e as transmitted to us by Irish writers .How far the Caledonians were pure Kelts

,or a commixture of

Keltic and pre-Keltic people,it i s extremely difficult to decide

,for

unluckily w e have not the names of any of them recorded, exceptGa lgacus, the name of th eir commander at the battle of th e

Grampians, and Argentocox, the name of a queen of theirs,at a

much later period . According,° to the best Ke ltologists, the best

reading of Gdgacus is Ca lga cus, which corresponds to a KelticCalgacos . Such w ould have been the ancient form of th e old Irishname Ca lga ch , which name formed part of the old name of Londonderry in the days of St Columba— it was then name d Doire

Ca lga ch , Oakwood of Ca lga ch . Th e other name,Argentocox, is in

modern Gaelic Airgiod—ch os, in which cos means foot

,leg

,and

thigh . Th e weapons of the Caledonians at the battle of theGrampians — long swords and small shields— ih this respectresembling those of the ancient Gauls

,would indicate that those

who fought in the battle were ch iefly Keltic, but the nameCaledonia is not Kel tic 5 and all attempts to explain it by Gaelicor We lsh derivations have signally failed

,and hardly any words of

their language have come down to us, and if there are continuatorsof any w ords of their speech in modern Albanie Gaelic

,it is yet to

be ascertained . I believe,myself

,there are such continuators

,

and that future diligent research will discover them . Th e nameCaledonia, like Britannia and Hibernia, i s an Iberian name . Th e

102 Gbe l ic Socie ty of Inve rne ss.

ancient Iberians not only inhabited Spain, but preceded the Keltsin Gaul and th e British Isles , and th e Teutons in Germany . At

page 9 of “ The Iberian and Belgian Influ enc e and Epoch s inBritain

,

” by Hyde Clarke,E R. Hist . Soc .

,it is stat ed that

Caledonia is show n by its termination to be an Iberian name,

”

and at p. 4 Idem .

,M r Hyde Clarke tells us —

“ At a later periodduring my investigations for Khita deciph erment, th e w ord Niacame out a distinct lve w ord for country land . This w e find inBritannia

,Hibernia

,Sardinia

,Hispania, Lusitania, Acquitania ,

Mauritania, Tyrrh e nia , Lucania, Sikania, M ake donia,Lakonia

,

Messenia,Acarnania , Carmania, Armenia, Germania , Pa ionia ,

Albania, Babylonia, Hyrcan ia .

”

It would appear that after the battle of the Grampians theKelts had lost th e dominant pow er among the Caledonians, whichthey h ad probably first obta ined as m ercenary troops among th epre-Keltic tribes . Dion Cassius, who flourish e d in the thirdcentury

,speaks of two nations, the Cal e donii and th e M a e ata e

,in

North Britain,which exactly correspond to the North e rn and

Souther nPicts of later t imes . He informs us that the M a e ata e

dw elt near th e Roman w all,and the Cal e donii beyond them 5 that

they are addicted to robbery, figh t in chariots, and have littleswift horses ; that th eir infantry are remarkable for speed inrunning, and for firm ne ss in standing ; that their arm our consistsof a shield and a short spear, in the lower end of w hich is a bra zenapple

,whose sound w hen struck may terrify the enemy . Th ey

have also daggers . ” (See Brown’

s“ History of t h e Highlands

,

vol . I . p . It will be observed that these were differentlyarmed from the Caledonians who fought the Romans under theGram pians . The weapons are short spears and daggers . Largesh ields and small sw ords w ere the armour and weapons of theIberians . The blended descendants of the Keltic and pre -KelticCaledonians also combined their armour and. weapons — the targetand claymore and dirk .

The national and tribal names of ancient peoples w ere,in the

greatest number of cases,derived from words signifying m an . and

such appears to me to be the case with M ae ata e — a name which isat a later period found in the form s M iat i and M iath i

,in

Adam nan’s Life of St Columba. M a e in the form er and M i in

the latter denote m an . We have m i es,meaning m an

,in Finnish 5

and in the non-Aryan languages of India and High Asia we havem i

,in Tibetan 5 m i , in Serpa and Murm i in Nepal 5 m i, Lhopa,

N .E. Bengal ; m i , Mithan Nags, Eastern Frontier of B enga1 (th e“ Non-Aryan Languages of India and High Asia

,

” by W . W.

Hunter, p .

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104 Ga e l ic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

the inhabitants that preceded them, obtaining wive s from theTua th a De Danann,

and not expelling them (Skene’s Celtic

S cotland,”vol . page This is seemingly a true account of

th e settlement of t h e Kel ts in Ireland . That there were two distinct racial types in ancient Ireland , one a high- statured

,golden

coloured,or red-h aired

,fair-skinned , blue , or gray blue- eyed type 5

th e other a dark-haired,dark-eyed

,pale-skinned, smal l or medium

statured,l ittle -limbed type. we learn from Professor Sullivan ’s

Introduction to O ’

Curry’

s Lectures on Manners of Ancient Irish ,”

p . 72 . But ligh t-grey eyes are frequent in Ireland, with dark hairand dusk-white skin

,and in this respect Ireland contrasts with

Wales. There is a strong resemblance between the Tuath a DeDanann, described in the preceding quotation, and the red-haired,large- limbed Caledonians of Tacitus .

The Irish Kelts seemed to have derived their eponyms fromthe races that preceded them . E ibh ea r and E ire a m on, anglicisedHeber and He rim on

,are traced to the older form

,Em e r and Erem ,

and th e latter appears to be formed by m etathesis from theformer . This name

,Emer

,therefore

,it seems to me, may be

ide ntifie d with e m eris in Gar—e m e ris,

“th e common Assyrian title

of the district in which Damascus stood,” and which

,Professor

Sayce tells us,is best explained as

“th e Ga r of the Amorites ”

(Professor Sayce’s The Hittites

,

”

p . At p . 15 of th e samework

,we are informed by Professor Sayce that the Hittites and

Amorites were therefore mingled together in the mountains of

Palestine l ike the two races which ethnologists tell us go to formthe modern Kelt. But the Egyptian monuments teach us th atthey were of different origin and character. The Hittites were apeople with yellow skins and Mongoloid features

,whose receding

forehead,oblique eye

,and protruding upper j aws

,are represented

as faithfully on their own m bnum ents as they are on those of

Egypt,so that we cannot accuse the Egyptian artists of caricatur

ing their enemies . If the Egyp tians have made the Hittites uglyit was because they w ere so in reality . The Amorites

,on the

contrary, were a tall and handsome people . They are depictedw ith white skins

,blue eyes

,and reddish hair

,all the characteristics

,

in fact, of the w hite race . M r Petrie points out their resemblanceto the Dardanians of Asia Minor

,w h o form an interm ediate link

between the white-skinned tribes of the Greek seas and th e faircomplexioned Libyan of Northern Africa The latte r are stillfound in large numbers in the mountainous regions which stretcheastw ard from Morocco, and are usually known among the Frenchunder the name of Kabyles . The traveller who first meets with

Modern Scottish Na tion. 105

them in Algeria cannot fail to be struck by their likeness to a certain part of the population of the British Isles . Their clear,white

,freckled skins

,th eir blue eyes

,their golden-red hair, and

t all stature, remind him of th e,fa ir Kelts of an Irish village 5 and

when w e find that their skulls are of the so-called dolich ocephalicor long-headed type

,are the same as the skulls discovered in the

prehistoric cromlechs of the country they still inhabit, we mayc onclude that they represent the modern descendants of the whiteskinned Libyans of the Egyptian m onuments . A fair- com

pl exione d, blue-eyed type is still observable in Palestine, w h ich nod oubt represents the ancient Amorites. Long° after the Israelitishc onquest of Canaan this race abounded in Judah . Captives takenby Shishak from the southern cities of Judah

,depicted on the

walls of the templ e of Karnak,in Egypt, exhibit Amorite, and

not Jewish features . The Philistines were remains of the Amor ites

,and Goliath of Gath has h ad in Ireland, and in the Scottish

High lands,at various periods

,kinsmen

,so far as stature, h augh ti

ness,and unwariness are concerned . The Amorites were long in

Palestine before th e Hittites,and extended m uch further to the

e ast. The tw o races blended, and produced a mixed people . TheAmorites w ere the same race, as proved by their physical charact e ristics

,as th e Libyans . Th is race is traced th rough Spain, the

west of France,and th e British Isles . It is remarkable that

w herever th is race h as abounded it has been accompanied by apeculiar form of cromlech

,and th ese cromlechs are found in

Britain, in France, in Spain, in North e rn Africa, and in Palestine,and the skulls wh ich h ave been exhumed from th em are th e skullsof m en of th e long-headed type (Sayce

’s “ Th e Hittites,

”

p .

I r appears to be a pe rsonifie d and contracted form of I m fu,

1and (O’

Davore n’

s Glossary), and S lioch d I r,the offspring of I r

,

that is the offspring of th e earth,was applied to th em by the

Kelts, a s being the oldest inhabitants of Ireland . Irish sch olarsnow identify th em with the Picts . The Cruithnigh of Irelandm erely differed from them in being° a colony of Picts from NorthBritain, wh ence their name, as already explained . It is this colonythat has caused so much confusion in old Irish history .

Gallow ay,Argyllshire

,Inverness—sh ire

,Ross—shire

,Sutherland

,

Murray, and Aberdeenshire, were pre-Keltic in Roman times .After the fall of the Roman Power in Britain the Pictish k ingdoma rose in North Britain and also the British kingdom of Strathclyde.The Scots, or Goidels, from Ireland, founded th e kingdom of Dalriada, and seized upon Galloway, the south of Ayrshire, and thew est of Dumfriesshire . Gaelic supplanted the former language of

106 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

these districts, and gradually became th e spee ch of sout h w e sternScotland

,and of th e w h ole of Scotland north of the Forth and the

Clyde. Cruithne ch , Pict, w as a living name in th e tw elfth century,

as w e learn from the Book of Deir 5 but there is reason to th inkth at it w a s entirely obsolete in th e th irteenth , a s the tw o peoplesGdidh i l and Crui th m

’

ch (Scots and Picts) — w ere so blended intoone th at th ere w a s no longer any distinction betw een them . Iam of opinion th at th ere w a s a fringe of Norse settlers along thecoasts of Forfarsh ire, Kincardinesh ire,

~and Aberdeensh ire,w h o

remained in th e country, and spoke Norse after these districts hadbeen recovered from th e Norsemen,

and th at a dialect of Norsewas spoken in Cait hness after it had ceased to be under the sw ayof Norway . This w ould account for th e rapid spread of Engl ishnorth of the Firth of Forth , because English and Norse are kin s

dred tongues, and th e words of Norse origin in the Anglic dialectof Scotland are much more numerous than in English .

When English be came th e court language of Scotland,in the reign

of Malcolm Canmore , it became th e interest of all to acquire it,so»

that its spread w estwards in the north of Scotland does not at allimply the recession of the old race westwards . The same m aybe said w ith respect to th e south-west of Scotland .

We have to observe that the Hebrides and a large portion of‘

th e mainland of th e High lands w ere occupied by the Norwegians .The same may be said of Gallow ay and of the east of S cotland .

We have the same ingredients blended in different proportions inthe commixture of races that constitute the Scottish nationIberian or pre-Keltic races

,Kelts

,Scandinavians

,and Angles 5 but

no Saxons,for S a s'

zm na ch i s never applied to the Scottish L ow

lands 5 he is called Ga l l, a foreign settler . The Saxons settled inthe south of England

,and were

,of course

,l ike the Angles. a ,

variety of the Teutonic race . Th e Scotch are one m ixed race— nottw o 5 but consisting of two divisions— the one Gael ic-speaking andthe other Anglic-speaking .

Let us study the pedigrees of the Highland chiefs,and w e

shall se e h ow much High land blood is interm ixed with Lowlandblood 5 and let us make research into the genealogy of the L owland barons and gentry, and we shall learn h ow much Low land .

blood is blended with Highland blood .

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108 Gae lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss.

commentary upon their history. A sl ight examination of their

place names wil l make it abundantly evident that here we haveh istory itself stamped on the coast, and fe w subj ects of researchare more interesting.

The nam es of places, l ike th ose of streets of a town,are

e ndow ed with extraordinary vitality, frequently surviving therace or nation that imposed them, and often defying the accidentsof conquest and of time, while furnishing information of anunexpected character.

O f the very earliest inhabitants of Sutherland, previous to theCelts or Caledonian Picts, fe w or no traces are left in local names .Th e fe w presumed to be pre-Pictish, or Iberian, can readily besolved by old Gaelic terms now become obsolete. Th is pre-historicrace

,l iving by hunting and fish ing, dw elling,

° in caves and woods,

or on lake shores, w a s not likely to leave much behind it, otherthan a few relics, in caves or crannogs . W h o these people were

,

who they might have been— whe ther a race of Basques,or Iberians

,

or all ied to Lapps and Finns — must at best remain a matter ofc onj ecture .

That th e Celts were differently constituted subj ects,there i s

ample and abundant evidence,for they attained to a great degree

of civilisation, leaving their footprints dispersed over Southernand Western Europe . In South Britain

,neither Rom an

,. Saxon

,

Dane,nor Norman h as been able to obliterate them . There they

still remain,incorporated in the common nomenclature of the

c ountry,on the coast

,in the plain

,in the river

,on the mountain

,

a s Avon (river) in several counties, Adour (dark water), Dover(dw fur, water), in Sussex , Dore (dwr, water) in Derby and He reford, Dor (w ater) in Dorset, as Axe, Exe, Esk, Usk, U x (yse , W . 5u isge , G .

,water)— river names, in various counties, Derwent

(dwr, W .,water 5 and gw ent

,W . ,

high-lands — dark waterfrom h igh—lands) in Derby and York

,Cam (crooked), Mor

cambe Bay (mor, big ; cambe , bend) in Lancashire,Dar

(dwr, water ; gw en,bright) in Darwen

,Lancashire 5 in

in Kent, Dartford (darent-ford) 5 in Staffordshire, Dar—la s—ton,Dar

(dw r, w ater) (las, grey) (ton, Sax town), the town in the greywater ; Frith in Ch apel- en-l e frith

,Derbyshire (frith, forest), the

c hapel in the forest ; Glen (gle ann, narrow valley), in GlenMagna

,Leicestershire 5 Wey and Wye (gw i, W . ,

water), in Surrey.and Hereford . There are tors (hills) in Devon and Derby, andcoombes (cw m . W .

,dingle), in Devon and Somerset, and many

others in various disguises in almost every county in England, al lof Celtic origin . It is e qually the same in Southe astern Scotland,showing where the Saxon and the Dane had expel led the Celts .

Suth e rland Place Nam e s . 109

The Roman,Saxon

,Dane

,and Norman, by invasion and con

quest,h ave left their footprints, too. in the south, and so h ave

,in

th e north , the fie rc e and warlike Norse rovers of nine centurie sago left theirs, in place names, as finge r posts of history recordinginvasion and temporary conquest .Equally interesting it i s to meet with other place names in th e

north which can only be define d by old Gaelic, or the CaledonianGaelic of the Picts, w h o were the inhabitants of the country longanterior to the irruptions of the Norse

,tending to prove in some

measure that the language of the Caledonian Picts of North Britainh as not been lost, though many of its words have become obsolete

,

but that it still remains in the nomenclature of the“

north intell igibleto the Gaelic student.

ASSYNT.

It has been supposed that this parish name had been imposedupon the district by the configuration of its coast line

,indented as

it i s by headlands and inlets of the sea, or by the aspect of itssurface

,alternately convex and concave

,cau sed by its lofty moun

tains and deep valleys . To prove this supposition two Gaelicwords have been hit upon . As (out) and innte (in), out and in

,

”

as the origin and definition of the term Assynt, for the simple reason

,possibly

,that they very nearly represent the pronunciation

of the w ord . In that case Assynt, signifie s Out and in .

”

In ch arters relating to th i s district,from 1225 to 1640, of our

era,th e w ord Assyut is spelled or written in a variety of ways .

In 1455 it ” i s “ Assend,

” in 1509 it is Assint,

” in 1600 it i sAssyin,

” in 1640 it assumes its modern form Assynt . Thesedifferences may be ascribed to the unfixe d orthograph y of th e

times . They are no doubt phonetic differences in pronunciations,

and written at different times by different scribes,and probably

from dictation .

Tradition refers the origin of the term Assynt to two

brothers,whose respective names were Unt and As-unt

,

”

signifying, it is said, in the old statistical account of the parish in1793, Peace and Discord, w h o in very remote times fough t forth e m astery of the district . Unt wa s slain

,and As—unt

,proving

victorious, obtained the m astery, and thenceforth gave it his name .The decisive combat took place

,it i s said

,on a small plain in

Low er Assyut (M h an Assynt), since called Rh i-a h -unt (Unt’ s

fie ld), where the unsuccessful warrior fell, and w as buried .

Th e more probable origin of the term,and parish name

,may

be assigned to the Norse word, Asynte (seen from afar), as th e

a ssumption that this parish name i s of Norse orlgm ,meaning

,as

above described,Seen from afar. ”

These grand mountains, so conspicuous to the mariner, are , ina geological sense, th e oldest in the British Isles .

“ They standboldly out to v iew ,

in a district dreary and desolate,rugged rough

moor and heather tufted rook alternating w ith lakes that lieunder some of th e wildest and most imposing scenery in Scotland

—Coinne M h e al , th e Assynt portion of B e n Stack,3234 feet above

se a level 5 Ben More, 3273 feet 5 Canisp, 2786 feet 5 Q uinag, 2453Ie e t Glas-ven

,2541 feet 5 Su ilve n (the sugar-loafmountain of the

mariner), 2403 feet,composed of S ilurian quartzite and trap

,

Cambrian conglomerate, gnie ss, and sandstone . These colossal

piles of Titanic masonry crumbling in ruin bestrew th e l r pedestalsw ith the whitened products of their decay

,resulting in a bare

bleak country,treeless

,and devoid even of bushes, ye t, still th e

resort of th e eagle and th e falcon . Well might the hardy Norserovers

,seeing these grand obj ects on the h orizon

,apply th e term

Asynte to them Seen from afar .O u the eastern boundary of the parish a belt of l imestone

inte rse cts its border in the direction of south to north to a heightof several hundred feet at Innis-na-dam ph (Meadow of the stags).1t contains many subterranean caverns

,into which streams and

s prings disappear, to re -appear at a lower level . Th e Norse xn e . i

left th eir foot-prints here in imposing one of th eir names on th estream and th e ravine not far fro m the h otel

,indicating th ei r

opinion upon w h at they saw,and th eir proneness to supe rstitious

beliefs. The ravine is truly a hideous sight, and it would seemthe Norse m e n

,in1pre sse d w ith th at i

‘

lea of ir, called it Tr'

ail igil l

( the fiend’

s ravine), trail, a fie nd,gil

,ravine . Were this lim estone

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112 Gae lic Socie ty of Inverne ss.

boundary between the two properties, and saluting each other .1500 feet.Beimu-nan-Cna im h sa ig.

— G. The bear-berry mountain . 1500

Tarsui11n.- G. Across, in reference to its position in regard to

the range of th e direction of surrounding mountains .

RIVER NAM ES .

Kirka ig.

— N. Kirkj a, church , so named from an ancient churchand village found here , and destroyed by the pagan Norse m en

a Culdee place of worship, founded by St M aolrubh a . Assynt

Parish Ch urch i s dedicated to this ecclesiastic .U idh e -fh e arna .

— G. U idh , gently flow ing water, cognate withAw ,

part of a stream that leaves a lake before breakinginto a current

,and fear na

,alder-wood . It is here a river

betw een two lakes, with a slow current, h aving alder treeson both its sides . U idh i s probably “ old Gaelic

,meaning a

stretch of water gently flowing a t an equal rate . In Sutherlandit is also applied to a level open space betw een tw o points

,or to

distance between one place and another. It is uncommon in Highland topography. Wel . gwy, Wye in Hereford, Wey in Surreyslow-fiow ing water.Crom—a l lt.

— G. Crooked stream 5 crom,crooked . Irish crom

,

Welsh crw m . Cor. and Armor. croum . Al lt .

, stream,brook 5

Welsh a l l t,cliff 5 Lat . altus, high . It would seem that in remote

times,al lt might have been applied to the steep sides of mountain

torrents,and ultimately applied to the stream itself

,that came

down between them after rains,and so came to represent the

stream,and not the precipitous banks of it.

Led-beg.— G. L e ath ad-beg

,small slope or decl ivity— a place

name,the place giving its name to the river near it .

Inver. —G. The angular land formed by the confluence of two

waters . Inver and aber,in their d ifferent definitions, have been

fought out by 0 01. Robertson and the late Dr Maclachlan . Inveris not aber

,nor is aber inver . Aber

,from its first syllable a, old

Gaelic,flow ing water, and bior, point, refers to the point made by

one water as it merges with the other at th e confluence . Inver,

from its first syllable in, old Gaelic, is land or country, and bior,point— hence point of land . Th e first syllable is in Innis

,an

island,or flat land, such as is found at all abe rs , and hence th e

natural conclusion must be that aber refers to t h e w ater,and inver

to the land on either side of the aber.‘

It i s to be noted tha t thename of the smaller water falling into the larger invariably

Suth erland Place Nam e s. 113

imposes itself on the aber, and th e inver— th us, the N e ss rivera smaller quantity of water, falls into th e Beauly Firth , th e larger,imposes its name on the confluenc e of both waters, th e aber, andon the land adjoining the aber, w h ich the keen-eyed CaledonianCelt named inver. Both th ese contested terms are unquestionablyOld Gael ic . Aber is not of Welsh or British origin — it i s one ofth ose words common to the Celtic language, w hether it be Gaelicor Welsh . Th e student of topographical philology finds that th eCaledonians w ere much more keen—eyed in their imposition of

place names,river names

,mountain names

,and use d more vari

a tions in describing physical aspects than their brethren theBrythons .

Al lt—na-h -a irbh e .

— G. Allt, stream ; a irbh e , produce, in reference to its fish ing properties . It is said of another stream in

Sutherland,Allt -na-harra

,th at it means th e stream of slaughter,

from the supposition to have been there,in crossing it

,that the last

of th e fugitives from the battle of Druim -na-coub w as k i lled by thepursuing Mackays. If th at be so, the orthograph y sh ould beAllt-an-air.

Allt-ah -tiugh aich .-G. Stream in the dense glen . Tiugh a ich ,

dense,th ick wood

,or scrub 5 tiugh , thick ; W. te w

,Arm 5 teuo,

Bas-Breton, te w .

U idh e -na-Caora ich .-G. Sheep track

,or a portion of the glen

in which sh e ep'

w e re w ont to graze, giving the stream its appellation . It is

-between Loch—a h —tuirc (lake of th e boar) and Lochanan-aite-m h oir (th e little lake, near, or by , +h e big place).

Al lt-skia ck . G. Sgiath a ch , shaded— the sh ade d stre am 5 Wel .ysgiw ,

a screen 5 Corn . sge th ,shade 5 Greek skia, shade .

Allt-na-be adh an .— G. B iadh (old Gaelic), oppress 5 beath,

treach erous ; b e ath an, as a noun, means deceivers — stream of thetreacherous

,or deceivers .

All t-na-be inn -

gh a irbh e .— G. The rough mountain stream . Wel .

garw ; Bas—Bret. gara, appears in Gar-onne (rough river).Allt-a —ch am h na .

— G. Gam h na,stirk— stream of the stirk .

Am h a inn, Loch B h ig.

— G. River entering Loch Beg (little lake).Am h a inn

, Glen Coul . -G. Cul,back— river of the back glen .

Am h ainn, Glen Duibh .

— G. Du,black— river of the black

glen .

Am h a inn,Tral igill .

— N . Trolla,or tra l l

,fiend

,and gil

,ravine

,

in allusion to th e depth of the chasm,

‘

and the stream disappearingin th e limestone caverns. Th e Norse m en were very superstitious

,

believing in many gods, goddesses, and evil spirits . It would

8

114 Gae lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

appear that they were te rrifie d at the-view of this ravine. The

name given it by them, the devil ’s ravine, represents theirOpinion of it.

L AKE NAM ES .

There are probably 300 lakes in this parish, all of them fullof trout, all of them bearing Gaelic names . The following arespecimens

B arrolan.— G. B airl inn, billow— lake of the billows

,or waves .

It l ies in the d efil e leading from Ross-shire into Assynt, andexposed to the force of the east and west winds .

U rigill .— G. U iriolla ich , precipices (old Gaelic term) - lake of

the precipices ? This lake is sometimes shown on maps as Udrigill

,N udr 5 Norse god, Son of Nigh t ; and gil, a ravine . Hence

,

were a ravine near it, th e definition would be lake of the verydark ravine .

”

Loch U rch oil le .— G. Literally ne w wood, green wood— lake of

the green wood . Near it is a large grove of evergreen w ood,

hence th e name .

Loch Preas-nan-a igh e an .— G. Preas

,bush

,or thicket ; a igh e an,

hinds— lake of th e hinds ’ bush 5 Wel . pryd, prysg, bush .

Loch Ardd,— G. Ardd, or a ird e , height, takes its name from the

height near it . Dubh-ard,Duart, black height. This lake is an

arm of the se a .

Loch Ard-bhar.~— G. Ard-bhar,the point of the h eight. This

lake is also an arm of the se a . The district gives its name to thelake . Wel . bar

,a point

,or summit 5 Wel . bara bread, the pro

duce of the top of corn stalks 5 Irish bar, a point ; Corn . bar,a

point 5 Bas-B re ton'

bar,a point . This i s a most interesting root

word . As bar,or barr

,it is found in most languages

,signifying

th e height of something, whether in quality or degree of excellence .Ncar the lake i s a village Called Ardvar

,and at the end of the

lake are the ruins of a Pictish tower.Loch Cairn-bh a in.

— G. Lake of th e w hite cairn . W. earn,a

heap 5 Manx carn, a heap 5 Bas—Bret. carren, heap .

Loch Airidh -na-be inn .— G. Airidh , sheiling -1ake of the hill

sheil ing.

Loch-na-Ga inm h ich .— G. Ga inm h e ach , sand— lake of the sandy

beach .

Loch-na-Greige—dubh .— G. Cre ige (gen . of creag), rock, and du,

black lake of the black rock .

Loch Nedd .— G. So called from the village name near it.

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and terms peculiar to the north-west portion of Scotland . It h asbeen said that it w as the expelled Druids who first instigated theNorse to make their incursions into Caithness, Sutherland, and th eHebrides

,burn places of w orship, and slaughter the priests .

Soye a .— N. Sac , se a ; and e y, island— island in the se a , 100

feet high . It forms a breakwater to Lochinver Bay . It may beGael ic— from sambach , to quieten .

Crona .

— N . Th renn, triple 5 e y , i sland 5 th renn- ey , th rona

eventually pronounced Crona — th ree islands .Oldany.

— N. Aldinn, old 5 and ey , i sland— the old island,from

being the largest 1n Si ze on the coast. In th e English Channel wehave Alderney

,old island 5 Guernsey, rugged island 5 J e rsey,

grassy island 5 Sark (Se rcque ) temple island 5 Herm,serpent

island .

Eilean-nan-uan .— G. Island of the lambs . At speaning times

lambs were sent there away from their dams .Eilean-ruadh ridh .

— N. Ruadr,red

,and, ey, island— the re d

i sland,from its cliffs of red sandstone ; or, G. eilean

,island

,and

ruadh ridh,Roderick

,Roderic ’s island

,more probably the first .

PL ACE NAM ES .

Ach andoich .

— G. Achadh, fie ld,and do-aobh a ich , unpleasant

unpleasant fie ld .

Ach-na-carnan .

— G. Achadh,fie ld

,and carnan

,heaps of stones

the fie ld of heaps of stone 5 ruins of a Pictish tower are near.Ach um ore .

—G. Ach adh,fie ld

,and mor

,big— the big fie ld .

Achmelvich,G . and N compound . Achadh

,fie ld 5 mel, Norse,

grassy 5 uig, Norse, a bay, or a creek - the fie ld of the grassy creek,or grassy bay .

Aird-da-loch .— G. highland

,or height between two lakes

,th e

Gl encul and Glendu lochs .Ach antur.

— G. Achadh,fie ld

,and tur

,a tower. Tur h ere

m eans a conical tow er l ike-hill,near 300 feet high . Manx toor

,

Wel . twr, Corn . tur, Arm . tour,tur

,Lat . tur-ris

, Gr. turis, Arab .

tour,a hill

,Heb . thur

,a hill .

Al lt-na -ce a lga ch .— G . A place and stream name . Al lt

,stream

,

and c e a lgach , deceiver— stream of the deceiver,in reference to a

Ross- shire man, a s tradition states, who gave false evidence in ad ispute respecting the marches between Ross-shire and Assynt.

Frequent contests were taking place between the herds of Balna

Suth e rland Place Nam es . 117

gown and Assyut regarding the grazings on these marches. TheEarl of Suth erland intervened by righ t of heritable jurisdiction .

The oldest inhabitants on the marches w ere called on to giveevidence on th e spot. One of th e B alnagown witnesses, morea stute th an truthful, who had placed Ross - shire soil in his shoes,when he came to the march contended for by B a lnagown,

sworehe stood on Ross—sh ire ground

,and the decision was given in

favour of B alnagown,but the intrepid Macleod said

,B a lnagown

may take the land ; I’ll keep the grazing .

” It is said that theunfortunate man

,Who gave the false evidence

,met with an

untimely end soon after by suicide or assassination .

An Car. — G. The bend .

Am Pollan .

— G . The 11ttl e pool . Wel . pw ll,Corn . pol

,Arm .

poul,Lat . palus

,a marsh ; Gr. pelos, Norse, pal lr, pool .

Ardv1 e ck .— G . Ard

,h igh

,or height

,bre a e

,speckled— the

speckled heigh t .A1d-roe . -G . and N . Ard, height, and rod (pronounced rot/z),

stepped— th e stepped height or ridge . Takes its nam e from theadjoining prom ontory, Rhu rodha.

Ard-var. — G. See lake of this name, w hich takes its h ame fromthis village, and th e Village from th e height.

Am B raigh e .

—G. The brae 5 cognate is Wel .‘

braich, B .B .

brech Lat . brachium— upper part of the shoulder.Baddy-na-ban .

— G. Groves,or thickets of the women .

Baddy-

grinan .

— G. Sunny groves .Baddy-darrach .

-G. Oak groves .Bad -na-carbad .

-G. Bad, grov e or thicket ; carbad, bier grove

of the bier. Th e grove at wh ich th e bier w as w ont to be set downto rest for refreshments at funerals .Bae-garbh .

— G. Bagh bay, and garbh, rough— the rough bay .

Name of th e village at the bay .

B al lach laddich .— G. Bal

,village or township ; and cladich,

gen . of clada ch,shore— village on the shore.

Balloch .-G. Bealach

,gap or pass in a mountain range .

Brackloch .— G . Breac , speckled ; clach, stone— place of the

speckled stones,conglomerate .

Ca,Ca-beg

,Ca-mor. -G. Gadha, a narrow pass 5 Ca-beg

,small

narrow pass 5 Ga-more,big narrow pass .

Cor-e adag—b eg .

— G. C‘oire-an-fh e adag

-bheag,l ittle hollow of the

plover. Th e adjective refers to the h ollow .

Cor- e adag—mh or — G. Large hollow of the plover.Coire-riabh ach .

— G. The brindled hollow .

118 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

Clach—toll . —G. Clach, stone 5 toll, hole— the holed stone .Clach -toll is a very interesting local ity . O n the seashore is a hillof soft-red sandstone, through the softer parts of which the se a

m ade a large hole, gradually increasing it, and forming the hole,as it were

,into an archway

,wh ich could be discerned from a great

distance . Many years ago this arch was destroyed by a slip in thestrata

,which is composed of red sandstone, alternating with beds

of marl, dipping to the sea . The western limb of the arch sliddown w ith th e dip of th e strata. and the arch gave way . Tradition states th at Coinne a ch Odhar,

’ the Seer,prophesied that th e

arch w ould be broken, and fall to pieces, and when that eventhappened the noise would be so grea t that the Ledmore (18 milesaway) cattle would be disturbed and frightened from their pastures . When th e fracture and fall occurred it so happened thatcattl e from Ledmore were grazing at Clach-toll

,and were actually

disturbed by the noise,fulfill ing th e saying of the Seer . So say

the natives . Near Clach—toll are the ruins of a Pictish castle,or

Druidic temple,called by the natives Tigh -talm h a idh -na-Druidh a ich

(earth ly habitation of the Druids),“ a prodigious pile of huge

stones close to a great rock, its front to the se a,and surrounded

on the land sides by three circular outworks at regular distances .”

There are many tumuli all round the outw orks,and various

ornaments, such as a golden sickle

,were found in the neighbour

hood . These ruins have been explored .

Cloich-an -tei 11e .

— G. Stone of fire . Probably here it was thatthe Druidic priests c ustribute d the sacred fire at certain festivals .Cloich-ary.

-G. Clach,stone ; and a iridh

,sheiling— the stony

sheiling.

Clashmore .— G. Clais

,hollow 5 and mor, great— the great hol

low , or an extensive area of low ly ing land surrounded by higher.Clash ane ssie .

— G. Clais, h ollow 5 and e asag, dim .,small water

fall— the hollow near the small waterfall .Camus-vic -Erch ar.

— G . Camus,bay 5 vic-Erch ar

,son of Farqu

har— the bay of the son of Farquhar. Probably he lived near it,

and w as drowned in it .

—G. Back ; locally it applies to land behind a ridge .Wel . ow l 5 Fr. cul— back .

Cula ig, or Culag.- G . Cul , back 5 and ag, dint , the little back

land— the area not so extensive as in 0 111.Ch l in .

-G. Cula inn,backs— several little back places .

°

d

Gulbeg.— G . Cul

,back 5 and beg, l ittle— l ittle place behind a

m ge .

Culkein.— G. Cul

,back 5 and cinn, heads— a place behind

se veral eminences .

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m eadow of the stag, or stags .Knockan .

—G. Cnocan (dim . of cnoc), an eminence or hillock .

Knock -na-manach .

—G. Cnoc, hill, and manach , monk— th e

l ittle hill (or em inence) of the monks, near the ancient church .

Knock-nan-each .-G. The l ittle hill of the horses .

Kyl e scow .

-G. Kyl e s”= caolas

, strait 5 cow = cum h ann,nar

row — th e narrow strait ; the“m yrkifiord

”of the Norsemen .

Kylestrome . — G . and N . Kyle,caolas

,strome 5 N . straume

,

current,tide— a strait h aving a current or tide ; peculiarly

applicable to th is strait from th e tide rushing in and out at flowand ebb . The town of Calais takes its name from the strait nowcalled Straits of Dover .Ledbeg

,Ledmore .

—G. Led (contraction of le ath ad), slope, andbeg

,l ittle 5 mor, great. Manx beg

,l ittle 5 mooar, big or great .

Led-na-be a th a ch .—G. L e ath ad, slope, and be ath a ch

,beast or

animal . W . buch , bwch, cattle ; Corn . byaoh 5 Fr. bete .

Lead -na—lub—croy .— G. L e ath ad, slope 5 lub, bend ; croy,

crua idh,hard— m pe of the hard or rocky bend that resisted the

action of the current .L oyne .

— G . Leana, lian , a meadow — a grassy plot of land .

Luban Croma, G.— Luban , dim little bend 5 and Croma,

crooke d .

Mean-Assynt .

— G. M e adh on,middle — middle division of

Assynt .

M e oir.

— G. Fingers— place from which streams issue, and

spread out like the finge rs of a hand spread out to their fullstretch .

Mhau-Assyut. — G. Lower div ision of Assyut 5 Ard-Assyut,

higher division,or heights of Assynt 5 m h an ,

m e adh on,and ard

often occurs in Highland topography to mark distinction .

M e a l lan-Odhar. — G. M e al lan,dim . of m e all , a lump —a hill

terminating like a lump 5 and odhar, dun colour 5 W. moel 5 Arm .

moel .M e a ll -a-bh uirich .

— G. Hill of the bellowing of deer.M e a ll-nan—im rich inn.

— G. Hill ; and im rich inn,removals or

flittings.

Nedd .

— G. a sheltered place l ike‘

a nest 5 Wel . nyth ; Arm ,

myth 5 Corn. neid 5 Fr. nid— nest.

Pol -an-dunan .- G . Poll

,p 10 1 5 and dunan, little fort— pool of the

little fort. There are many Pictish tow ers along the coast 5 here

Pool 5 and garbh , rough — th e rough pool .Pool ; and gam h na , stirk— pool of the stirk

,

stirk had been drowned . Wel . pw l 5 Corn . pol 5e pollr ; Belg . poel ; Gr. pelos 5 Dor. Gr. palos 5

Lat . pal-us .

Ry-a o-traid .

— G . Ruigh , slope, ascent, or declivity 5 andtrag

'

h ad,sh ore at ebb tide — th e declivity or slope to th e shore .

Gaelic also tra igh 5 Wel . tra e th , tra ith 5 Arm . tra e z .

Rafiin .

— G. or N (doubtful). — G . rath,fort or village

,and fionn

,

fair 5 N re f'

,fox, and inn, habitation or resort . N rafn

,a place

on th e coast w here se a w eed accumulates .Ru —store .

— G. and N . Eu-rudh a,promontory 5 storr, N high

,

big 5 Gaelic, stor , high cliff 5 Irish ,sturr.

Ryan-crorich .

— G.

“ Ryan,

”ru igh an d im

,small slope ; and

crorich ,” cro -bh e ath a ich

,cattle shelter — th e little slope of the

cattle sh elter.Ryan—fearna.

— G. The small slope covered with alder scrub ortrees .

Slis- ch il is . ~ -G . Sl ios,side 5 and caolas

,strait— m th e side of the

strait .Strone-ch rubie .

—G. S trone,nose 5 and c ruba idh

,b ending

the nose of the bending 5 in reference to the bending or juttingout of a portion of the mountain.

Stoer . — G. or N S e ems to be common to both , and applied tohigh pinnacled b ills or cliffs . Irish sturr 5 N . storr 5 G . stor.The Norse language of Ic e land h as many w ords in common withthe Gaelic spoken in the north -w est of Scotland . The Druidrefugees

,w h o fle d into th e Orkneys

,Shetland, and Iceland from

Christian persecution,may have imported such terms into those

quarters,or th e Norse men imported them into the north-west

,

and after a period of years became incorporated into Gaelic . Stor

p innacle is 530 feet above se a level .Strathan .

— G. Dim . of strath — l ittle or short strath .

Torbre ck .

— G . Torr,h illock

,mound 5 and breac, speckl ed .

Tilin .

— G. Tigh, h ouse 5 Jinn, pool or dam —house near thedam .

122 Gae lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

Tubeg, Tu-more . — G. Tu taobh, side 5 and beag, little 5

more,

” mor,big s ide of land divided by a river or stream . Iron

was manufactured here, tradition states, until the Norscm en i

burnt a l l the woods, by which the smelting was done, to preventthe Assinta ich handy craftsmen from making swords and axesand spear heads to defend themselves and supply their neighbours .There 1s good and superior iron ore lodes in the limestone mountain ad] o1n1ng Tu-moreUnapool . -G. Una, aon, one ; and poll - one pool

,jutting out

of the lake into th e land at the Village .

The ancient place name formers generally succeeded in de signating places by th eir most obvious ch aracteristics— every namestriking straight for the feature that most strongly attracted theirattention

,so that to this day a p e rson moderately skilled in such

matters m ay often understand the physical peculiarities, or theaspect of a place

,as soon as he hears the name . The Celts were

sharp-eyed, the Norse m en no less so. Norse names of places,

when applied to the aspect of places, are very descriptive, as w eshall se e in succeeding papers

,round the Sutherland coast .

20m FEB RUARY,1889.

At this meeting the following gentlemen were elected members .

of the Society,viz . :— M r John Finlayson

,head master

,Bell ’s .

School,Inverness

,and M r Ma lcolm Macinnes

,Raining School

,

Inverness. Thereafter M r Alex . M acba in,M .A .

,read a paper

contributed by the late Dr Cameron,Brodick . M r Cameron’s ,

paper was as follows

ARRAN PLACE NAMES .

SECTI O N I ,

The topography of Arran,l ike that of all the Western Islands ,

of Scotland,is partly Scandinavian and partly Celtic . Names .

like Brodick,Goatfe l l

,O rm ida l e

,Kiskada l e

,are clearly of Norse

origin, wh il st such names as Tormore,Torbeg

,Ach ana car,

Druim indoon,Dunfin

, Dundow ,are manifestly Celtic, our names .

of places thus bearing testimony to the fact that, in past times,

the Norsemen and the Celts held alternate sw ay in our island,the

inhabitants of which are a mixed race,being partly Norse and

partly Celtic . But although the topography of a country serves:

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and th e Scotch (w h ich - 1s closely all ied tobrad e . Th e second sy llable ,

“ wik,”signifi

very frequently, both by itself, as in WickSkye, and U ig in Lew s, and in compositionvery many of th e names of our bays andw ord also spelled B ra ith w ik and B re th wik . Un til lately th erew a s a h amlet at th e head of the new street

,now called Douglas

Row ,at Brodick

,wh ich the natives called B re adh a ig. Th is was

,

d oubtless,the original Brodick , and in olden times th e h ead of th e

bayS tra th w illan furnishes a good example of h ow words

,in the

course of time,change not only their form but al so their com

ponent parts . In old documents Strath w il lan i s Te rrquh ilane , andthe natives still call th e district Tirh uill e in . Tir

,allied to Lat.

term,signifie s land . It occurs frequently in place-names

,and is

often connected with th e names of persons . Thus,Tirconne ll

,

Tyrone,Tirke e re n — th e land of Connell

,the land of Eogh a ln,

theland of Cae rth a inn . The second part of Tirchu il e in resemblescu ilionn (the h olly), but if Tirch u ile in meant th e land of the h olly

,

we would expect to have the article between Ti ff and cni le cm,and

that th e w ord would be T ir-a ’-ch uil inn

,l ike the Irish place-names

Tirach orka (th e land of the oats), and Tirare e (the land of theking). We may safely conclude th at Tirch uil e in means the landof Cuil e an

,which

,alth ough meaning a whelp

,i s also a personal

name,as in Culen mac I l luilb,

” who w a s a king of Albain in thel 0th century .

The natives call Corrie gills“ Coire-gh oill . Coire signifie s a

hollow in the side of a mountain,and occurs very frequently in

topography . It is identical with coire (a cauldron) 5 it i s cognatew ith the Ice . lw err (a cauldron, a boiler).There is more difficulty about th e second syllable of Corrie

g ills. It may from its form be the genitive of Ga l l (a stranger),a term applied in the West High lands to the Danish invaders .Th e word w ould thus signify the Corrie” of or belonging to thestranger . Th e last syllable

,how ever

,may be th e Norse gil (a deep

narrow glen with a stream at bottom), wh ich occurs so frequentlya s g/zy ll and gi l l in our Scottish topography, and this I regard as

the more probable explanation .

D e an M unro ca l ls it B ra izay .

Arran Place Nam e s . 125

From Corrie gills we pass on to Dunfin, which does not meanth e Dun of th e Ossianic Finn-mac-Cum h a il l

,for then th e word

would not be Dun—fionn but Dun-Fh inn,like Kill—Fh inn . In Dun

fionn is plainly th e adj ective fionn (w hite, fair), and Dun-fionn i sthe fair h ill 5 or it may mean th e w hite or fair fort. Th e former

,

however,i s th e more probable

,for w e have close to Dun—fionn

anoth er h ill Dun—dubh (the black hill), and wh en w e look at thetwo hills, we find that th e names are descriptive . Th e originalmeaning of dun is an enclosure . From an enclosed or w alledplace

,it came to signify a fort 5 and as forts w ere usually built on

elevated places, the word came to be applied to h ills, and fromh ills to

‘

any heap, even a heap of dung,or dungh ill, which in

Gaelic is danan,a diminutive of ch in .

But danan does not always mean a dunghill . It also means ahillock

,or little hill . Hence the Dunans below Corrie gills means

the hillocks,a descriptive name.

Th e English etymological equivalent of dun is town,from th e

Anglo-Saxon min,l iterally an enclosure .

We sh all now return to th e centre of the Brodick district,but

must have a look in passing at the sw eet glen of Lag- ’

a -bh e ith e

(the h ollow of the birch). L ag, as those of us w h o speak Gaelicknow

,means a hollow

,and laggan, a little hollow . Hence Lag

,near

Kilmory,is th e hollow , a very descriptive name, and the Lagans

- w e h ave two in the north end of Arran— are ve rv commonin Gaelic topography.

Th e last part of Lag-a’-bh e ith e i s bh e it/L e

,the genitive of

be ith e (birch). The a ’ betw een L ag and bh e itize i s the contractedform of the article an.

We pass by the modern names Springbank and Alma Terrace,

and come to th e Mais or Maish,w hich means probably the m oss

land . Then we have Gl enorm ad e l l,w hich the suffix d e l l sh ows to

be a Norse name,although th e prefix glen (a valley), i s Celtic . In

Norse terms da le,which signifie s a plain, a dale, forms an affix

,

whilst in Celtic w ords it forms a prefix . Knapdale,Helmsdale

,

Berriedale,are Norse w ords

,w hilst Da l intobe r, Da lna cardach ,

Da lanspit ta l , are Celtic w ords . It is not an uncomm on thing to

meet w ords containing both Norse and Celtic elements . O rm ida l e

is a Norse w ord,which

,at a later period

,received a Gaelic prefix.

The syllable orm is identical w ith the Ice . orm r (a snake, a serpent,also w orm), and is the Norse equivalent of the Engl ish word worm .

O rm ida le,therefore

,means the valley of snakes .

Gl encloy takes its name from the M acloys or Fu llartons, w h o

held the lands of Kilmichael early in the fourteenth century, one

126 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

of that name having received them from King Robert Bruce .

M acloy is M ac L ou is, or M a cL oui, that branch of the Fullartonsh aving descended from a person of the name of Louis

,a name still

not uncommon among the Arran Ful lartons .

Kilm ich a e l‘

m e ans th e Church of Michael,or the church dedi

cate d to St Michael . The ruins of the old chapel were to be seenthere until a comparatively recent period . A

'

i l i s the Gaelic ai ll,

which signifie s a church, and now a churchyard or burying-place .

It is borrowed from th e Lat in word ce l la (a cell).As Kilmich ael signifie s the Church of Michael

,or th e church

d edicated to St Michael, so Kilbride signifie s the Church of

B ridgit, or the church dedicated to St B ridgit 5 Kilmory, theChurch of Mary, or the church dedicated to St Mary 5 Kildonnan,the church consecrated to St Donnan, and Kilpatrick, the churchd edicated to St Patrick .

Auch aranie i s the fie ld of the ferns, the first part of the wordbeing a ch adh (a fie ld), and the second part th e genitive (Irish) ofra ine a c/L (ferns). A similar example of infle ction is Ceum-na-la ittagh .

Gl e nsh e rra ig is written both Gl ense rva ig and Glensh e rivik inancient documents. Glense rva ig may be th e glen of the sorrel

,

but Glensh e rvik renders th is interpretation doubtful .Glenrossay is t h e glen or valley of the water Rossay . The last

s yllable of Rossay is a common affix, signifying water (of. I a rsa ,

the I a rsa w ater 5 Thurso, the water of Th or).Gl ensh ant i s for Cransh ant or Cransch e aunt, of which the first

part is clearly crann (tree), and the second part may be seunta , th eparticiple of the verb sca n (to bless, l iterally, to cross one

’s self).The place m ay have taken its name from some tree in the locality

,

which was considered sacred .

Knock,which occurs very frequently in th e topography of

Arran,signifie s a hill or knoll, and Knockan, a little hill, a hillock .

Knockan was the name of a hamle t of houses near the Castle of

Brodick ; and th ere i s somewhere in that direction a place whichwas called Coreknokdow

, Coire—ennio—dhuibh

,but w h ich I have not

b een able to identify .

Pennycaste l (Pe igh inn a’

Ch a iLste il), the Pennyland of th e

C astle,w a s th e name of some fie lds near th e Castle .

Pe igh inn (a penny), meaning a pennyland , enters largely intothe topography of the island . There is a Pe igh inn near Sh isken .

There i s a Pe igh in-riabhach,Penrioch (the spreckled Pennyland),

and B enl iste r,w hich I su spect is a corruption of Pe nal iste r

,the

Pennyland of Alister,* perhaps the same Alister whose name has

Pal e ster in Re nt-Roll of 1757-8.

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128 Gae l ic Socie ty _

of Inverne ss.

Th ere is noth ing remarkable in the name of the neighbouringi sland having become th e name of th e modern village of Lamlashany more th an th ere i s in th e name of the neighbouring lochh aving also become its modern name, for th e Gaelic name of L amlash a t the present day is Loch-an—e il e in (the loch of the island).I h ave already referred to the Pennyland of Cla ch lands . Th e

old form of this w ord was Cla ch e lane , also spelled Clach e l lan e .

Th e first part of th is w ord seems to be cla ck (a stone). O f this Iwould h ave no doubt if I did not find the word also writtenCl e uch tlanis . I do not know what the second part of the word

,

lane , means, if it be not the word lann (an enclosure). This wordoccurs frequently in Gaelic topography . It is the same w ord as .

the Welsh l lan,so often met w ith in British topography

,as in

L lanbride , Llandudno . We find at least one instance of it inArran in L ynie m ore (the big enclosure or fie ld). It occurs in theword iod/L lann (a stackyard) a compound from iodh (corn). andlaw n (enclosure), and is probably cognate to the English wordla nd . It is still used in our spoken Gaelic

,but

,as in many other

cases,the accusative loinn h as become also the nominative .

At L amlash w e have a Blairmore and a B la irbeg. B ldr

signifie s a fie ld . It is very common in Gaelic topography. Th i sw ord h as oth er meanings, as a peat moss ( blcir-m oine ), and battle

(B lair Ch ui l-flzoda ir,the battle of Culloden). M ore i s the adje c

tive m or (great, large, big), and beg the adj ective be ag (l ittle,small). Blairmore is therefore the large fi eld

,and B la irbeg i s th e

l ittle fie ld .

Kilbride and Marg-na—h egl ish have been already explained .

In the Blairmore glen,there was a hamlet which was called

B ra im —’

te -an-Dui le ir .

’I c-an-Dui le ir i s the genitive of what must

have been the name of a person— M a c—an—Dui le ir . B ra im,the

first part of th e w ord,means a ridge . It is a common element in

Gaelic place-names,as in B ra im -a —dci in (the ridge of the ch in or

'

hill). It is cognate w ith Lat . dorsum .

I have already noticed B enl e st e r. Gl enkill I have not metwith except in its present form . The first part of the word

, glen,the Gaelic gleann (a valley), i s plain, but whether the secondpart

,kill

,be the same w ord as that w hich forms the first syllable

of Kilbride,Kilmory

,Kilpatrick, & c .

,and wh ich

,as already

noticed,signifie s a church , it is impossible to say , w ith out know ing

wh ether or not there was a church there,especially as the ki ll i s

not, as it almost invariably is, prefixe d to th e name of a pa tronsaint. The place may possibly have taken its name from a kilnfor drying corn or for burning l ime .

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130 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss.

L e ttirnaganach is the le itz'

r or hill slope of the canons, whichpoints back to the time (1452) when James II . granted to thecanons of Glasgow the whole Crown rents of Arran and otherlands in payment of the sum of 800 m arks

,which th ey h ad lent

to him out of the offerings of their church in the time of

th e indulgences .In Wh itingbay there are three L a rgies — L argiebe g, L argie

more,and L argie m e anach . L argie , I take to be the Gaelic word

la im'

g (a moor, the side of a hill): It is of frequent occurrence inGaelic topography . There is in Sutherland a parish of Lairg

,and

you have Largs on the Firth of Clyde . Th ere is a L argie inKintyre

,and the burying-place of the Breadalbane family a t Loch

Tayside is Finl a irig. There is also a Gaelic word le irg, whichsignifies a plain . But w e may, with confidence

,identify L argie

with L a irig. The affixe s, beg, m ore,and m eana ch

,are th e

adj ectives be ag (l ittle), m o‘

r (large, big), and m eadhona c/z (middle).You have also three Kiskadal e s- North, South , and Middle .

In the old written documents,this w ord is written Ke ske de l . It

is manifestly a Norse word,the affix da le or de l being the same

word as our -Gael i c da i l (a plain, a dale), and related to the English da le and the German th a l. The first part of th e word I donot know

,but I believe that

,with a little more research

,I shall

be able to discover its meaning.

There are some other words,such as G1enash da l e

,written

Gl enasdasdal e in old documents,and Gl enscorada le , clearly Norse

names, which I must leave for the present unexplained .

SECTI O N II .

111 the previous section on the Arran place-names, I startedfrom Brod ick

,came along by Lamlash

,and went as far as the

march between the parishes of Kilbride and Kilmory . Thistime I propose to start again from Brodick, and to go in theopposite direction by Corrie

,Lochran

'

za,Catacol , and Dougari e, to

Sh isken . This includes the whole north end of the island . As

in the former section,we shall frequently meet with names at

the meaning of which we can only guess, although I do notdespair of being yet able to get at their correct inte rpretation .

Here, as elsewhere

,names that were once familiar have d isap

pe are d, through the process of add ing fie ld to fie ld and house tohouse

,from the map

,although they still l inger in the memories of

the people . Thus,we know of a Gortan ga im h e ach (the sandy

little fie ld), near w h ere M r Halliday has his sawmills ; of the

Arran Place Nam e s.

Cnocan (the Knockan), above the Castle ; and of “Pe igh inn a’

Ch aiste il”

.

(th e pennyland of the Castle), near the Castle . Th e

burn coming down through the Castle wood is marked on themap as the Cnockan Burn, although the Cnocan” itself is notm arked . It would be both interesting and important to get a listmade up of as many as can now be recovered of the names thata re not on the map before th ey pass away, as they are certain todo in the course of another generation, from the memories of thepeople . At present, I must take the Ordnance Survey m ap as my

guide, although , so far a s the place-names are concerned, it is byno means a safe guide .Wh en we leave the Castle beh ind us, the first name w e meet is

M e rkland,from the Scottish coin m erk

,equa l to 13s 4d of our

money. This was th e amount of superiority money paid by theplace in olden times .We pass by M e rkland Point and Birch Point, and come to theRudh a Salach" (the dirty headland), from ra dlau, (headland), and

sa la ch (dirty).We meet w ith no other name on the map until we come to

Corrie,in Gaelic

.

An Coire (the cavity, the ca vern 5 also, a hol lowamong hills or in

’

th e s ide of a mountain).We come next to Sannox

,which is really a plural formed by

adding 3 to “ Sannoc (th e sandy bay), from S and vile, a common

place-name . There are three Sannocs— South Sannoc

,Mid Sannoc

,

and North Sannoc, which the natives still call“ Na Sannocan”

(the Sannocs).The —burying-place of Kilmichael (the Church of St Michael),

from Ki l l (a cell, from Latin cal la (a cell), and M ich e i l, th epatron saint to whom the church was dedicated

,is not marked on

th e six- inch scale map.

If w e as cend the North Gle nsannocs Burn w e come to theGlen du

,marked by its Gaelic name Gle ann dubh (the Black Glen)

on the m ap, and betw een Glen du and North Glen Sannocs, 1ie sth e hill called in Gae l ic An Tunna (the Tun, or the vessel).To th e north of North Glen Sannocs

,are the Torr Re a m h ar

(the Thick Hill), and th e Crogan,probably another form of

Cnocan (a little h ill), alth ough the Crogan seems to be morethan 1000 feet above the level of the se a . But Crogan may befor cracau” a hill-side).Proceeding northwards, we come to Lagan (the little hollow),

diminutive ofo

L ag (a hollow ) Creag gh las (the grey hill), or itmay be the green hill

,for gla s means grey, pale, and also

green, and before we come to the“ Cock (an coi le a ch), we find

132 Gae lic Socie ty of Inverne ss.

Cuith e marked on the map, which signifie s a pit, a trench, a deepmoist place

,and also a cattle fold .

We now cross the water-shed into the Lochranza district . Th e

glen through which the road passes is marked Glen Ch alm adal on

the map . It is plainly a Norse name, but I have not succeededin making out th e meaning of it . Da l is the same as the Gaelicda i l, and the English da le , bu t I do not know the meaning of thefirst syllable .In this glen there are several nam e s th at are not marked on

th e map . One of them is Gortan na Ce ardaich (the little fie ld of

the smithy). Gor tan i s the diminutive of goa t (a fie ld) the sameas ga rt in Gartsh e rrie , Gartmore, dzc . The Gortans are verycommon in Arran .

The first place we come to in Lochranza is B olairidh (the foldof th e shieling), from 60 ! or bua i le (a fold), and a iridk (a shieling).O u th e Opposite side of the burn is Narach an

,which I cannot

explain . Perhaps it i s derived from na th a z'

fr,gen . na thm ck (a

serpent). But a s there are other Nara ch ans,the name is probably

descriptive . O u the north side of the burn are also Torr M e adh

onach (the m iddle hill), Creag gh las (the grey or green rock),Cnoc-nan-sgrath (the turf hill), and, on the shore

,Rudha a

’

Ch re aga in Duibh (the headland of the black rock).Rising above B ola iridh is the hill of Torr-nead-a h -eoin (the hill

of the bird ’s nest), and farther south is Clachan, either the pluralor the diminutive of cla ck (a stone).We pass now out of the parish of K ilbride (the Church of

St Bridget), into the parish of Kilm orie (the Church of St Mary,

that is,the ch urch '

de dicate d to St Mary).The first word that claims our attention now is Lochranza

itself,from which the district takes its name . Th e earlier name

was Ke anloch ransay or Kendloch e raynsay (the head of L och ransay).It w as also called L och e de

,which I take to mean Loch-head

,or

the head of the loch .

Ke anloch — or Ke 11dloch — the first part of this word,i s plain

e nough . It signifie s Loch-head,or head of the loch

,and the last

syllable is also plain . It signifie s an island, and is the same— a'

or

ay— which occurs so frequently at the termination of the names of

islands, as Jura, Islay, Colonsay, & c . Ranza is,th erefore

,th e

Island of B an,but what is Ran ? The name of the giant goddess,

the Q ueen of the se a,in Norse mythology

,w as Ran

,so that

,per

haps, Lochranza may have derived its name from this mythicgoddess . But there is a word ran in Danish which signifie s

robbery, plunder, and, possibly, Ranza may signify the island of

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134 Gae lic Socie ty of Inverne ss.

signifie s a w e t or swampy meadow— grassy land,with a soft,

spongy bottom— and is very common in Irish topography .

Lenam ore is the name of m any townlands in the Irish counties .Thundergay 1s called Torr-na qaoitk (th e hill of the wind) by

the natives of Arran ; but as the old form of the word was Tonre ge th y (back to the

’

wind), the double r of Torr-na -

gaoitlz seem s ,to have arisen from the assimilation of n to r

,a common phonetic

Penrioch , of which Pe nne re vach was an older form,1s Pnz

’

gh inn

ria biza ch (the brindled or gray pennyland).Allt gobh la ch 1s the forked stream

,from a ll t (a stream) and

gob/zla c/z (forked).Wh 1te far1and, or Wh itcforland , i s the white promontory '

or

cape .

Tobar Ch aluim ch ill e,betw een North and South Tunde rgay, is

St Columba’s well .O u th e shore we find marke d Rudha Airidh B h e irg, Rudha

Glas,and Rudha Ban . There is a Gaelic word bea rg which

signifie s a soldier, a ch ampion, a marauder. If this be the wordfrom which Rudha—a iridh -B h e irg takes its name, th e meaningwould be the point or headland of the soldier’s shieling. Rudhaglas is the gray pom t or headland

,or more probably the green

point or headland 5 for gla s signifie s both gray or pale white andgreen. Rudha ban is th e whit e point or headland .

To the south ofWhitefarland is Leao-bh u idh e . L a a c means aflat stone

,and

,therefore, Leao—bh uidh e is the yellow flagstone .

But this name may be Leaca-bh uidh e (the yellow hill- slope), fromleaca

, gen . lea ca inn (a hill—slope).

*Also found w ritte n Trurre ge ys. In re fe re nc e to Tunde rgay , th e

follow ing e xtract from Dr Joyc e’

s Irish Na m e s of Pla c e s”

se e m s to le ave no

doubt a s to its m e aning. Th e Irish w ord tén signifie s th e backside , e xactlyth e sam e as th e Latin p odex. I t w as ve ry ofte n use d to de signate h ills, and

also low -lying or bottom lands 5 and it usually re ta ins th e original form ton

as w e se e in Tondufi'

,Tonbanu, Tonroe — black,

w h ite , and re d backsidere spe e tive ly Tone e l in Fe rm anagh , th e bottom land of th e 1im e . O ne

particular com pound, Ton le -ga eith , w h ich lite ral ly signifie s“backside to th e

w ind, se e m s to h ave be e n a favourite t e rm ; for th e re are a gre at m any h illsall th rough th e country w ith th is nam e

,w h ich are now calle d Tonl e ge e

Som e tim e s th e pre position re is use d inste ad of le— both h aving th e sam e

m e aning— and t h e nam e in th is c ase be com e s Tonre ge e . In th is last

,a d is

often inse rte d afte r th e n (p . and th is, w ith one or tw o oth e r triflingch ange s, h as de ve lope d th e form Tande rage e , th e nam e of a little town in

Arm agh , and of te n townlands, al l in th e U lste r countie s, e xce pt one in M e ath ,

and one in Kildare .

”— J oyce

’

s I rish Na m es of Pla ces,”3rd Ed .

, p . 507.

Arran Place Nam e s. 135

Imachar is w ritten Tym och are and Tym oquh are in someancient charters . I cannot at present say anything with certaintyin regard to th e

'

m e aning of th is word,and conj ectural interpreta

tions are of l ittle value .

The older form B aynl eka shows that B al l ickine is for Banl e aca inn (the w h ite hillside or hill- slope). The word is a goodexample of the ease and certainty wh ith which words

,that on the

face appear difficult, can be expla ined w hen w e get at their olderforms .

We come next to Dougrie, which is written Dowgare and

Dougarre in old charters . Th ese forms sh ow plainly th at thefirst part of th is w ord is dubh (black) 5 but they leave us in someuncertainty in regard to the second part—

g ar or garre— w h ich

may be eith er garad /z (a den, a cave, also a thicket), or gczrra dk

(a garden). Garadh occurs in other place names,

a s Gleanngaradh (Glengarry) and Garadh-buid h e (th e yel low thicket or

shrubbery).l orsa

,like Rosa

,is Norse . Th e last syllable a means water

,

but it i s difficult to say what the first syllable signifie s .

A stream,w h ich fa lls into the Iorsa water

,is called Al lt-na-h

airidh (th e burn of th e sh iel l ing).A small lake, at th e h ead of

,

Glen Scaftigill , is called DubhLoch (th e black loch ). Loch Tana

,which likew ise empties itself

into the Iorsa w ater, means, p1obably, the shallow loch . 1 sayprobably because I do not know exactly h ow the word ta m a i spronounced.

Skafti’

gill is Norse . The last syllable means a narrow glen,

and ska/t is Danish, for English shaft, haft, h andle . Th e corresponding Ice . word s/cap t occurs frequently in place—names

,as

skap ta (shaft -river, O f. the name Shafto), skap ta r—je l l (sh aft

m ountain 5 Cf. , sh ap-fell i 'i Westmoreland). Skaftigill is, therefore

,shaft-glen .

We come next to Ach encar,a more recent form of Ac h a ch ara

standing—stone), from a ch adh (a fie ld), and ca radh

ding-stone), the place h aving taken its name from“

the pillar- stone still s tanding th ere .South of Ac hna car

, Cnocan cual laich (the little hill of thecat tle-herding).Farther south is Ach agal lon (in Gael , a c/Lagh a l loin), w hich

likew ise means the fie l d of th e stauding-stone,from a ch adlz (a fie ld)

“

and ya llan (a pillar or standing

* Th e re is a standing-stone m arke d on th e m ap above Auch agh a l loinfiGh laic B h an (th e w h ite h ollow ) is be tw e e n Auch agh alloin and M ach rie .

136 Gae lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

'

O u the shore is Cle ite adh B uidh e (the yellow ridge of rocks),from cle iteadh (a ridge of rocks in the sea) and buidh e (yellow).There is a little hill above Auch agal lon se t down on the map

as Cnoc-na—c e ill e (the hill of wisdom), but the proper name, Iunderstand

,i s Cnoc-na-ca ill igh (the hag

’s hill).We come next to M a ch a ire (a fie ld

,a plain), a very common

name,as might be expected , in Gaelic topography, both Scotch

and Irish .

Th e next name on the map is Torrm ore (the big hill), fromtow (a hill), and m ar (great, big). There is also Torr-beg (thelittle hill).There is marked on the map a Torr-righ-beag (th e king

’s littlehill), which seems to be the name of a small hill, which is markeda s being 350 feet above the level of the se aBetw een Torr-mor and the shore is Leacan ruadh (the re d flag

stones) 5 but I suspect Leacan should be L e a ca inn (a hill-slope),and L e aca inn ruadh (the red h ill-m pe ).

Near Torr-righ-beag there is a place marked as An Cum h ann,

which means the strait,the defil e .

Near the shore,north from Dru1m-an-d1

‘

1in,i s Cle ite adh —nan

Sgarbh (th e cormorant rocks, or, more properly, ridge of rocks of

the cormorants).We come now to Drum adoon ; in Gaelic, Druim -an—duin (the

ridge of the fort), from druim (back , ridge), and diam (a fort) ;the Gaelic etymological equivalent of Eng . town

,from Anglo

Saxon tun .

I have already referred to Torr-beg (the little hill).The Eilean More

,near Black-w ater Foot

,i s the big island .

The Dubh Abhainn is the Black-w ater,and Black-water Foot

i s Bun-na-Dubh-Abba inn.

Fe orl ine,of which there are two — South Fe orline and North

Fe orl ine — i s the Farthing-land,as p e t

'

gh inn (penny) i s Pennyland .

Cnoc—na-Pe igh inn is the hill of the Pennyland .

Ballygown is Smith town,from ba i le (town, town-land), and

gobh ann, gen . of gobba (smith). Cnoc B al lygoun i s the hill of th esmith -town .

An t-Al lt Beith e is B irch burn,th e name by which it now

seems to be best known .

Sh e dog, in Gaelic S e idag or Se idog, i s a diminutive formed bythe feminine 09 or ag from scid— corresponding

,I have no doubt

,

to Scottish sh ed (a portion of land separate from another).B a ll inacuil is the town or townland

‘

of the nook or corner. Ihave been told that this has been recently given to M r Allan ’s

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to complete his surveySh isken, where he left off in the last

Kilpatrick, for Ci ll -Phadra ig— th e Ch urch of St Patrick.

B ruth ach B re ac , spe ckle d bra e , ne ar Kilpatrick.

Rudh a Garbh ard , for Rudh a -

ga rbh-drd — th e rough h igh h e adland .

Aird -nan-Ron, th e h e igh t of th e se als.

Rinn-a’-Ch r{1bain, th e point of th e c rab -fish .

Cnocan Donn, th e brown h illock— tw o place s of th is nam e .

Cnoc Re am h ar, th e th ick h ill .

Torr, th e h ill .Cnocan-a

’-Ch rannch u ir

,th e h illock of th e lot.

Cor-na -be ith e , th e round h ill of th e birch,or th e h ollow of th e birch .

Le an-a’-Chn e am h , th e boggy land of th e garl ic .

Torr an Daim h , th e h ill of th e ox.

B e inn-tarsuinn, th e c ross m ountain.

Loch -cnoc -a h -Loch a , th e loch of th e h il l of th e loch .

Torm usk, th e h ill of th e m uske t.B e inn B h re ac , th e gre y or brindle d m ountainCnocan B iorach , th e pointe d h il l .Cnoc -na-Croise , th e h il l of th e c ross .

Cnoc -a’-Ch apuill , th e h ill of th e h orse .

Cnoc -na -Dail, th e h ill of th e m e e ting, or th e h ill of de lay, but rath e r th eform e r.

Ross, for Ros , w ood. Th e w ord also signifie s a p e ninsula .

Port-na -Fe annaige , th e port of th e h oodie crow ,or also, th e port of th e

lazy be d .

Cle ite adh Dubh , th e black ridge of rocks.

Cle ite adh , ne ar Clach ag farm .

S l idde ry (Pout h as S ledroi).Port M or

,th e large port, ne ar S lidde ry w a t e r.

Glenscorroda l e,from Scorrada l by prefixing th e Gae lic gleann

'

. Skorra da l

is a plac e nam e in Ic e land. I t 1s de rive d from skorri, appare ntly th enam e of a bird . Cf. Vigfusson .

Glenre e, for Gleann-righ

— th e gle n of th e king ; or Gleann-reagh , for

Gleann-rz'

a bh a ch — th e grey gle n.~s

B oguill e , for bogla ch— a bog , a boggy plac e .

B irrican,or B urrican .

B e nnicarrigan, th e h ill of th e littl e rock 5 but is B enni for Penni

Clach aig, an infle cte d form of cla chag Irish cloch ag or clochogc (a stony

place , a place ful l of round stone s) — from cla ch, or clock, stone .

Lagg, for lag — a. h ollow . Laggan, for lagan — th e l ittl e h ol low .

Kilm ory (St M ary’

s Church . S e e above ).Sh anach y , th e old fie ld . Cf. Sh anagh y m Joyc e 8 Place Nam e s, 11. , .pTorrylin,

for torra linn— th e tow e r or h ill of th e pool .

Arran Place Nam e s . 1313

O loined , for clua in-f lzad — th e long m e adow ; or claoin-fhad , th e long1 I slope . Cf. J oyc e , p . 224 and 400.

Auch e l efi'

en, for a ch a d h -leth -

ph e igh inn— th e h alf-penny fie ld .

Ach are och , for a ch a dh -ria bh a ch — th e grey fie ld .

B dgaire , a soft m arsh y plac e 5 Na B ogaire (plural), be cause th e re are tw o‘

plac e s of th e sam e na m e .

Ach e nh ew , for a chadh -cd— th e fie ld of th e few . Cf. J oye c , I . , p . 492 .

L e y encorrach , for le th -

p he igh inn corra ch — th e ste e p h alf -penny land.

B ennan, for beannan— th e littl e h ill .

Pladda , old form s Pla dow , Pla da .

[S e ve n or e igh t of th e We ste rn Isl e s are calle d Fladda re spe ctive ly ,th e Ice landic island -nam e Flate y , fiat island 5 Pladda is a Gae l icvariant of Fladda w ith f d e -aspirate d to p .

-ED.]

Dr Cam eron, further, transcribed the names on Blaeu’s map of

"

Arran, published in the famous Atlas of 1662 . The map of Arranw as drawn by T imothy Pont

,some fifty years previously. We

have thought it best to reproduce the map in its entirety, to

illustrate and add value to Dr Cameron ’s researches in ArranPlaces Names] .

DR M ACDO NALD’

S COLLECTION O F OSSIANIC POETRY

[INTRODU CTORY NOTE B Y THE LATE REV. A. CAM ERON,

A Col lection of Ossianic Poe try, taken down from Ora l Recitation,.

by th e L a te Rev. Dr M a cdona ld of F erintosh .

In July,1805

,Dr Macdonald w a s licensed to preach 5 and two

months later he started,as stated

,at the request of Sir John

Sinclair,on an Ossianic tour through out th e North-Western High

lands. The object of his j ourney w a s to ascertain to what extenttraditions of the Finga l ians existed in th e Highlands, and whetherO ssian

’s poems were still remembered .

In th e course of that j ourney, M r Macdonald took down fromthe recitation of several persons, whose names h e h as recorded, asmall collection of Ossianic ballads, which afterwards passed,probably through Sir John Sinclair

,into the possession of the

Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland,and is now

deposited , together with other manuscripts belonging to th e

Society,in the Library of the Fa culty of Advocates

,Edinburgh .

*Dr M acdonald ’

s Col l e ction is printe d in th e 13th volum e of our Tran~eae tions

, pp. 2 69-300, unde r th e e ditorsh ip of th e late Dr Cam e ron. It w antsth e introduction w h ich h e w rote for it

,and w h ich h as be en found am ong h is

a t e since h is de a th . It is h e re printe d to com pl e te th e e dition of th e

o le ction m ade bv Dr M acdonald .

140 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss.

Dr Macdonald ’s M S .

,which is in h is own hand-writing

,exte nds

to fifty-two octavo pages . The M S . is written

,apparently

, w ith

great care 5 but the orthography is frequently inaccurate . Inafter years, Dr Macdonald acquired the art of writing Gaelic w ithconsiderable accuracy .

Five of the ballads in this M S ,including The Battle of

Ben Eadair,

” which is made up of more than one ballad,were

published by th e late M r J F . Cam pbell in his “ L e abh ar naFeinne 5

” but,unfortunately

,the transcripts from which he printed

must have been inaccurate,for his printed copies abound with

mistakes,which frequently render the places in which the y occur

quite unintelligible . Among those mistakes must be num beredth e omission of l ines

,and sometimes of even whole verses con

ta ine d in the original manuscript.We now print the entire M S . exactly as it was written by the

c ollector,except tha t a fe w verbal changes have been made in the

brief statements or arguments” prefixe d to the ballads .Amended versions of the ballads would

,no doubt

,be more readable

,

and,therefore

,more interesting to general readers 5 but those w h o

take a real interest in the study of our Ossianic l iterature preferexact transcripts of the manuscript collections

,to which they m ay

not themselves have convenient access,to amended versions

,h ow

ever skilfully the editor may perform his task. We,therefore

,

print the ballads exactly as they were written by Dr Macdonaldin September and October

,1805 . A. C.

e 7m FEB RUARY,1889.

O n this date M r Malcolm M ‘Inne s read a paper contributed bythe Rev . M r John M a crury, Snizort, enti tled A Collection of

Unpublished Gaelic Poetry .

”M r M a crury

’

s paper was as follows

A COLLECTION O F UNPUBLISHED GAELIC PO ETRY.

A L uch d-Com u inn mo ruin,

- Gu ma fada beo sibh thein agusbh ur Com unn . Tha mi anabarrach toil ich te sibh a bh ith soirbh

e a ch adh cho math anns an oba ir a gh abh sibh os la im h , agus m a’s

m ath am bl ia dh na gu ma se ach d fe arr an ath-bh l iadhna . An naira sgriobh an run- ch l e ire a ch aga ibh do m

’ionnsuidh a dh ’

iarraidh

orm rud e iginn a chur uige a ch uire adh se ach ad greis de ’n

oidh ch e dhuibh , gh e al l mi da gu’n cuirinn a dha no tri de sh e ann

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Thuirt ise nach biodh 1 slanGus ’

m fa igh e adh i lan a bas m aoth

De ch aoire ann an loch a in fhuair,’S

' gun a dhol g’am buain ach Fraoch .

Dh’

fh albh Fraoch’

s ch a bu gh ill tiom’

Sh nam h e gu grinn air an loch 5Fhua ir e ’

bh ia sd’na siorram suain,

’S a craoslach suas ris an dos.

Thug e leis na caoire ann deargDh

’ionnsuidh M oigh re

’s i air tir 5

Fh ir dha math dh a ’n d

’ thig e ua itCha ’

n fh ogh a inn sid a l aoich lua idhGun

’fh re im h a bh ua in as a bhun .

Dh’fh albh Fraoch

’s cha bu turns a idh ,

Sh nam h e air an linne bh uigEu dioch da ir fh ios da mar bha

,

’M b

’ e sud am bas da ’na chuid .

Rug e air an dos air bh arr,

’S thug e na fre im h as am bun

,’N am dha ’chas a th oirt gu tir,Rug 1 air a ris a m uigh 5

Rug i air ’s e air an t-snamh

,’

S l iodra ich i ’dh e a s lam h na craos

,

Rug esan oirre se air ghial 5’S truagh gun sgian a bh ith aig Fraoch .

Nigh e ann or-bh uidh s c e anna bh uidh’falt

,’S grad a thug thu ’

n sgia th o’n laoch 5

Fraoch mac Iuth a ich is a ’

bh iasd,

JS truagh a ch ial l mu

’n d ’ rinn iad stad .

B’fh aide do sh le agh 1i a crann siuil

;

Eu bhinne na guth c iuil do gh uth“

5'

Snam h a ich e cho math ri FraochCha do shin a th aobh air sruth .

Eu duibh e thu na fith e ach ge arr dubh,’S de irge d

’fh uil na fa il a ’

bh raoin 5S ar m h ill tic

‘

h e nan sral’S gile na sin sl ios an la oich .

An eec l ris an e isde adh Fraoch,

’S binne na c e il e ire adh lach air lochLangan an loin air a ’

ch arn

B u ire adh da im h air aird nan cnoc.

ORAN L UAIDH.

’S ml ’

m aonar air a iridh ’n l e ach duin,

L uinne agChall oh i-o-bho h i-hurabho,Chall oro-h i

’sa bho-h l

,

Na h i r‘

1 riobhoh i hurabho.

’G am h arc 11am fear a ’ dol se ach ad,

Chall 0,etc .

Ch a tig m i mo rogh ainn asda,

Chall 0,etc .

Ch i mi na feidh air an l e ach da ich ,Chall 0

,etc .

’S iad a ’

falbh gu fiam h ach , fa ite ach ,Chal l 0

,e tc.

Ged’tha cha ruig iad a leas sud,

Chall 0,etc.

’

S an giom ana ch donn am pasgadh ,

Chall 0 . etc .

Chall 0 , etc .

’S an gunna breac air a ch ulaobh ,

Chall 0,etc .

An daga ’s an adh arc fh uda ir

,

Chall 0,etc .

Ge h -oil leam sin cha ’n e ch iurr mi,

Chall 0,etc .

M o th riuir bh ra ith re an m arbh gun dusgadh ,Chall 0

,etc .

’N fh uil a

’re oth adh air an culaobh

,

Chall 0,etc .

B h a m 1 th in l e m’

bh eul’

g a sugh adh ,Chall 0

,etc .

Gus na rinn air m ’anail tuch adh ,

Chall 0,etc .

Ge h -oil learn sin cha ’n e ch iurr mi,

Chall 0,etc.

B h ith’n gaol air an fhear a ru isg mi,Chall 0

,etc .

’Fianuis cruinne ach adh na duth ch adh ,

Chall 0,etc .

’S mi m ’

aonar air a iridh ’n l e ach duinn

,

Chall 0,etc .

’S mise a thug an c e anna ch

Air ba inne nigh’n Dom h nuill ,

Hi 1‘

1rar nbh i-no-ho-h i- ibbo .

Cha ’

n e mhend ’s a dh ’ ith mi

,

Dh’fh idir mi no dh ’

51 m i.

Challain é il e adh h i) h i ibbo-ro-h o-le -adh,Challain urar ubhi hu-o-ho-h i- ibbo

,

E h o h‘

1-r‘

1-r‘

1 h oirionn o-h o-le -adh .

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Challain e il e adh,etc .

Gu ’n a ith nich e an do bh u idh e annA

’

tigh inn o’n m h ointich

,

Hi urar ubhi-uo,h o—h i-ibh o.

Air gh ile ad an l e inte an’S air dh e irge ad an cota .

Challain e il e adh,etc .

Air ghuirm e ad an triubh a is’

S air dh u ibh e ad am brogan,Hi urar ubhi -no

,h o-h i-ibbo .

Air gh e ire ad an iubh a irFo u idh e am an dorla ich .

Challain e il e adh,e tc .

Sgiath o bh arr an iubh a ir’

S cla idh e am h caol de ’n t se orsa

,

Hi urar ubhi-no, h o-h i- ibbo .

B h iodh pocaide an fuda ir

Trom dum h ail air t ’

ola ich .

Challain e ile adh,etc .

Ach a Righ mo ch uirre,

Ch uir mi ’n luib nan Tuath ach ,

Hi urar ubhi-no,h o-h i-ibbo .

Iom laid na ba daraCh uir mo gh radh an grua im rium .

Challain e il e adh , etc.

Ach sguil e in beag salachDe ’

n anart bu sh uara ich ,

Hi urar ubhi-uo,h o-h i- ibbo .

B agal mi bh i nasga idh ,O

’

n m h asl’

ud a fh ua ir mi .Ch allain e il e adh

,etc .

’

S mise ’thug an c e anna ch

Air ba inne nigh’

n Dom hnuill .

Hi urar,etc .

,etc .

Tha oran eile an so a rinn an Dall mor mac Ne ill M h uil ich,

agus cuiridh mi e m ’ a ch oinne am h an orain a ch uir mi sios martha :— “ Do Alasdair Dom h nul lach

,B h alaidh ann an U ibh ist a

’

Ch inn-a -Tuath,air dh a t igh inn dh a ch a idh as an Taobh -Deas

,far

an robh e car nine a ir son a sh la inte . L e Alasdair Dom h nul la chris an ca inte an Dall mor mac Ne ill M h uil ich .

”

Do bh e a th a dh a ch a idh o ’n ch uan sgith ,

Ph ir B h a la idh nan lann l iom h a idh ge ur,Fan lann sga ite ach cla ise ach crua idh

,

S e obh ag na h -uasal’ ’

s m or speis.

Mo ch e isd air c e annard an t-slua igh ,Anns an rua ig a b

’

e utrom ceum,

’S l e om h au guine a ch thu

’n robb spid

Am beul tirinne ach gun bh re ig.

’S iom adh banntrach air a gluin,A gh uidh

’na h -urnuigh dh uit de agh sge ul ,Agus dil l e ach dan gun tre oirLeis ’

m bu d e ona ch dhol to d ’

sge ith .

Rinn 11a l e annach dan thu slanL e toil ’

s l e fabh ar Mhic Dh e,

Gh a irm na se obh a ig ar m s a’ ch os

,

Th e id am fa sgad h c ir nu gu leir,Do bh e a th a dh a ch a idh o

’

n chuan sgith .

Dh’a ith nic h mi ’

m fie asga ch a bh ual i.B h a da l e om h a in orr ’ a ’

be adradh

Cla idh e am h i s sl e agh air an crua ch a in,

Bha fear dh iubh o ’

n Ch a iste a l Tiora in

Grunn de na dh ’

im ich 111u’

11 cua irt da .

Mac a Mh or-fhear a Dun—Tuilm,

Gu ’n d ’

labh a ir sAilbh e arr sua irc,

Druidibh ri ’cheile ’

Ch lann Dom h nu il l,

L e ana ibh a’ choir mar bu dual duibh .

Rob Mac Dh om h nuill B h a in a Ra ine ach ,B oine id is bre a can an cua ich airBha suil le om h a in ’

s i ’na aodan,

Coltas caonuaig’dol ’

san rua ig air .Ch lu ich e corr-bh e inn” air a ’

m h a igh dinn

(Ce ol a’s caoim h ne il ’ ch a idh ri m ’

ch luasan).Nach iarr biadh , no d e och ,

no e ide adh,

Ach aon leine ch ur mu ’n cua irt dh i 5Ch luich e air m a igh dinn Ch lann Raoghnuill,Rob a l e annan gra idh

’

g a pogadh ,M eal do m h e odh air meal do m h e oire an 5Meal do ch uim h ne s do gloir sh iobh a lt ’ 5Meal do ph iob—mhor

,

’

s meal do Gh a il ig.

Do m h a igh istir dh’

fh ag an riogh a ch d,Iain M uide artach m or nam bra tach 5Raogh null a mbao thoga s ire,’S coma leam co ghabbas anntla ch d

,

’Se Rob m a igh stir gach pioba ir’

,

Bha ’11 urram greis an s iol L e oid ao

’

5’Nuair ’bha ’

n oinnse ach a ig i i a daoin’ud .

Bha i_

’

n sin a ig O lanu Mhic ArtuirPioba ir sga irt e a ch na caonna ig,Tha i nis ’

s a’Ch a iste a l -Tioram ,

"S ait leis an fh inne so’faota inn

,

Phad ’

s a dh ’fh anas Rob ’na bh e o-sh la int

’

Gl e idh idh O lanu Dom h nuill an Fh raoich i.

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A sh e asadh coir na Fe inne .

Th a tigh inn fodh am ,fodh am

,fodh am

,

Tha tigh inn fodh am ,fodh am

,fodh am ,

Tha tigh inn fodh a m ,fodh a m

,fodh am

,

Tha tigh inn fodh am e iridh .

’S e sin an Gomunu de a lasa ch ,Tha snaoim a

’

gh aoil’gan te annach adh 5

Bidh suain a ig Ga il l a’ bhaile so

,

Mu ’n de a la ich iad ri cheile .

Tha t igh inn fodh am ,etc .

Mo bh e anna ch d a 1g na fie a sga ich e an,

Na Gaidh e il gh asda theas -ch ridh e a ch,

Ga’m bh e il an com h radh deas- ch a innte a ch ,Gun e isiom a il do ’

n B h e urla,

Tha tigh inn fodam ,etc .

’8 i ’

Gh a il ig ca innt i1am fin e ach an,

’S i ’

Gh a il ig ca innt ar cridh e ach an,

’S i ’

dh uisge as blath s is cinne adas 5Cha ’

n ionnan i ’s a

’B h e urla .

Th a tigh inn fodh am , etc .

’S i so ar cana in m h ath a ire il

,

O l ’s caoim h ne il agus ba igh e il i 5

Gur math gu de anam h m anra in i 5Gu brath cha l e ig sinn e ng i.

Tha tigh inn fodh am ,etc .

L iona ibh mar a b ’abh aist duibh ,

Na gla ine a ch an l e ga irde ach as,G 11 a ise irigh na Gail igIs gu buille bais na B e urla .

Tha tigh inn fodh am ,etc .

Th e Sh e iling. 15 1

Th e following note was appended to th is song by the collectorof th e songs given in this paper, in October 30, 1854

The auth or of ‘Duanag do’n Ch om unn O ise m e ach

’is not

certain . It w as sung for th e first time at th e first dinner of th eSociety in the Argyll Hotel , in Glasgow, on th e 14th January,1833 (for wh ich occasion, I was told, i t was composed), by M r

Macpherson,F . O .S . It is written down in the first volume of th e

Minutes of the Society,after a long account given of th e dinner,

and is known very l ittle beyond that . It is sometimes,but not

often,sung at the annual dinners . (Signed) J N . M ‘D .

October 30,

6 th M ARCH ,1889.

At this meeting the Rev. Ch arles Macdonald,M ingarry, Loch

sh iel, Salen, Suinart, wa s elected a member of the Society .

Thereafter th e Secretary read a pap er,contributed by M rs Mary

Mackellar, on“ The Sheiling

,its Traditions and Songs, Part II .

Mrs M acke llar’s paper was as follows

THE SHEILING : ITS TRADITIONS AND SO NGS .

PART I I .

*

Th e maiden of th e sh eiling h as been an obj ect of specialinterest in all pastoral countries

,and w as fre qu e ntlv th e th eme of

the poet,in a l l ages and in all countries

Tis not beneath the burgonet,

Nor yet beneath th e crown,

’Tis not on couch of velvet

,

Nor yet on bed of down 5’Tis beneath the spreading birk

,

In the dell with out a name,

Wi’ a bonnie,bonnie lassie

,

When th e kye come hame.

So sang the Lowland bard, but no song on the maid of the sheilingcan surpass that of our own Alexander Macdonald MacM h a igh stir Alasdair. Wa s ever a maiden ’s hair praised moreth an in th e following verse

For th e first part of th is pape r se e volum e 14 of Socie ty’

s Transactions ,page 135 .

B y the sunbeams that fla sh e d from her curling locks,That were bright as the golden strings of the harp .

In another verse he says

S ta itne ach siubh al a cua il e in,

Ga ch ra th adh m u’

cluasan,

A’

toirt m uigh air seist—lua ch ra chAh tigh-buail e

’n gleann-fasa icb .

Transla tion .

Beautiful is the motion of her looksAs they flash and shake about her ears

,

As on her bed of rushes sh e churns the butterIn her sheiling in the lonely glen .

This reference to the churning the butter on the bed indicatesthat it w as the vessel known as the im ide a l

,

” that I explainedabout in my former paper

,that is referred to here

,for two girls

sa t on the bed shaking this vessel until they produced butte r.It is interesting to know that our first recorded romance of

th e sheiling is to be found in the Book of Genesis, when Jacobmet his fair young kinswoman

,Rachel

,as sh e tended her father’s

flocks. The first meeting,with its tears and kisses

,is full of

romantic interest. Afterw ards,the years of service given for her,

and,notwithstanding her waywardness

,th e poetic love with w hich

th e patriarch clung to her memory to th e end of his long life,must command our admiration .

“ As for me,

”said b e

,

“w hen I

came from Padan,Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in th e

w ay, when yet there w as but a,

l ittle way to come into Ephrath 5and I buried her there in the way of Eph rath , the same isBethlehem 5

” and the patriarch w as then dying in extreme old

age .

Another ancient romance of the sheiling is that of Cormac, K ingof Ireland

,which is worthy of being commemorated. Cormac, son

of Art,w as the grandson of Conn of the Hundred Fights— Conn

c e ud-cath ach from whom h is descendants,the Macdonalds ,

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own as Fonn

Taobh ri d ’

m h acan 5A hubh a h é

’S gh e ibh thu goide a-nB oidh e a ch bh re a c uam .

A hubh a h é,

A hubh a 115L aogh do chuim,

An cois an tuim,

Gun teine,gun dion

,gun fh asgadh .

A Mhor,a gh aoil ,

Till ri d ’

m h a can,

’S gh e ibh thu goide an,B oidh e ach bh re a c uam .

A hubh a h eGh e ibh e adh tu fion,

’S gach n i b ’ait leat,Ach nach e irinn

Leat ’s a

’

m h aduinn,

A hubh a h é,

A hubh a 116 1Ge d nach e irinn leat ’

s a’

m h aduinn .

B h a’

n c eo’

s a’

bh e inn,

Bha ’

n c eo’

s a’

bh e inn,

Bha ’

n c eo’

s a’

bh e inn,

’

S uisge frasa ch’S th a ch a ir orm sa

,

A ghruagach th la ch drnh or.

A hubh o ho,

A hubh 0 h é

A nigh e an nan gam hna ,Bha mi ma’ riut

,

Anns a ’ch ro

Is cach na’n cadal .

A hubh a h é 1.A Mhor

,a Mhor,

Till ri d ’m h a can,

’S gh e iblr th u goide an,

B oidh e a ch bh re ac uam .

A nigh e an nan gam hna ,B h a mi ma ’

riut,

A nigh e an nan gam h na ,A n igh e an nan ga m h naB h a mi ma’ riut,Anns a obro’U s cach nan cadal,A hubh a ho!

A n igh can nan gam h na ,Bha mi ma’ riut

,

Anns a ’

ch r'

o

’U s each nan cadal .

A M h ér,bh eag dh onn

Nach till thu rium ,

A Mhor,bheag dh onn,

Nach till th u rium,

A hubh a h éMi caoidh do m h ic e inAir an t-sl iabh .

A hubh a h é,

A h 1‘

1bh a h é’

S a bh ialan minRi m ’

fh e usag l iath .

’S tu dire ad h bh e ann,

’S a

’

te irne adh bh e ann,A

’dire adh bh e ann

,

’S a

’te irne adh bh e ann .

A h 1‘

1bh a ho!

’S gh e ibh thu goide an,B oidh e ach bh re a c uam .

A h 1‘

1bh a hoL aogh do chuimRi taobh cnoca in

,

Gun teine,gun tuar

,

Gun fh asgadh‘

.

A hubb o 116,

A hubh o h é’S gh e ibh thu fion uam

’S gach ni

’

s ait leat,

Ach nach cirinu leat ’sa a m h aduinn .

Another unfortunate girl w a s at the sheiling with herpanion 5 and, when out on the hillside, she made the acquaintanceof a fairy lover, to whom she w a s most devoted . She used tosteal away e very evening to meet him in a cosy hiding placesurrounded by trees of holly and mountain ash

,and although her

companion watched her,sh e could not find out where she w as

going. At last sh e asked her to confid e in her,promising that th e

secret would come through her knee before it came through h e rlips . The maiden then told h e r w here she went every evening

,

and the other soon revealed th e secret ; and the girl’s brothers

went to the place,and found the lover resting 0 11 a bed of straw

that the maiden had made for him at their trysting place . Th e

lover,wh o was probably human enough

,was slain by the angry

young men,and the girl

,on getting near the place

, saw th emride away 5 and on going to her lover, sh e found him slain .

The poor girl died of sorrow,and composed the following song

,

in which sh e bitterly reproaches her companion for unfaithfulness

Far am biodh mo l e annan fa la ich,

Cha b ’

iogh na misc a bhi ann,Faile nan ubh lan meala

,

Dhe ’

n fh odar a bha fodh ch e ann.

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wa s only seeming. She w a s one of thehills

,and h e regrets having m e t her.

as a lullaby,and also as a w aulking

ne

’Chailin og a stiuradh mi .

L ath a dh om h’

s mi siubh a l fasa ich,

Chailin og .

Th a ch a ir cailin m h in gh e a l bh an orm,

Chailin og .

Sh e all i na m’

gh nuis’

s rlnn 1 gam e,

Ch ailin og .

S h e al l mise na gnnis’

s bh ua il an gradhCh ailin og .

B hua il e adh l e sa igh e ad a’ bhais mi

,

Chailin og .

M h e a ll i mo ch ridh e l e ’

b1ath-shui1,

Ch ailin 0 g .

Bha a grua idh mar sh uth an gara idh ,Chailin og.

Dath an c ir air a cul faine ach,

Ch ailin og.

Th uirt i rium l e guth binn gaire ach ,Chail in og .

B uach a il l th usa,bana ch ag mise,

Chail in og.

B’

fe a irde bana ch ag bua ch a ill aicc,Chailin 0g .

Th e id e mach ri oidh ch e fh rasa ich,

Chailin 0 g.

Cuiridh e na laoigh am fasgadh ,Chailin 0g .

’S e utrom dh

’

e ire as iad ’s a

’

m h aduinn,

Chailin og.

Weird women of the fairy race w ere said to milk the de e r 0 11

th e mountain tops,charming th em w ith songs composed to a fairy

melody or fonn—sith .

” One of th ese songs is said to be th efamous “ Crodh Ch a ile in . I give th e version I h eard of it

,and

all the old people said th e deer were the cows referred to as givingtheir milk so freely under the spell of enchantment

Ch rodh Ch a il e in, mo ch ridh e ,Crodh Iain

,mo gh aoil ,

Gun tugadh crodh Ch a il e in,

Am bainu ’a ir an fh raoch .

Gun chuman,gun bhuara ch

,

Gun lao’ -cionn, gun laogh ,

Gun ni air an dom h an,

Ach m onadh fodh fh raoch .

Crodh riabhach breac ba l lach ,Air dh ath nan cearc-fraoich

,

Crodh’l ionadh nan gogan

’

S a th oga il nan laogh .

Fo’

n dluth -bh arra ch ua ine,

’S m u fh uara in an raoin

,

Gun tugadh crodh Ch a il e in

Dh om h’

m ba inn’ air an fh raoch .

Crodh Ch ail e in,mo ch ridh e

,

’S crodh Iain

,mo gh aoil ,

Gu h -ual lach’

s an e adar-th rath,

A be adradh ri ’n laoigb .

”

Grant of Laggan gave a free translation of this old song,it h ad the distinction of having given its name to a distinguishedLiterary Club in Edinburgh . Th is club met regularly at a tavernin the Anch or Close

,kept by one Daniel Douglas

,w h o knew

Gaelic,and whose favourite song w as Crodh Ch a ile in .

”He was

called upon to sing it at th e close of every jovial evening .

Robert Burns,when in Edinburgh , was a regular attendant at this

160 Gae lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss.

c lub, and be celebrated it in more than one song. It was of

Smellie, the antiquarian, that he sang

As I cam ’ bye Croch al lanI ke ekit

'

cannily ben,B antin ’

,roarin ’ Willie

Was sitting at yon board e u’

,

Sitting at yon board eu’

,

And among gude company,B antin ’

,rovin’ Willie

,

Ye ’re welcome hame tae me .

Burns Visited Edinburgh in 1787, and on the l st of Jannary,1788, the death of M r Daniel Douglas w as announced in the public papers

,and h e i s deserving of some notice from us

,as he made

our simple little song of the sheiling a classic ; and Burns, w h odelighted in “ Crodh Ch a ile in,

” gave th e song to the worldthat superseded it

,and that ends every meeting of Scots

man in good fellowship —“Auld Lang Syne .

”O i all influ enc e s

to soothe an irritated or sulky cow, and make h e r give her milk

willingly,this song is considered the most powerful . Highland

c ow s are considered to have more character than th e Lowlandbreeds

,and when they get irri ta ted or d i sappointed, they retain

their m ilk for days . Th is sweet m elody sung — not by a stranger,

but by the loving lips of her usual milkmaid— often soothes herinto yielding her precious addition to the family supply. Thereare other verses sung to this melody which have rather a tragicstory. A man was suspected of having killed h is w ife

,and the

unfortunate woman ’s brothers came to charge him with them urder

,and to avenge her death . As they came to the door late

at night,they heard the man w hose l ife they sought crooning this

plaintive song to his little moth erless ch ild . As they listened toh is words of sorrow ,

they shea thed their dirks,and returned h ome

,

convinced that he was not the slayer of the woman he mourned insuch pathetic verses . This se t of th e words becam e as popularw ith milk-maids as the Crodh Ch a il e in

”se t

Cha till mo bhoan c hom a inn,

Cha till mo bh e an gh aoil ,Cha t ill mo bhoan ch om a inn

,

Bean th oga il nan laogh .

Tbig barr air a’

gh iubh a s,Thig duil le ac h air craoibh

,

Thig ruinn a ir an lua ch a ir,

’

S cha gh lua is mo bh e an gh aoil .

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162 Gae lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

particular cow 5 some time s there w as not much se nse in it,but

words strung together to a pleasing air,such as th e following

Gaol a ch ruidh, gradh a ch ruidh ,

Gaol a ch ruidh m h e a ll mi,

Gaol a ch ruidh ch e ann~fh ionn,

’A thug mi do ’

11 gh l e ann leam.

Gaol a ch ruidh , gradh a ch ruidh ,Gaol a ch ruidh chiar-dh ubh

,

Gradh a ch ruidh dh riom uin-duibh,

Aghan leam thin thu .

”

When a dairymaid in Mull w as milking a young cow ,of whose

pedigree sh e w as proud, she sang to her saying

Ogba Ciara ig iar-ogh Duinne ig,Cha ’

n fh a igh Mac Iain Gh iarr a’ Muil thu.

Mac Iain Gh iarr was a wild reaver of the seas on the West Coast .He w as of good family, being of the Macdonalds of M ingarry inArdnam urch an . His m other had been early left a widow

,and sh e

married a farmer in M ull 5 and one of Mac Iain Gh iarr’

s feats w as— in after years

,when his mother died— to steal her body away

by night,in order to bury her with his own father. He had a

boat painted white on the one side and black on the other which

gave rise to the proverb -Taobh dubh us taobh ban a bh ’airbata mhic Iain Gh iarr. This was the boat that was so useful tohim because no one that saw a white boat go up the loch in th e morning thought it was one and th e same w ith the black boat th ey saw

returning in the evening . Mac Iain Gh iarr had been listening toth e dairymaid w h o was singing to her favourite young cow

,and

he replied although sh e did not hear

A bh e an ud thall ris an t-sior bh l e ogh annB h e ir mi ’

n dubh ’s an donn ’

s a chiar uat’S dusan de na a igh e an cend-laoigh .

”

And before morning he fulfille d h is threat,and only left the

breast-bit, or“ca ise an-uch d

,

”of each cow to indicate th at they need

not look for them again upon the hill . We may imagine thesorrow of the dairym aid

,w h o neither had her “dubh ag,

” nor h e r“ donna g, nor her “

c iarag,” to milk in the morning . The

affectio n in the hearts of those good women for the animals theyreared and watched over was very intense

,and such a sorrow as

th is dairymaid ’s would be within ha il of Rachel weeping for herch ildren because they were not . The follow ing is a beautifulmilking song that has be en much abused in the public prints

,but

Th e Sh e iling . 163

I give it here as I got it from a good old dairym a id many yearsa 0

'gChorus

Ho h i 110 l e iginn, h o h i h o l e iginn,Ho h i h o le iginn, m

’ agh an guail—fh ionn,Ho h i h o l e iginn,

m’ aghan gaolach ,

’U s mo ch rodh -laoigh air gach taobh dhe ’n bh ua ile .

Fa ic an dris ud air an l iona ig’

S i a lubadh leis na sm iaran,

’

S am h u ill sid agua m’ agh an c iad-laoigh ,

Ah t-agh is c iatach de ch rodh na buail e .

’S i mo ruusa an t -agh an cais-ib ionu,Ch a

’n iarr i buarach a chur m u casan

,c 0 o 0 0

Nnair bt dh each anns na S iom am na i sgte ,’S e siod a

’Sasunn bh iodh air mo gh uail -ibionu.

M’fh e uda il th ein an t-aghan cais-fh ionn,

Th e id do ’

n bh e inn is nach iarr i dh a ch a idh ,’

Cudth rom baiune air a casan,Is laogh a h -altruim l e gh e um ga buaire adh .

Dh’

fh a ith ninn gris-fh ionn a tigh inn thar faire,Leis a m h e anbh -bh ric a tha m u bra igh e ,Righ gur ro-mbath a th oga il ail i .A suas thar ch ach ’

s i ’n c e annard bua il e .

M’

fh e uda il ise a ch rodh na t‘

1r so,

B h e ir i dh om h sa a m baiune prise il ,Gh e ibh mi caise is gh e ibh mi

‘

1m dhi’

S ri am bidh i uam gum bu mhor ga’m dh i i.

Th e romance of th e shieling w ith its poetry w a s not confint d

to those of the fairy race . Sons of men often took great pains to

se e the maidens of the sheiling in spite of the guardiansh ip of

broth ers or oth er male relatives wh o migh t be th ere,after the

h abit of the family migration to the h il ls'

h ad ceased.

Wh en a young man w a s obj ected to as the future husband of

th e maid of th e sheiling he h ad to have recourse to stratagem in

order to se e her. A young man of wh om w e heard went to t h esheiling in w h ich h is beloved w a s th e presiding goddess

,but h e

(1ure d not go in sigh t . He h overed about in hopes to get a w ord-of th e m aiden

,but in vain . At last rain came on and h e was

more th an miserable,and he went and opened the cro ’ or fold in

w hich th e calves were shut ih . The calves began to low,and t h e

w h ole occupants of the sheiling got out of their beds to go in

164 Gae l ic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

quest of them,w hen the lover slipt into his sweetheart’s room .

He threw off his wet plaid and hid himself in a corner. As themaiden went back to h e r apartment after the calves were securedsh e touched the wet plaid accidentally and screamed. In a moment

,

however,sh e w as aware of the situation

,and when her brothers

asked the cause of her fright sh e said the cat had jumped in h e rface, and bel ieving her, they retired unsuspiciously to bed .

* Thatnight sh e promised to elope with her lover, which sh e afterwardsdid

,for she knew he w a s trustworthy and true

,although her

brothers disliked him . A young man less fortunate went forthone morn ing before daylight to the sheiling to se e h is sweetheart,and when he got there he found her dead . The follow ing is a

fragment of a song composed by him on the occasion

Nnair a ra inig mi bh ua il e ,Cha robb ’

n sluagh mar bu choir dh oibh ,Bha na m nath an a

’

fua igh e al ,’S bha na gruaga ich e an bronach .

Bha m iadh air luch d-gul ann,

’

S cha robh guth air luch d-orain,

’Nuair a ra inig mi’bh ua il e ,

Gum b ’

inar bha i dhom h sa .

Bha mo ch raobh ag chaol dh ire ach ,Na sine adh ’

s an t- se om ar,

Na sine adh fodh ’n u inne ig,

Far nach c luinne adh i com h radh .

’Na righe air de il e

,

As a leine fuar rec ta,

’

S truagh nach robh mi ’s an fh iabh rus

,

Mu ’n d ’

fh ua ir mi riam h t-eolas .

Ann an ciste ch aoil ch um h a ln,

Air a dubh adh l e roise id,

Ann an ciste nan sl ise ag,Fodh sh l ios nan stuagh rec ta .

When a death , as in this case, took place aw ay at the sheiling, andthe weather was too stormy to carry the body to the fam iiy burying

ground, they chose a suitable spot on the hillside in which theysolemnly buried th eir dead . We have heard of a man w h o w as

travelling over a mountain,and having got tired

,he lay down on

a little knoll to rest, and there fell asleep . As he slept he saw apretty little girl of about eight years old dancm g about the spot

'

Nuair sh eallas be an air a cois th oisge il gh e ibh i le isge ul .

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occasions being curds and cream 5 and when the lads go to Fraser'

burgh, they bring nice presents to the girl s who were so kindlittle shoulder shaw ls of tartan

,ribbons, combs, and pen-knives

,or

cheap brooches which are lovingly treasured . All the EastCoast fish ing is called Fra se rburgh by them . I f a stranger comesunexpectedly to these sheilings

,and they have no luxury to offer

,

they hastily bake an oat -cake,which is put standing against a

stone to be fire d . The fire for this purpose i s made of driedheath er

,which gives a clear, hot redness without smoke . This

bonnach -cloich e ,” taken to a bowl of fresh cream

,is considered a

great treat . Th e tit-bit given by the Lew s people to their cow s,

in order to induce them to give their milk, i s the dried bones of

the cod and ling pounded dow n small . The cow s are particularlyfond of it

,and yield their milk freely w hilst enj oying it 5 and if

they get a song with it, all the better. The great terror of th e

sh eiling was the witch,or any one with an evil eye . The former

could,with a sympathetic teat

,sit at her own fire -side

,and milk

her neighbour’s cow s 5 the latter could, with her beum —sula,

” laythe most healthy and beautiful cow of the herd dead on th e fie ld

in a moment . If the witch were vindictive only,and did not

want any benefit herself,she would prevent the cows of her unfor

tunate victim from having calves, which was the most serious evilthat could befall a pastoral people

,to whom milk in its different

forms meant a w ealth of luxurious living .

Mac M h a igh stir Alasdair,in his praise of the mainland

,

says

S m e asra ch , cua ch ach , l e aba ch , lua ch ra ch ,'Dol gu bua il e

’

s t -sam h radh .

He itirin,& C.

’S onach

,ua ch dra ch

,blath a ch

,cnua ch dach

L on nam bua ch a ill ’ annta .

He it irin,& c .

Th e Sh e iling . 167

’S im e a ch gruth ach , m eagach , sruth a ch

An iom ara ich sh ubh a ch sh lam bach .

He itirin, & c .

De och gun tombas dol mar com h a irGun aon gh lom h ar ga inntir.

He itirin,& c.

’

O f course this land of Goshen w ould become a starved and ~m ise r

able place without the rich streams from the milky mothers,and

the calves that w ere to rise up to take the place of th eir ancestorson the sh eiling. Sometimes if one ’s cow s w ere injured by a w itch,another w ent privately and bought them with any sma ll silvercoin. You have no cow s now

,

”said th e buyer

,

“they are all mine,

and spells w rough t to inj a re your cows cannot affect mine .”

They are all yours,I have none,

” replied the owner. And thenthe w itch

,w h o knew not of the transaction

,was batfle d at the

w ant of success in her spells.Sometimes butter and cheese and milk were sent to the w itch

to purchase her goodwill . And there w a s one spell that w as

performed at great risk,but wh ich wa s effectual in making the

witch come to terms . A young girl was sent to milk the strippings from the udder of the cow

,and after every window w as

darkened and every inlet to the house shut up, the milk waspoured into a pot with a portion of the cow ’s dung

,a tuft of her

hair,and as many rusty nails and needles and pins as possible.

The pot w as se t on th e fire,and stirred w ith a stick of mountain

ash,and if that is not convenient any other st ick will do

,and the

person who is brave enough to take charge of it keeps stirring allthe while

,1 epe ating some charm . B y and by the witches begin

to make a great noise about th e house, going to the w indow s andto the doors and even to the top of the house trying to get asight of th e person w h o i s stirring the pot

,for if they get that the

victory would be th eirs. The person in charge of the pot couldthen make terms with th e person w h o had injured the cow whenhe knew the pain undergone w a s beyond endurance 5 or, if he orsh e was very revengeful the person could, by prolonged suffering

,

be brought to cry out asking for relief,and promising to take the

spell aw ay from th e cow . Then the pot w a s lifted off,and as the

water gradually cooled the witch got free from pain, and the cow

yielded the old full rich quantity of milk .

* These cantrips werethe terror of the sheiling, and those who caught one of the water

A gentl e m an in Stornow ay told m e th at h e h ad use d th is ch arm w ith gre ate fficacy .

shaped and h ad long silky black hair.The following description of a Highland quey

stamp be interesting

Dh’a ith n

’inn an t -agh dubh no ruadh

,

Daite air sua ich e anta s a bh e in,

’

S na’n l e anadh a ph ris a’ suas

Ch um a inn thein mu ’n cua irt an ceum .

Adh arc fh ada,ghorm

,no dhearg

,

Cluas mhor ’us earball da re ir

,

Speir m h olach,leatham

, gh arbh ,B h iodh e se arbh mar bi’m aid re idh .

E bhi l e ath an os a ch ionn 5Goirid o ’

n da shuil a bh e ul 5Fionnadh dualach

,tiugh ,

’

s e dluth,

Gun bhi to na gh lun ach reis .

Aisne l e ogh ar, dh om h a in, chrom,

Trusadh na chom air an fh e ill 5Toga il ar m a suas gu bh arrAigionna ch na nadur fh e in .

The names given to the Highland cow s were indicative of theircolour or of any distinguishing mark such a s a brow star

,which

made her “ B larag,

” the brown cow was “ Domnag,

” the duskygrey one Ciarag, the brindled one Riabh ag,

” and the dun onealways the “ O dh rag, the black and white one w as the “ Grisfh ionn

, sometimes a quey of no distinctive colour got e m ph ati

cally called “ An t-aghan,

and the name stuck to her unto oldage . The children at the sheiling gave their playmates

,the

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Bho h -ugh gu casan,’S i gre ise adh dh ach a idh ,Gu laoigh e an donn .

M’ aghan th in thu

,

M’ aghan th in thu

,

M’ aghan fh in thu

,

M’ aghan donn 5Ged ’

bh ios na siom a in

Air crodh na tire,

Bidh buara ch sh ioda,

Air m ’ aghan donn .

”

The old life at the sheiling is a thing of the past . Yet, its traditions,and songs and proverbs that embalm its h istory

,will live as long

as our language is Spoken or w ritten,and the beautiful sim iles

that tell of a pastoral people h ave become part of the mosaic thatmakes it so grand and worthy of preservation . O i a kind-heartedperson it was said

,Tha e mar am ba inne blath he is like the

warm milk .

” The poet could find no better thing to describe th efairness of the skin of his lady- love than to say sh e w as as white asthe curd . Cho gh e a l

’

s an gruth learn thein thu .

” Calf-love”

was described,

“ L aoigh na h —aon a iridh,the calves of the one

sheiling. One going to marry a stranger away from their own peopleand glen was told in surprise

,U bh , ubh , b

’fh ada bho cheile

crodh laoigh ur da sh e anar,

”Ay, ay , far from each other were

the milk cow s of your two grandfathers,” and so on . The boys

brough t up at th e sheiling had a different stamina from the present generation w h o rejoice in being English -speaking and teadrinking from th eir infancy The ne w state of things fits them bestfor taking their places w ith the Low landers in the battle of life

,

but yet they unfit them to be the representatives of therace that grew up to be like a mighty bulw ark to theircountry— th ose w h o from childhood climbed the highest rocks,and swam the deepest pools

,and w hose s imple

,temperate lives

fitted them for hardships and endurance .The better life of the sheil ing was over when the whole com

munity cased to move together with their flocks in the earlysummer. The poetry of the old life w as gone, and then gradually

O ch ruinne ag na buail e ,Gur tu cruinne ag mo ch ridh e ,Leat a ruidh inn am fuadach .

Gur ann sh ua s anns a ’

Ch arm a ich,

Gleann ard nan sruth tuara,

A tha ch ruinne ag is boidh ch e ,’S a dh ’

fh ag fo leon gu Lath -luain mi .

Tha thu cum adail,fine a lt

Thu ch o d ire ach ri luach a ir,

B h o chul do chinn gu do sh a ilte an,

Chan ’eil fa ill inn ri luaidh ort .

Tha do ch alpa m ar bh radan,

Air an a ige a l a’

clua ine is,’S do sh l ios m ar an fh aoil e ann

,

’Snamh ri aodann an fh uara idh .

Tha do shuil mar an de arcag,B h ios fodh dh e a lt anns 11a bruach an

,

Do dh a gh rua idh mar an caorann,

Mala chaol ’

s i gun gh ruam an .

Tha do dh e ud mar a ch a ilc e,

Dluth sna igh t na d’

bh e ul stuam a

O’m binne thig oran

,

Ann an se om ar a’fua igh e a l .

B h e irinn bradan bho ’

n t -saile,

Fiadh bho ard 11am be ann tuara,

’S coil e ach d ubh 0 na gh e ig dh uit,

’S cha bh iodh eis air mo gh ruaga ch .

’

S mi gun rach adh do’n Fh ra ing,

L e Nic -Raing a ch uil dua la ich ,

’S cha l e iginn ort m igh e an,

’S c eol fidh l e na d ’

ch luasan .

I remember the heroine of this song,a tall

,stately matron in

Glencoe,when I w as a mere girl, and I do not think that the poet

exaggerates her charms .

172 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inverne ss .

13th JI1AR0 1] , 1889.

At this meeting the Right Re v. Colin 0 . Grant,D.D. ,

lateBishop of Aberdeen, read a paper before the Society, ent itledHighland-English as found in Books .

”M r Grant’s paper was as

follow s

HIGHLAND-ENGLISH AS FOU ND IN BO O KS .

Highlanders cannot make much complaint about the character

g iven to their countrymen by w riters of English . They aredepicted as being brave to temerity, strong of endurance

,fearless

in danger,temperate in eating and drinking

,hospitable

,of strict

honour,proud of their mountain land, true as steel to their chief

and clan. 0 11 the other hand, they are described as takingunkindly to all sorts of manual labour

,adhering unduly to ancient

m ethods,slow to improve the homes

,th e fie lds

,the roads of their

fathers,unforgetful

,if not unforgiving

,of injuries, with some taste

to bloodthirstiness 5 proud, with a perceptible shade of sly cunn ing,regarding themselves as more than half the rightful owners of a ll

the sheep,cattle

,horses

,and chattels of the Lowlander. This

s ide of the picture,or that

,or both

,may be somewhat overdrawn

,

but in a broad sense we m ay look upon it as true , and allow it topass .When these same w riters make th e Highlander speak, he is no

longer recognisable . We se e in the description given evidentmarks of h is character ; but his language is unknown . He actsl ike a he ro

,he speaks l ike a child . His bravery and prowess are

his ow n,but his w ords are those of a stranger or those of a goose .

I have long noticed this manner of treating the Highlander inEnglish works . I have considered the subj ect of sufficient importance to draw the attention of your Society to it in my paper ofthis evening. You w ill kindly bear in mind that, to save thec ontinual repetition of an adj ective, I m ean throughout byHighlander th e unlettered of our countrymen, and what I state,

though at times applicable to others of us, alw ays refers to him .

A writer,in dealing with men and their doings

,may rightly

se t forth ln his own words,a s a plain narrative, not only what they

d id, but the bearing and gist of what he considered to have been

their thoughts and their w ords . To take away from the heavinessand monotony of his narrative

,to carry with him the attention of

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174 Gae lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

S cotch , and, therefore, it i s impossible for him to bungle or to useit . This is said not by any means in disparagement of Scotch

,

which is a rich and most expressive di alect, and which no oneappreciates more than I do in its proper place . In making thisstatement of fact I do not include those w h o dabble in reading

,

nor those living in a certain depth of border l ine or c ountrybetw een Gael ic- speaking and Scotch- speaking populations . Insuch

‘

districts th e inhabitants are so mixed that the Scotch is continually heard by the Gaelic people, and they become nearly asfamiliar with it as w ith their own tongue .

I think,on giving the matter a little consideration

,you will

a dmit the truth of the case,as above stated . If anyone

,bearing

this in mind,pass through the streets of Inverness

,keeping an

Open ear to such snatches of conversation as he m ay be able tohear

,h e w ill be surprised at the little Scotch spoken . Th e mem

bers of the Gaelic Society of Inverness include natives of manyparts of the Highlands . What is your experience on the point ?Might I not appeal w ith confide nc e to you ? I myself have spentthe greater portion of my life among the Gael , and, as far as it

goes, my exp erience is th at they do not and cannot speak Scotch .

Wh en they do not spe ak Gaelic it is English t‘ny attempt 5 h ow

successfully or unsuccessfully is another question . You will find

it so in S tra thglass. I f you journey by the “ Great Glen,

and

d iverge,when your purpose requires

,to the left and to the right

,

S tra th e rrick, Glen—Urquh art,Gl enm orriston, and Glengarry will

offer the same evidence . Extend your j ourney to Lochaber, evento Oban .

“ Explore thence Argyll southwards,Ardnam urch an and

Mull northwards . Search all the rough Bounds . Spread yoursails to the breeze

,and land w here you l ist in Skye ; pass the

M iuch,and circumnavigate the outer isles . Return by Apple

cross,Lochalsh

,and Kintail

,or further north examine Gare loch

,

L och broom,and Assynt . I confide ntly maintain that in all these

wide districts th e efforts of the natives at English is never murdered broad Scotch . You would indeed produce a curiosity ifyou produced a Gael from Barra

,from Uist

,from Kintail, or

L ochbroom from whose l ips flow e d the broad Scotch . I believethe sources of our countrym en

’

s knowledge of any tongue but theirown were the schools amongst th em

,the occasional English ser

m ons th ey h eard,their intercourse with their clergy and with

their proprietor and h is friends, the occasional books th ey read, andespecially the Bible . These sources were all English, and whatinstruction they drank in from them

‘

w as English instruction .

How could it be otherwise ? They could not, if this be the true

High land-Eng l ish as found in Books. 175

state of the case, produce th e Scottish Doric out of the littlesmattering of English th ey h ad been taught .Had I th e opportunity of examining th e subj ect more closely

I might have been able, but, as it is, I am unable to state whow as the first writer that fell into the mistake of

'

m aking Highlanders speak Scotch . It w as Sir Walter Scott at all events

,wh o

,

by h is Waverley Novels spread the error over a l l the world . Thewitchery of h is tales and of h is style made his works favouriteseveryw here, and all his readers learnt h ow h is Highlandmenspoke

,h ow they flounde red in speaking, and flounde re d in

broadest Scotch . In th e sixteenth ch apter of Waverley w e comeacross one of the first sentences he puts into a Highlander’smouth . Here it i s Ta cove w as tree, four mile ; but, asDuinh é -wassel was a wee ta iglit, Donald could, tat is, mightwould— should send ta curragh . Do you perceive any sign of

Gaelic origin in th ese w ords except D a inh é-w a sse l and curragh ?

O ne would be inclined to look upon th em rath er a s the effort of aScotch urch in fresh from a grammar lesson in school . Could

,

m igh t, w ou ld, should have no trace of Highland features . Thenth ere is th is puzzle of a w ord “

ta igl it . I m ust confess my ignorance . I never heard th is word us ed

,and

,except in ‘

th ese novels,

I never saw it . If it were not for the context I could not guess itsmeaning. How many here present are acquainted with it ? It issafe to say th at there is not a native in all th e Highland districtsabove mentioned who would understand this “

ta igl it .

” CallumBeag speaks Ta Duinh e —w assel migh t please himself 5 ta auldrudas loon had never done O al lurn nae ill . But here ’s a bit linefrae ta Tigh e arna , tat he bad me gie your honour ere I cameback .

” These incessant ta s don’t strike me as Highland . Butwh at is to be said of ta auld rudas Icon 1” Do you consider thata known expression among our countrymen ? It is certain thatTigh e arna

” i s never used in this fash ion by itself to signify aclan ch ief

,but very solemnly for a high and reverent purpose .

Evan M accom bich 1s a High lander of a better sort Judge hislanguage for yourselves . I shall make no comment . That greyauld stoo1 carle

,the Baron o

’

B radw ard ine ,’ s coming down the

close w i’ th at drogh l ing cogh l ing bailie body they ca’M acwh uppl e ,

just like th e Laird o’Kittl egab

’

s French cook,w i

’

h is turnspit doggietrindling ahint h im ,

and I am as h ungry as a gled,my bonnie

dow (Waverley, chapter xl ii). I shall only g ive you one passag eor two from “ Rob Roy

,

” and then proceed with what further Ihave to say . The fm ca s is j ust over at the Clach an of Aberfoil .And fa ’

s to pay my ne w pounie plaid,said the larger High

176 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss.

lander, w i’ a hole burnt in ’t ane might put a kail-pat through ?

Saw ever onybody a decent gentleman figh t w i’ a firebrand before .

Now I obj ect to ka i l by itself or in composition, and I obj ect to

p a t wheth er with or w ith out kail . This altogether smells of theLowlands . Highlanders were not gardeners . Vegetables w erenot plentiful among them . They had beside s a sort of contemptfor kail and for eaters thereof. I still remember some words of a

song of my country, w herein the singer makes great complaint of

h is inhospitable usage

Cal tuar,

’

s aran e orna,

Se sin bu bh iadh m h a idne dh om h .

(Cold kail, and barley bread,’twas this the morning meal given

me). A pot of kail is an out-and-out Low land dish . Such animage as a kail—pat surely never entered a Highland head .

Besides,no High lander could possibly turn pot into p a t, for th e

Gaelic word for it is poit, and the o sounds so much more potentlyin poit than in p ot that the change to p a t would be insufferable toour ears . Rob B oy is made by Sir Walter Scott a sort of cosmopolitan gentleman . Yet I could never credit the real Rob withsuch a speech as this Ye w ad hae tried , cousin, that I wot

w eel ; but I doubt ye w ad hae come aff w i ’ th e short measure,for

w e gang-there—out Hieland bodies are an unchancy generationw h en you speak to us 0 ’ bondage . We downa bide the coercionof gude braid-claith about our hinde rlans

,let a be breeks 0 ’

freestone and garters 0

’ iron .

”

Sir Walter was such a wizard of the pe n that he h e ld the reading world in a spell . He was such a master in delineating theScottish ch aracter

,so inimitable in his conversa t ions in the Scot

tish dialect,in a word

,such a chief handicraftsman of a l l that

embellished works of fiction,and rendered th em interesting

,th at

all succeeding writers followed,or endeavoured to follow

,at what

ever distance,in his footsteps . I

,therefore

,quote from h is writ

ings because they are best known,and he was the guiding star of

th e others, He made Scotch th e English of Highlanders, and h issuccessors were led by him . Th e fres hness of the air

,the smell of

the salt water,and of th e w eeds by the shore

,proclaim in the

darkest night,and even to the blind

,the neighbourhood of the se a ,

but this ill-treated Scotch smacks nothing of the C e ltic tongue,

and procla l m s no l ingual kinsh ip to the men of the mountain .

THE U SE or“SHE .

Th e second error to which I would draw your attention is theuse attributed to the Highlander of the pronoun sh e . It cannotbe denied that th is pronoun is used by many of them with

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178 Gae l ic Socie ty of Inverne ss .

when w riters, Wh o are unacquainted with the usage of the languageof the people and ignorant of th e reason thereof

,make this

blunder of theirs pervade all l ikely and unlikely places, it comes tobe very tiresome and pitiful . It is a clamant example of themischief of running counter to Pliny’ s caution :

Ne sutor ultra crepidam .

As to them,there is no w h y or wherefore on the point ; they run

riot in most outrageous fashion . The poor Gael is credited withbut this one pronoun . All others are Hebrew to h im . It

,indeed

,

i s a masterful, not to say tyrannical, pronoun . I,thou

,and h e

,

m e,m ine

,th e e

,th ine

,h im

,and h is, it sw eeps unmercif

'

ully out of

its path . These scribes permit not the limited vocabulary of theGael to embrace such supe rfiuitie s. Books make one universalsh e meet the eye of the reader everywhere .The matter is even worse than this. Our countryman is even

m ade to call himself sh e,and to call his male friend sh e . A

woman,as far as I can remember, i s never made to call herself sh e ,

but her brother,not on a rare occasion

,not as a particularly

ignorant specimen of the genus Hie lanm an,but as a rule

,

m e tam orph osise s himself and always becomes sh e . Rob Royspeaks to Dougal Fear nothing

,Dougal

,your hands shall never

draw a bolt on me .“ Tat sall they no

,said Dougal , “

sh e suld— she w ad— that is,

sh e wishes them hacked off by the elbows first . But when are yegaun yonder again ? and ye ’ll no ’

forget to let her ken . She ’s

your puir cousin, God kens, only seven times removed .

I will let you ken,Dougall

,as soon as my plans are settled .

And by her sooth when you do, an’ it were twal o’ the Sunday

a t e ’en,she ’ll fling her keys at the Provost

’s head or sh e gie themanother turn . Rob Roy

,

” chap . xxii .)The following is the language of a Highland gentleman after

th e figh t with the red-hot culter at Aberfoi l— “ She had betterspeak nae mair aboot her culter

, or, by her will gar her eath e r words

,and tw a handfuls o’ cauld steel to drive them ower w i ’ 1”

Our friend Dougal brings Francis O sba ldistone and Rob Royinto a cell in Glasgow j ail

,wherein there was a bed . As he placed

the lamp he bore on a little deal table,she ’s sleeping

,

” said h e .

“ ‘She Who ? Can it be Diana Vernon in this abode of

m isery ? ’ I (O sbaldistone ) turned my eye to the bed, and it w as

with a mixture of disappointment oddly mingled with pleasurethat I saw m y first suspicion h ad deceived me. I saw a headneither young nor beautiful garnished with a grey beard of two

High land-Eng/ish as found in Books . 179

days’ growth , and accommodated with a red nightcap . (Chap .

xxn.

(gal lum Beag says to Waverley Ta Tigh e arnach did not liketa Sassenach Duinh e -wassel to be pingled w i

’ mickle speaking,a s sh e w as na’ tat weel . ” (Chap . xxiv.)These quotations might be multiplied to any extent . I have

lived in th e High lands nearly all my life, and I cannot recall everhaving heard th is outrageous mistake made . I have, however,made enquiries of others

,and have met some who m aintain that

they have noticed some cases of men w h o call themselves sh e .

But granting it be se,h ow can some rare cases justify the continual

usage of English writers ? Th ese even aggravate the matter bymaking a Gael call himself

,as a matter of course, her nainsell.

Her ain sell,replied Callum

,could wait for him a wee bit frae

the toun,and kittle h is quarters w i’ her skene- e ccle. ” A sleeping

Highlander starts up from the floor and joins in the fray atAberfoil

,exclaiming Her nainsell h as eaten the town pread at

the Cross 0’ Glasgow

,and by h e r troth she ’l l figh t for Bailie

Sh arvie at th e Clach an of Aberfoil . ” I doubt if one Highlander ina hundred would know wh at “ h e r nainsell meant . But “ hernainsell ” is th e commonest of designations they give themselvesin books .It must strike one

,after all this

,as something very singular

th at the noun in Gaelic to designate a wom an,boirionna ch

,i s

masculine,so that it would appear th at the Gael would have some

justification for calling a woman h e , while he h as none for callingh imself sh e . If such words are monstrosities

,Gaelic cannot boast

a monopoly of th em . In Latin the word for person, p e rsona , i s

feminine . Everyone is powerless to help himself. No exceptionc an be tolerated . If you are a persona

,you must as such be

lingually feminine . As to the above Gaelic word,and as to every

thing, hasty conclusions are to be deprecated . For the conclusionobviously does not follow that the gender of the word boirionna cha rises from the fact that

,though th e Highlander wears a kilt

,

which some people cal l petticoats,his wife always arrays herself

,

a s some English—speaking wives are known to do,in the equivalent

Lowland habilimentsWe progress from wonder to wonder. It would be

a safe unde rtaking to engage to prove that Highlanders,not rarely

a nd even without having partaken liberally of mountain de w,call

a mountain th e m an,and a hill th e w om an 5 a door th e m an

,and a

window th e wom an 5 a horse th e m an,and a cow th e wom an . One

w h o knows only English has not the genius or the scholarly

180 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

instruction that would fit him to understand the beauty of t hisnomenclature . Engl ish, in many cases, show s no gender. I ts

adj ectives proceed unmoved on th eir uninte resting, monotonouspath . They have something of the cold, unemotional, superciliousnature of th e nation in them . The Gaelic adj ective

,a l ively and

bright being,ch anges at its beginning or at its end

,or at both

,

gets knocked about head and heel . Like its sisters of most otherlanguages

,it has to wriggle through strange mutations in th e

course of its uneven life, according to the disposition and circumstances of its yoke-fellow the noun . When in English th is or th a t

i s used,th is one or th at one , they show no gender. How happy

and h ow handy for purposes of gender i s the Latin h ie,haze

,h as 5

i l le,i l la

,i l lud iste

,ista

,ista d . What shall we say of th e Gaelic ?

When distinguishing it bears the palm. It says,am fe a r se , this man 5

an té se , this woman . Then, to prove our case, when distinguishing one mountain

,one door, one horse, from another, or from .

several others,we say a m fea r sin, tha t m an 5 and when

distinguishing between h ill and hill,window and window

, cow andcow ,

we say an té sin, tha t w om an . The very same words a m fea rruadh , used to denote a r ed h a ired

”

m an,are used for a red h orse or

any red m ale animal or thing and an té ruadh means a wom an orany female animal or thing that 1s ruadh — red . And

,in place of

red,any other applicable adj ective may be correctly employed

the foregoing fashion . These, then, are true Celtic equivalents forthe demonstrative adj ective and not a whit odd to Gaelic ears .There is a sufficie nt reason for this, dating back to the Creation .

Man w as placed over all creatures, and why sh ould not al l

creatures be called after him ? My conscience,Bailie N icol

Jarvie says,every man maun do as he de w .

” When h e had noth is sword

,Samson used the jaw -bone of an ass with exceeding

effect,as the skulls of the Ph il istine s am ply te stifie d . The worthy

Gael finds his unpromising demonstrative adj ective quite readyand effectual for its purpose .A story that may look exceedingly well to the uninitiated falls

to th e ground at the first glance of those who know better. Evenon historic occasions grand

'

d e e ds and words have been handeddow n

,w hich have no sort of likelih ood of truth in them . One

story,glow ingly told in print, and strikingly depicted by the

artist,about the “ Relief of Lucknow

,

” was,when first told

,seen

to be absurd on the face of it by a Highland gentleman,who w as

an ofii c e r,and also a piper. The story goes that the Highland

wife of a soldier,when things had com e to the utmost straits

,gave

the first intimation of coming rel ief by catching the sound of th e

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182 Gae lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss.

that best fits their station, place , and country. The writer showsh is own tal ent by m aking this spoken language to the point,natural

,clever

,wi tty

,and surpassing what is generally heard

amongst m e n of the class . In place of this it appears to me thatthe whole talent displayed by these writers

,if it can be called

talent,is wasted in trying to make as much a muddle

as possible of the word s of the Highlander. It seemsa too extravagant effort to make him speak as he naturally would speak . Natura lly he would try to translateinto English the words he would use if he w ere speaking Gael ic .

We w ould th en alw ays find some touch of the Gaelic idiom . Someold -world taste of his ancient tongue would season his discourse .

A vein of plaintive,poetic feeling would run through it . His

narrow,winding valleys

,his rugged mountains and rushing w aters

have touched up his character with a strain of melancholy and of

pathos . The High land tongue bears impress of these Highlandfeelings, and continually manifests them in conversation . TheGael does not want w it . Where is the glen or ham let in which w edo not find m en and women famed for their witty and sharpsayings ? This gift of wit is frequently noticed to descend

,like

other family characteristics,from father to son and grandson . Th e

houses where such people dwell are,of a w inter evening

,the w ell

known rendezvous of the youth of the v illage . The witty reparteeand the humorous saying fall fast and spontaneously from th e l ipsofmany a mountaineer

,bright and sparkling like golden coin from

the mint . In books the same man is made as dull as ditch-water .How few Highland sayings of the writers I allude to are worthremembering ? I scarcely know one .

Tell me where i s fancy bred,or in the heart or in the head ?

sings Shakespeare Either the Highlander wants both heart andhead

,or they are barren soil where fancy can never flourish .

Other peopl e are allow ed w ondrous fligh ts of imagination to regionsrich and rare

,but if a poor Highlander flaps a wing it is in the

mire . Th e furthest fligh t is to a clan feud, to have his dagger athis enemy ’s throat

,or to spoil the Sassanach . Listen to Evan

M accom bich

No 5 he that steals a cow from a poor widow, or a stirk from acottar

,i s a thief 5 he that lifts a drove from a Sassenach laird is a

gentleman—drover. And,besides

,to take a tree from the forest, a

salmon from the river,a deer from the hill

,or a cow from a L ow

land strath,is what no Highlander need ever think shame upon.

”

(Waverley, chap . xviii).

High land-English as found in Books . 183

The Gael ic possesses an infinite variety of rich saws andproverbs. As you savour food w ith salt

,the Gael incessantly

seasons his conversation with ne w applications of th eseold wo rds of w isdom

,and this with a drollery

,a w it

,and a grace

all h is ow n . Not h ing of th is kind huds its w ay from t h e mouthsof the noodles given us for Gaels by English w riters . I read tw o

comparatively recent w orks with a view to this paper APrincess of Th ule and Ch ronicles of Strath e den .

”Th e w riters

of th ese books knew our country and countrymen much betterth an th eir breth ren of th e pen

,and th ey do not fall into the

ridiculous fault ofmaking us a l l speak Broad Scotch a nd similarmonstrosities . B ut even they seem never to have h eard of such athing as Highland w it . The conversations th ey give are level andflat like the moors and m oss—pools of th e sorrowful x Lewis . I w as

barely abl e to cull one say ing from th e Chronicles of Stra th e den”

worth bringing to your notice . It,wonderful to say , happily hits

on a Gaelic idiom . Th e argument is too deliciously illogical, butall the same very true to nature . An old . 1nan says : “ Och

,

m unnistars sh ouldna be making people laugh 5 it’s no for laugh ing

they’re in’

t. Look at th e soa lam face M e sstur Ne e culson hes 5try

,wull he be laugh ing . Th at is too good not to be true .

It’s no for laugh ing they’re in ’t cannot be surpassed . He might

have said as conc lusively,

“ It ’s no for sleeping th ey ’re in ’t ‘

therefore poor m unnistars should never take a wmk .

Th e utterly inane style of Highland speech is to be found inthe columns of some newspapers in what are reckoned amusingparagraph s

,particularly in comic papers . Th erein Donald i s

trotted out for th e public amusement in what is though t to be asupremely witty manner. I fail to se e th e wit. Not th e tatterof a kilt or tartan can be recognised

,nor th e faintest smell of the

fragrant birch or blooming heath er. It is a mass of nonsensical

gibberish, fit for the feeble mind of the idle or for the waste-basket,th at we are treated to. If fancy flaps a wing, it is that of thebarn-yard cock on th e dung-hill

,and not that of the grouse on the

brow of the mountain . It is difficult to account for th e base tastewhich relishes th is impossible display of Donald

,nevertheless the

amount of th is kind of l iterature is unquestionably extensive,as

any person w h o chooses to examine may easily find . In dread of

any blemish to the glory of th e tartan w e speedily pass it by .

Every language has peculiarities of its own. Some are guttural,

some labial, some nasal ; one soft,another hard 5 some long

worded , some short . Ch inese seems to be all words of one syllable .Men attribute one quality or perfection to this language, another

God . Unfortunate man ! he did not know Gael icTo becom e acquainted with the characteristics of a language

,

one must learn that language . Th is signifie s not the w ork of anhour

,but a long period of serious application . Men w h o w rite

books,and so aim at being the instructors of oth ers

,h ave to

submit to th is apprenticesh ip . There cannot be tw o opinions onth e subj ect, they must be the instructed before they can be

qua l ifie d to be the instructors . Only when a student finds thathe can th ink in a foreign language, only th en can

' he congratulatehimself that he beg ins to master it . Make your own experimentsas to th is . Try to think in a foreign tongue , and you will observevery quickly h ow much or h ow l ittle you know of it . The Highlander h as to do all h is thinking in Gaeli c. This i s h is first

process . The second process is that he has to substitute Englishwords for the Gaelic . His knowledge of English is defective andlim ited

,and he only bungles through it som ehow . He has to

change his gold coin into s ilver and w hat with crowns and halfcrowns

,florins and shillings, not taking into account all smaller

fry, one like him w h o does not often handle money may be easilybamboozled

,and fare badly in the exchange . In the second

proc ss,th e exceeding difference of form and idiom betw een the

tw o languages makes all the d ifficulty . It also accounts for thenature of the mistakes made

,at least in th e m ajority of cases . If

you w ere to have charge of a school for a w eek in a Gaeli c district,and th ere observe the English compositions of the pupil s

,

I believe you would see m ore of true Highland-English than ina l l th e books e ver written . A mistake th en w ould be thegenuine article

,and none of your counterfeit Brummagem”

w are .

It would no longer be the ass covered with the skin of the lionyou h eard braying

,but the lion himself giving voice in a kingly

re ar. Th e truly artistic and competent writer must, th erefore, beable to th ink in Celtic before h e can hope to render h is thoughtsinto Engl ish a s a Cel t would

,and before he can approach to veri

similitude in his e fiorts to amuse us by his rendering of Celticmistakes . This preparatory

,yet most necessary

,labour is pre

c ise ly what the w ri ters I speak of h ave never th ought of undertaking . The passages I have quoted must h a ve made this clearlyevident to you . To w rite of th ings Celti c w ithout being a Celti csch olar— even without being a Ce ltic student — m anifests a l ite

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186 Ga e l ic Socie ty of Inve rne ss.

woods and mountains,a shot at a stag or a cast for a salmon , and

a l l the variety of incidents of a landw ard d istrict life,h appy or

perilous, profitabl e or unprofitabl e , exercise the m inds , and vary

the occupations of th e inh abitants . Th ese and such l ike th ingsform th e w orld of th e Highlander, m ental and material . Is it

unreasonable to say th at h e w h o w ishes to w rite about him shouldlearn th e things of h is w orld ? Walter Scott h ad a ll this know ledgeof th e S cottish people in its widest extent . He h ad l ived amongstthem and seen th em at home and at w ork

,at kirk and at mark et .

He w as a s one of themselves. What can excel his Scotch conversations ? He can praise, he can blame 5 scold like a fish -wife

,

sw ear like a trooper ; he can fawn, he can flatte r,he can w heedle 5

he can j oke,h e can baek-bite , he can beg

,he can mock 5 he can

rage and wh ine,and prose , and rant to the utmost . Nothing

escapes h im . He blunders nothing, and he embellishes all . He

revels in th e might of his pow er. N0 other country has had sucha wizard of th e pen - least of all the Highlands — to bew itch us

w ith th e ch arms of the w ords and w it of their people .My argument can be still further enforced . Wh at is it that

is done by w riters on like occasions ? Books are as numerou s.

nearly a s th e l eaves of the forest. If examples there are, they caneasily be found . What w riter would be so bold or so ignorant a sto make a Cockney speak the dialect of Yorksh ire ? Wh oever heardof a writer making a North umbrian speak the dialect of Lancashire ? What incred ible fatuity any writer w ould manifest shouldhe make the talk of any of these shires l ike to the broken brogueof an Irishman . Men are chary of their reputation . No onewould dare to be guilty of s uch blunders as I mention. Everypaper in the country w ould be full of the absurdity . Every criticwould snatch the goose-quil l from the back of his itching ear, andfill it with ink of th e bitterest black

,to w rite in abuse of the

unfortunate au thor. Surely w e Highlanders are the most patientof men , the least alert of critics, or the most careless and callousas to the treatment of our countrymen, w hen such blunders aboutthem

,and them alone

,pass scath eless . Thousands of readers

questionless by far the majority of readers— could not in the leastdistinguish betw een North umbrian and Yorkshire and Lancashire

,

and any medley of a mixture,how ever gross and unpalatable

,

might never cause a wry mouth . But,though this be se

,there

are behind the multitude so many who do know,that no writer

,

w ith safety to h imself,can blunder in these dialects . Here they

study and learn 5 w ith us such trouble is not to be expected . TheJew , the Turk, the Spaniard, the Frenchman, every one is treated

Highland-English as found in Books . 187

with more consideration than we are . From th e days of Shakespeare until our own

,there is a difference betw een th e b lunders

which each of these peoples falls into in speaking English . Thenature of the mistake 18, as I have argued ln regard to the Gaelic,caused by th e difference of idiom betw een their language andEnglish . No w riter can be produced w h o makes any confusion onthis score. The Italian is never credited w ith the sort of blundera Frenchman would make 5 nor is the Spaniard e ver credited Withthe sort of mess a German w ould produce . We can h nd men toman the lifeboat in the fie rc e st storm

,and men to dare everything

in search of th e hopeless North Pole — to climb the most dangerousAl ps 5we can find men to lead the most forlorn hope : but to find

a man wh o cares so l ittle for h is literary reputation a s to writesuch a stupid blunder

,I think impossible .

A book brings us into close contac t with the mind - w ith theinmost soul of a person when it gives us his words 5 for what are

his w ords but th e outw ard expression of wh at inw ardly animateshis heart. When we have laid before u s m any conversations of avast variety of individuals belonging to a people or nation

,

individuals taken from every rank and profession,we have exposed

to our study th e soul of that nation . Their weakness andstrength

,the1r views

, p rinciples, and aims are thus subj ected foradmiration or condemnation to the judgment of the readingworld . The people of a country have, th erefore, a pressing interestor rather a duty imposed upon them to see that writers fail not togive a faithful delineation of their character . They ought to bewatchful and ready to commend and uph old the truth

,to condemn

and expose the false in this important matter. For each portraitureof themselves they allow to go forth unquestioned, helps to fix theposition, high or low ,

which they are to occupy in the estimationof mankind .

I hope, then, I h ave not erred in my expectations, when Ithought of this for the subj ect of my paper to th e influ ential bodywh i ch forms the Gaelic Society of Inverness . These expectationsare that your greater attention be drawn to the study of thisquestion, th at your watchfulness m ay be excited, your position of

influenc e exercised, that your voice s may be raised, and that yourable pens be used in newspaper

,magazine

,periodical

,or w herever

they may, to condemn strongly the e 1rors I have dwelt upon,and

every error in the treatment of the language of the Highlander.I shall end with one further quotation . Evan M a ccom bich

expresses t1ue Highland sentiments — I cannot say so much for h iswords at the trial at Carlisle . Great changes have occurred and

b ring six of th e best men of the clan to suffer in his stead . Whenthe proposal w as greeted w ith a laugh

,this i s the noble answer

Evan made —“ If th e Saxon gentlemen are laugh ing because a

poor man such as me thinks my life or the life of six of my degreeis w orth th at of Vich Ian Voh r, it

’s like enough they may be veryrigh t 5 but if th ey laugh because th ey think I w ould not keep m yword

,and come back to redeem him

,I can tell them th ey ken

neith er the heart of a Hie landm an,nor the honour of a gentle

m an .

”

Those w riters,whose case w e have been considering

,h en

n either the language nor the idea s of the Highlander.

20 th M ARCH , 1889.

At thi s meeting M r Alexander Mach ain,M .A .

,read the

following paper, contributed by M r D. Munro Fraser, E .M .

Inspector of Schools,Glasgow

CERTAIN PECULIARITIES O F GAELIC IDIOM .

The increased attention given to the study of th e Celticlanguages

,in connection w ith the advancement of the Science of

Language, h as operated mainly towards the production of resultsthat are interesting to those w h o pursue th at science for its ownsake . A great deal of l ight has been thrown on obscurities ofe tym ology and syntax in the Gaelic language by investigationsinto the oldest forms ofth e langu age as these are contained in ancientwritings . It seems to me

,however

,th at some of the energy th at

is devoted to the increase of our knowledge regarding th e ch angeswh ich Gaelic h as undergone in the course of th e centuries might be

p rofitably employed in smoothing the d ifficultie s of the student ofModern Gaelic . We have men w h o are competent not only to

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190 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

the reproach being concerned not merely w ith th e pronunciationof the language, but w ith th e recurrence of constructions whichbetray a loose knowledge of fundamental laws— m short

,with

ignorance of th e genius of th e language .Concerning the large subj ect of Gaelic style, I do not propose

in this paper to say very much . My purpose is a very humbleone . I intend to investigate certain grammatica l constructionswhich are puzzling to th e learner of Gaelic, and to deduce therefromsome simple rules

,which will be of service to one who approaches

th e study of Gaelic a s an outsider. I by no means depreciate th evalue of th e Gaelic grammars that are in existence . The onlyfault

,or almost th e only fault, I have to find w ith them is, th at

they are not on certain points expl icit enough to satisfy therequirements of one who studies th e language as a foreign tongue .

My paper is avowedly a fragmentary one . If it serves to indicatew hat can be accomplish ed in the same direction by one w h o

possesses a fuller know ledge of the Gaelic tongue,I sh all be

satisfie d . I shall,no doubt

,commi t some errors

,and leave many

things as hazy as they w ere before,but approaching the subj ect

,

a s I do,with fresh eyes

,I hope th at I sh all at least point out

d ifficu ltie s which have not been detected or attempted to be solvedby Gaelic scholars

,j ust 0 11 account of th eir facility in using a

language that is part of th eir natural endowment.

The verbs I s and Th a .

In acquiring a know ledge of Gaelic,th e learner experiences no

little difii culty in apprehending the difference between the twosubstantive verbs

,is and th a . The construction of th a i s easily

understood,but w ith is the case is very d ifi

‘

e rent . What I maycall the “ Ga e l ist

,

” or the man wh o learns Gaelic as a foreigntongue

,can be readily recognised

,either by th e attempts he makes

to use is” too frequently,or by the errors he commits when he

does use it . Dr Stewart,in his excellent grammar

,gives him no

assistance in th is matter. Munro is a little more h elpful . He

bids the learner attend to a number of examples (p . whichhe adduces to show the distinction between is and th a

,as

Is ard a’

bh e inn sin . Tha a ’bh e inn sin ard .

’Tis a high hill that. That hill is high .

He does not enunciate any principle,however

,for the guidance of

the learner,except the follow ing

‘ I s affirm s simply of h is

~obj ect,although th at object be expressed by tw o or more words

a s I s m i has a two—fold obj ect,and shows the subj ect

Certa in Pe culiarities of Gae l ic Idiom . 191

and predicate distinctly from each other : as Th e Do‘

nul l a iy an

dom e . B h a na m nath an a’

buain (Dr Neilson, p . Thepredicate is placed im mediate]y after is the subj ect is placednext after bi

, & c .

” I confess I do not possess sufficient intelligenceto understand Dr Neilson ’s remarks (as quoted by Munro) : itse e m s tom e a be autiful instanc e ofth e explanation of the obscurum p erobscurius. Munro gives us a fairly good practical rule for the order ofth e words

,when we employ is and th a

,and for the rest seems to be

contented with the quotation he has made . A remark h e makeson p . 130 of h is work indicates that he perceived that the differencebetween these tw o verbs . is to some extent a matter of style . O f

the combination of another verb w ith is,h e says— “ The Gaelic

e xpression,being m ore emphatical. generally requires some

intensive word or ph rase in th e English , to exhibit its import moreforcibly 5 as 13 m i na ch robh toi lich te , I w as not (at all) pleased .

”

What then is th e difference between is and th e 21 . Both verbs are used wh en w e connect an attribute with its

subject,with some difference in the force of th e expressions . Thus

w e can say, I s bro‘

na ch an duine,and Th a an duine bro

‘

na ch,the

latter being th e expre ssion ordinarily employed .

2 . Only th a can act as an auxiliary to another verb Tha mia

’

bua ladh .

”

3. Th e essential difference between is and th a (se far as theyare employed in Modern Gaelic) seems to be this— I s denotes mereexistence, and as an Irishman w ould say, hardly that. Th a

d enotes existence in certain relations,such as place

,manner

,or

c cndition . We can say, Tha mi an se ,” but not Is mi an se .

”

I s exists entirely for th e be nefit of some oth er word in thesentence 5 thus we can say,

“ I s m i (se) a tha an so :“ Is ann

(’

s ann) an so a tha mi . ” Th e verb is in fact has lost itsindependence ; in the last instance, ann has to be attachedto it in order th at it may predicate a local relation . Indrawing attention to some other word

,its function

,as we shall

a fterwards se e , is a very important one, but it cannot itself beused a s a predicate of existence . Thus

,

“ God is ” cannot bee xpressed by I sDia . In this respect

,i . e .

,incapability of predicating

existence,p e r se , it agrees with th a , but it is somuch weaker than th athat it never receives the voice accent and always leans forsupport on some word or w ords which follow it

,being usually

written ’s,as in the expression

,

’S tu mo M h airi gh rinn .

”Th a

m ay be emphasised in speaking,but

,so far as I can see

,is always

leans for support on th e word which follows it . Again,in such

e xpressions as “ ’S e Dia mo sh la inte

,th e verb is requires to be

fully and more systematically, givingwh ich it is found, and the corre spondm g express ions mis used wh ere th ese exist. The combinations may be classifi

thus

§ 1 . Is adj ective in th e predicate .

Is ind efinite noun (predicate).Is indefinite noun and adj . (predicate) — same as § 2 .

18 adj . (predicate) noun with the article (temporarysubject).

§ 4 . Is pronoun (subj ect).§ 5 . Is ann .

§ 6 . Is e adh = se adh .

What is said of is appl ies of course to its pa st tense “ bu or

ba .

” A s imilar remark may be made in regard to “ th a” and

bha. Interrogative and negat ive expressions may be left out

of consideration .

1. I s adj ective .

Compare the expressions 1) tha m i brena ch , and (2) I s bro‘

na ch

m i . The first expression m ay be translated I e m sad,no particular

emph asis being attached to any part of the sentence . The secondexpression is best translated S ad I a m . In this case particularstress is laid on the fact of the sadness . The first phrase statesw ith logical precision that the attribute sad belongs to the speaker,the second is a rhetorical device for calling attention to theexistence of the reality of the sadness . No. (1) i s therefore the formto be found in everyday speech when the

”

giving of informationmerely is the purpose of the speaker 5 No. (2) i s the language of

poetry,and of impassioned statement . The latter form, as one

would naturally expect,i s to be found frequently in maxims and

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194 Gae l ic Socie ty of Inve rne ss.

The colloquial emphatic forms are “ Is e (’

s e ) righ’tha

annam.

’Se c lach a ir ’th a annad . Th e follow ing rule can easily

be deduced from No. 2 —One substantive cannot be predicated of

another pronoun” being included in the term substantive”) bym eans of th a , or tha cannot form th e copula between two sub

stantive s . O f. th e expression Is Mi an Ti a ’

s Mi” — I am that Iam — I am th e p erson (pred .) th a t (pred .) I am . Here the Gaelic‘

verb is couples substantives or pronouns in both parts of th e

expression .

I s therefore can couple tw o nouns, tha cannot.Proverbs may be quoted in illustration of the combination of

is with nouns, a s Is brath a ir do ’n m h adadh am m e irl e ach

”

Th e thief i s brother to the bound ;“ Is bior gach srabh

’s an

oidh ch e”

— Every straw is a thorn at night .*

In the case of the se -called com p osi te verbs,the constructions

is adj . (is brbna ch ), and is noun (is sa-or). seem to have losttheir rhetorical pow er through frequency of use

,and to have now

become the ord inary prose phrases for the ideas intended to bee xpressed by them ,

as Is te igh leam,

”I s beag orm

,

”& c .

3 {I s indefini te noun and adj ective .I s adj . definite article noun .

The sentence,

“ Hunting is del ightful work,may be trans

latedIs oba ir e ibh inn an t-se alg.

Is e ibh inn an obairMan t-se a lg.

The only difference between these two expressions seems to bethat in the first emphasis is laid on the whole predicate (delightfulwork), while in the second the epithet delightful” is singled outfor special prominence, the noun (work) to which it is attachedbecoming the subj ect of the sentence

,and having appended to it

an explanatory subj ect (hunting) in appositionqL Both the ex

It m ay b e obse rve d h e re th at I s is fol low e d in th e case s note d above onlyby an adj. , an indefinite noun,

or a pronoun .

"l' Th e e xpre ssion m ay b e analyse d thus

Linkde noting m e re e x 13 an oha ir

‘

iste nc e,but se rv te m porary

ing to e m ph asise subj e ctth e qua lity d e — W

note d by th e ne xt English Pre dicate .

w ord .

Cf. Fre nch (for e xplana tory subj e cts), C

i

’

e st se trom pe r (que ) d e croire .

L ui donne r d e s conse ils c’

e st pe rdre sa pe ine .

”

Son plus grand bonh eur(c

’

)e st d e faire d e s h e ure ux.

”

Certain Pe culiaritie s of Gae lic Idiom . 195

press ions (1 and 2) are rhetorical, but the second is the morec ommon and the more effective of the two.

The idea intended to be conveyed cannot be expressed by th a ,e xcept under a relation of locality, according to the rule juststated regarding the predication of one noun of another. Withth a the expression becomes Th a an t—se alg na h -oh air e ibh inn”

l iterally,Hunting is in its delightful w ork , and this is the form

used in common speech . We can also say (3) Is 1 an t-se alg anoba ir e ibh inn

,

”but this form is d efinitive and unusual ; and (4)

“ Is e oba ir e ibh inn a tha anns an t-se ilg.

” Th ese forms will beconsidered afterwards (se e Take

,as an add itional illustration

of is in this combination, the translation of the sentence— “ Th e

m an is a goodIs saor math I an duine (rare, poetical, passionate).Is math an saor an duine (emphatically m a th

,not so rare

and more formal 5 Th e man is a good carpenter, th a t he1s

Th;an duine na shae r math (colloquial, or simple logicalstatement).

Se an duine a n saor math T means the same as No. 3,but

is more formal and rarely employed 5’S e saor math a tha anns

an duine ” is the emphatic form of No. 3.

For a discussion of the use of ann (prep ) to express actuale xistence in any state, relation, position, or office in which one

may be at any time,” I must refer the reader to Nos. 3 and 4 of

the “Scottish Celtic Review. Dr Cameron explains this idiom on

philosoph ical as well as on etymological grounds . The verb ta origin“

ally stand (Latin sto. ) and hence signifies radically existenceconnected w ith locality . Thus th a e na sh a e r means primarily“ h e stands in h is relation of carpenter 5

”th a e

’na ch ada l

,

“ h e

exists in h is relation of sleep .

”O n the other hand

,the preposition

a nn is not necessary wh en the predicate is an adj ective,as Tha

e fuar,

”He is cold

,for th e s imple reason that the adjective in

itself denotes posture or local condition (literal or metaphorical),and is in fact equivalent to an adverbial phrase . Cold in cold

.

S e Tha e saoibh ir,”He 1s rich He stands in a rich condition .

The genius of th e language is opposed to such an expression as

Rulc— All se nte nce s of th is form , th e re fore , are translate d by de tach ingth e adj e ctive from th e Engl ish pre dicate , and m aking its noun fol low it in th ed e finite form , w h en stre ss is to b e laid on th e adj e ctive , as Honour is ate nde r th ing

”I s be adarach an ui an one ir.

Only de finite nouns or e quival ents are use d to e xpre ss e quations afte r is e ,

& c . ,se e b e low § 4.

§ 4 . I s pronoun

Consider here,in the first place, such expressions as, I s misc

an dorus,

” Is mise am buach a ill m ath”— I am the door

,I am the

good sh epherd . Both these expressions are formal,effective

,

rhetorical . We may at‘

onc e deduce the rule -A predicate consisting of a noun and the definite article cannot be made by meansof th a . In other w ords

,a relation of absolute identity cannot be

made by th a . The device of using the preposition ann” with

th e noun cannot be employed here . We can say , I am a door,

Tha mi am dh orus 5” but not “ Tha mi an dorus . I s is th e

substantive verb used to express absolute identity .

Observe,again

,that in connection with such a predicate

,th e

subj ect pronoun (m ise) comes after the verb is. In former casesw e saw that the predicate cam e after is. Contrast with the aboveexpressions the rhetorical forms for I am a door

,& c . ,

I s dorusmi

,

”Is bua ch a ill mi . ” Another rule may be enunciated here

I s cannot be immediately followed by the d efinite articl e,Tor by a

proper noun . (A proper noun is in its nature definite , restrictedin any particular case to one individual). Is mise Alastair

,

” Iam Alexander 5 Is Alastair mi

,

” I am an Alexander.The absolute identity of subj ect and predicate gives us th e

reason for placing th e subj ect pronoun immediately after is. Whensubj ect and pre dica t : are absolutely identical , their position isdetermin ed by considerations of euphony and non—ambiguity. Is

Th e pronoun m ay often be conside re d a s th e pre dicate .

+Th e usage is th us— Is + ind e f. noun, or adj. pronoun ,or d e f. noun 5 and

Is + pronoun + d e f. noun, or e quiva le nt. O f.‘

An Rom h anach th u and Ah tua n Rom h anach

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express ions,is e

,

(1) Is e I Dia I mo sh la inte .

(2) Is e I’

n t ionnsa ch adh he an t ’ionnsach adh boidh e a ch .

(3) Is 1 I an oidh ch e I an oidh ch e I na’m b ’ iad na fir na fir.

(4) Is iad I na la ith e an fada I na la ith e an a’

s m iosa .

(5) Is e I do shuil I do ch e annaich e .

(6) Is e I de ire adh nan c e anna ich e an I dol a shniom h sh iom an .

(7) Is e farmad I a ni tre abh adh .

(8)’S e ’

bh’

a ig Darnla idh’na agh a idh , gu

’n robb e fein.

’ s a ’

bhan—righ ro mhor a ig a cheile .

(What Darnl ey had against him was that he and th e

queen were too much together).

(9) Is e tuarasdal a’

ph e aca idh I am bas .In all these exampl es

,is e is i, is iad) i s followed by two equa

tions,or two identical expressions . In fact

,is e is i

,is iad) might

be translated by the mathematical or sign of equality . Again,

these tw o equations are definite nouns* or their equivalents . Th e

subj ect (in the English expression) comes immediately after is e ,is i

,is iad

,and then the predicate . The order of subj ect and

predicate is regulated ch iefly by euphony . We m ay say, insteadof “ Is e tuara sda l a

’

ph e aca idh am bas,

” Is e am bas tuarasdala

’

ph e a caidh”

— just as in English we can say, Death is the w agesof sin .

” as well as,The wages of sin is death . The expression

which immediately follow s the is e is i,is iad) seems to be more

accented than that which closes the sentence, although the effectof the construction employed is to give due prominence to bothparts of the statement .In Nos . (7) and (8) the construction is a l ittle different from

that of the other clauses . No . (7 It is emulation that makesploughing . No. (8) i s construed as translated .

The reason why the pronouns e,i,ia d are used

,and not th e

corresponding emphatic forms,i s that these words are merely

temporary subj ects,as the French cc in C ’est moi qui parle

,

” andthe English i t in ’Tis I who speak . From the very nature of th e

M o sh lainte z th e salvation of m e . Tuarasdal a'

ph e acaidh =th e w age s of sin.

Certa in Pe culiaritie s of Ga e lic Idiom .

case, therefore, the emphasis i s laid on the words that follow thesepronouns .Sentences such as the above being formal enunciations of th e

identity of two de finite nouns, or emphatic statements of par ticularfacts

,are necessarily translated by the verb is. If sentence

No (7) we were to substitute Tha farmad a’de anam h tre abh adh ,

the effect of the statement is considerably different. No. (7)means that emulation — more than anything else— makes ploughing. The alternative translation merely states the fact thatemulation is in the act of making ploughing— it restricts th eattention to the predicate .We are now in a position to lay down the following rules

1. When an English expression consists of two definite nounsor their equivalents

,connected by th e verb to be

,it is usually

translated by the formulae is e,i s i

,is iad

,followed immediately

by the me t e accented of the tw o nouns,thus — “ C

'h a r lie is my

darling’—

“ Is e I Te arla ch I 1110 run .

“ Charlie I S my dar ling”

t h

IS e I mo run I Te arlach . We cannot say, Is Te arla ch m o

n”

(w h ie h would mean, rhetorically, My darl ing is a Charlie) 5”

nor can w e say, Is mo run Te arlach,

”m o ri m being d efinite . We

could say, of course,

“ Is run dh om h Te arlach ,”

run being indefinite (

“a darling to Again

,The light of the body is

th e eye”

Is 1 an t-suil solus a’

ch uirp. In Is 0 solus a ’

ch uirpan t-suil , the accent is placed on the solus.

2 . When an English expression consists of a subject and apredicate; if the subj ect is to be rendered emphatic, the sameformulae may be used, followed by the subj ect and a relativeclause

,th us Practice makes expert” Is e I

’n cl e a ch dadh I aui teoma .

”Se

,

“ A man acts,a dog tells e I duine I a n i

,

’s e I on I a

What I m ay call“ the phenomenon of the double 6 i s an

exact appl ication of Rule 1. Thus This is h e ”—

“ Is e I so I e 5It is th e city of the great king” Is e I baile an righ m h bir I e ,l it . It, viz .

, the city of the great king— is ir,th e weak e

”

(sub

je ct in English) being thrown to the end . Ma ’s E I ur toil I e

”

5

— If 115 Iviz .,a certain statement (neuter), which is] your will is it

if it is your will if you please .

*M an and dog ave d efim te — th e c lass m an and th e c lass dog. Se ,

God cre ate d th e h e ave ns Ch ruth aich Dia na ne am h an”

(ordinary form ).God cre ate d th e h e ave ns —

“I s e I Dia I a ch ruth aich na. ne am h an

"

(e m ph atic form ).

Is ann a ige a tha an sgoil .

Is ann mar sin a bh a e .

I s ann mar a ch uire ar an siol a dh ’

fh asas e .

A11 aite se asam h , is arm a th e ich iadI s a r m a

’ dol a dh annsadh a bh a iad !Cha ’

n ann a bh rise adh an lagha a th ainig mi .Is ar m a dh ’

thasas an siol mar a ch uire ar e .

10’S ann ur a tha e .

Is ann boidh e a ch,

’

s cha ’n ann da ich e il .

Nach ar m I ann a tha’n lath a briagh a I

*

In all these expressions,is ann i s the equival ent of th e formula

is e,and may be literally translated it is

,

” or is th ere .

”

The u se of is a nn is much the sam e as th at of is,is e

,& c .

— tobring into prominence the phrase that immediately follow s it

,and

by th i s means to add force to the whole sentence . Wherever ism m i s used

,a change takes place in th e usual orde r of w ords in a

sentence . It is generally employed to express indignation or surprise 5 th us, the first sentence may be translated

,Wh at a change

h a s come over th e country,

” and th e last,Wh at a fine day l”

Several of th e instances given indicate that it is fre quently usedin proverbs . Fa saidh an siol mar a ch u ire ar e

”th e seed

grows a s it is se w n . Is ann a dh ’th asas

,

”& c . J11st a s th e seed

is sown,so i t grow s. Is ann mar a ch uire ar an s iol

,

”& c . Just

as th e seed is sow n,so it grow s .

Th e follow ing rule m ay be deduced a s to its use z— I s a im is

employed most frequently before adverbs or adverbial phrases orclauses .

Th us it w a s ’

S ann mar so a bh a e . It is employed veryeffectively in th e apodosis or consequential clause of a statement

,

as Ge b ’

e m i a bh ios os cionn se,i s ann o’

n olc ata e ”-VVh atsoe ve r

i s more th an this, i s of evil . The latter part of the Latin expression . e 0 5 English th e th e i s translated by is a nn

,thus

,

“ The sooner I h ear,the sooner I shal l go Mar is lua ith e a

ch luinne a s mi,

’

s ar m is lua ith e a dh ’fh a lbh a s m i.

Th is se nte nc e is sim ilar in form to th e first five . Nach ann Nach is ar m 5th e se cond a i m is an adve rb m odifying th a

,and is transpose d in orde r to be

e m ph asise d by th e first ann.

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202 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

foraltering the usual order of words, especially when the languageattains a certain level of dignity, indignation, or pathos . In

certain combinations (as in“ Is brona ch mi an dingh”) it occurs more

frequently in poetry than in prose, but it i s inseparable from th e

idiom“

of everyday speech , especially in interrogations, and whenemployed in conjunction with other verbs (such as th a ). As astranger to the language of the Gael is know n by his inabil ity touse this idiom aright, so a Highlander more accu stomed to h ismother tongue than to the language of the Southron is detectedmost readily by his attempt to transplant this native style of

conversation into English . M r William Black rings th e changeson this idiom in his Highland novels . Thus —

“ There is many a .

time that I have said to him 5” It .will be a bad day the day I

quarrel with my own people 5” and so on ad libi tum .

The Position of the Obj ect after an Infinitive .

The next peculiarity of Gaelic diction that I take up isalso inadequately dealt with in the grammars . All th e

grammars state that the noun obj ect which follows the verbnoun

,or infinitive mood

,i s put in the genitive

,while th e

obj ect preceding it is put in the accusative . What learners of

Gaelic desire is an answer to the question,When does the obj ect.

precede the infinitive ?For the sake of clearness, I shall call the form bua ladh

(striking) a verb-noun 5 in combination with th e preposition do a

the verb-noun may be called the infinitive .

.Do i s the preposition to,and

,l ike the corresponding term in

English,seems originally to have denoted purpose . It is usually

written in the form a . We shall call a bhua ladh,when it denotes

purpose,the strong infinitive ; when it does not denote purpose,

the weak infinitive .

Consider these tw o sentences

(1) Dh aith n e dh om h I an dorus a bh ualadh .

(2) Th ainig mi I a bh ualadh an de rnis .In the first sentence

, An dorus a bh ualadh i s a noun phrase,

in the second,A bh ualadh an doruis” i s a phrase of purpose

,or

an adverbial phrase . The rule,therefore

,i s— In noun phrases

,th e

obj ect precedes the infinitive,in phrases of purpose, the obj ect.

follows the infinitive , or, shortly, the strong infinitive is followedby its obj ect ; in other cases, the weak infinitive is preceded by itsobj ect. This ru le

,it should be noted

,strictly applies only when

the strong infinitive (or infinitive of purpose) follows a verb.

Ce rtain Pe culiarities of Ga e lic Idiom .

O bs. 1 . Verbs beginning with “ f,

”

(fil l, to fold), and w ith a

vowel (c l) are a little peculiar. The do (a) of the weak infinitiveis lost, and an additional do (a ) i s placed before the stronginfinitive , as

Dh’aithn e dh om h I

an t -aodach fh ill e adh .

an t-u isge 01.

. Ia dh’fh ill e adh an aodaich .

Th ainig m i

l a dh’01 an uisge .

O bs. 2 . Intransitive verbs in noun phrases are used in theirverb-noun form

,not in the infinitive form

,

*as

e irigh , fuire ach .

IS c0 1r dh om h Ifa lbh , tuite am ,& C

N .B .

— Th e form a bh i is alw ays use d.

O bs. 3. The noun-phrase construction is u sed after all the seexpressions that do duty for verbs

,as “ Is aill learn

,

” “ Is te ighlearn

,

” Is nar dh om h,

Is beag orm,

Tha e agal orm,

& e . as “ I wish (what ?) — to read the book (nounIs aill leam an le abh ar a l e ugh adh

‘

r. The noun phrases are in

these cases really the subj ects of the sentences in which th eyoccur

,

‘

the predicates being the nouns or the adj ectives thatimm ediately follow is.

Se far th ere is no difficulty in connection with th e position oi’

the object. When prepositions,other than do (a), are used before

the infinitive,or before the verbal noun

,the construction is not se

clear. Here,again

,the grammars afford '

us but little guidance .Obs . 1. When ya and chum are used to denote a purpose

,th e

obj ect precedes the (weak) infinitive , as“ Th a inig mi gu I rno

bh rath air’fh a icinn,

”Th ainig mi chum I 1110 bh rath a ir

’fh a icinn

,

”

so also Th a ini 1 mi a irson I mo bh rath a ir’fh a icinn

”— I came for

the purpose oi— what — se e i11g my brother (noun phrase).O bs . 2 . Ag and th e verb noun is equivalent to the English

participle,and of course takes the obj ect after it .

Obs. 3 . The construction of a ir,an de igh , and the like is, at

first sight,a little difficult .

Air may be followed imm ediately by the verb-noun,in

which case the obj ect comes necessarily after the verb . Wh en the

I t se e m s be tte r to put th e m atte r th us th an to unde rstand such a ve rb '

as a dh eana m h (w e ak infinitive ) afte r th e m .

5 I s coir dhom h e ir igh ,

( a dh eanam h ) .

1" Is te igh l e am an l e abh ar a l e ugh adh— I (m yse lf) w ish (or find pl e asure

in) to re ad th e book. I s toigh l e am l e ugh adh an l e abh air— Th e re ading of th ebook (by anoth e r) i s a ple asure to m e .

— Professor M a ckinnon ,

saigh de aran .

“ Send ing forth executioners — Air cur fir—m arbh

a idh uaith .

“When you pray”—Air bhi dh uibh se a

’

d e anam h

urnuigh .

If the Subj ect of th e verb (represented by do noun)comes immediately after a ir

,the obj ect precedes th e (weak) in

finitive , as Wh en the soldiers heard th ese w ords” — Air do nasa igh de aran na fa ca il so a ch luintinn . O n h is sending forthe xecutioners — Air d h a fir-m arbh a idh a chur ua ith . When youprayed” — Air dh u ib h se urnuigh a d h e ana m h ; but

“ Wh en youpray”

-Air dh u ibh se bh i de anam h urnuigh . When you stood”

Air dh uibh se se a sam h bhi and se asam h being intransitive .

The e pexegitica l or explanatory infinitive after nouns andadjectives takes the obj ect before it

,whether used with a prepos

ition or not, a s Ch an’

e il coth rom agam [air] sinn a dh e anamCh an

’e il coth rom agam a irson sin a dh e anam h ”

— I h ave not anopportunity of doing that. Ch a robb nine aca I uire ad a s biadh

ith e adh .

” It will be observed that the infinitive in these casesmay be considered as an adj . clause

,or even as a clause of purpose

,

but here the purpose phrase does not occur after a verb,and th ere

fore the obj ect does not follow the infinitive . They may be con

sid e re d as noun-ph rases,however

,the expression preceding them

being equivalent to cha’n urra inn dom h (doibh ).When a preposition is attached to a verb

,the predicate

may be cons idered as a single expression, and then the rule as tonoun-phrases applies

,a s

,

“ They began to pluck the ears of corn”

Th oisich iad air Idiasan arbh a ir a bh ua in . But the verbalnoun construction m ay be follow ed , especially if a relative clausefollows, as, Th oisich mi a ir sire adh a

’bh rath ar nach basa ich am

fe asd”

-“ I began to seek the brother th at shall never die”

(S inclair’ s Life of M ‘Ch e yne , translated).Object pronouns take the same construction as obj ect

nouns,except w hen they are translated by the possessive adje c

tiyes,in which case they

,of course

,precede the verbal noun .

“ A sh aoradh iadsan (ih order to save them) may also, with ad ifference

,be translated by “

g’ an saoradh .

”G

’u (not do) ex

presses a purpose when the possessive adjective is used .

In conclusion, I m ay state th at it w as my purpose to take upseveral oth er Gaelic constructions th at present some d ifficulty to

‘ the student of Modern Gael ic,and to co-relate these with usages

t abulated and explained in books on Latin Prose Composition .

B ut the limits I h ave appointed to myself in connection with this

p aper prevent me from referring to these at present . Before I

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B HO DHo’

U L L

A Ch lann U isne nan each geala,Us sibb an tir nam fear fuil e ach

,

Gu de e do bhi eir na’r ’n e a ch a ibh

,

Na’n cion—fath a ta ’

g ur cum ail ?

Ta ’

g’ur cum ail fada ’

ua inn,

’S gur ann l e ibh a ch uirte adh an rua ig,Do lannan baga irt ur nam h uid,Bhur ’

n a m h ladh anns a ch um asg.

Ach ch uire adh l e ibh’ur long a mach

A ch a ith e adh a chua in gu h - e olach,

Bha Naos bu treasa ’

ga se oladh,

Agus Aille maise nan ogan .

Bha Ardan bu de ise ’

ga stiuire adh,

Eir fre asda l d ith ist bh rath ar iular,

Tha gh aoth gun e ism e il ri ’

sge i1nh ,A gl e ach d ri

’

trillse grinne re idh .

Cadal shul is beag a’

tlach d

Dha ’n m h naoi th a aca ri de oire ach d 5Mar tha ’

n oidh c h e talach a’

boich e ad,

Tha De arduil dubh ach dubh-bh ronach ,

De arduil thug barra ch d an a il le ach d,

Eir m nath an eile na Peinne 5Cha ch oim e asar rith se each

,

Ach m ar bh a ide al eir sgath na re ul ta ig.

Gu de fath do thurs a bh e an,

’

U s sinne be o ri do bh e ath a,

Us nach a ith ne duinn neach da’r buadh ach ,

An c e ith ir ranna ruadh an dom h an .

OU TER HEB RIDES.

Ye Children of U isne of the wh ite steedsAnd ye m the land of th e men of bloodWhat boots it y e to be on your h orses,What the cause of your long delay ?

That delays you so long from us

Seeing that y e it is w h o w ould force retreatO n the threatening arms of our foes

,

Would sh ield u s in th e com ba t .

But y e have sent your sh ip afloat

To speed the se a so skilfully 5Naos th e brave was sailing h e r,And Aille

,mos

'

t noble of youths .

The deftest Ardan was steering herTo the guidance of the skilful brothers twain 5That wind which h eeds not her beau tyStruggles with her sm 0 0 th lovely lines .

Sleep of eyes is l ittle to the likingO i th e woman whom they have weeping

,

And as night her loveliness concealsS e Darth ula is consumed w ith gloom and

Darth ula who exceeded in beautyAll other women of the Fe inne

,

With her no other woman comparesS ave as the nebulae to the starlet.

What occasions thy grief,O wom an

,

And that w e live but for thy sakeWhile we know not one to subdue usWithin the four red bounds of the world .

Gu de bh e ir sinne ’n dail an laoich

,

’

U s farsuinne a ch d na tairge m uigh ,’S a lint-had cala

,caol ’

a s cuan,

’S am faodam aid taruinn gun uam h as.

Cadal na h -og m h na ni’m b

’

fh aoin 5Is d iam h a in bhi spa irne ach d ri gaoithLoch-Eite nan sian bu chian o

’n iul

,

Agus Conna th u il nan crannach oil le ura .

Cha tig saoir’eas a deas mo nuar

,

Cha ’

n isl ich friodh na gaoith tuath,Cha tig Naos eir ais ri a re

,

Cha tog e ri bruth ach an fh e idh .

Ris tha Coige am h a’

dluth adh,

’U s Connach ar nan car ’na ’mbur ann

,

Agus an tir nile to a sm ach d,

Anns na gh abh De arduil a tla ch d .

Eu sh oine m h e il l e De arduil an t -og,Agus agh a idh -mar sh oil lse an 10

,

Eir 11 an fh ith ich do bha gh ruag,Eu de irge na

’n t-siigh a gh rua idh .

Bha ch ne as mar chobhar an t-sriith,

Bha mar uisge balb a gh iith ,Do bh a ch ridh e fe ara il fia l

,

’U s aobh a ch c iuin mar a gh rian .

Ach nuair dh e ire adh a fh raoch ’us fh e arg,

Ri ch oim e a s an fh airge gh arg,B

’

1onnan agus ne art nan tonn,Fua im nan lann a ig an t s— onn,

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Ge fada bh ’ua inn Alba nam Fiann,

Agus B ite nan ciar-aighe donn .

”

Ach a Dh e arduil bu gh rinne nos,Tha do ch om h radh air fas far m

,

Tha toirm nan stuadh us na gaoith ,A toirt caoch ladh air d ’

uirigl e adh ann .

B’ ioma-gh ointe mo ch ridh e ma

’m ath air,

’U s chrom mi gu ta lam h ga th e arnadh ,Ach c h aoch a il ruth adh a gh rua idh ,Th re ig a sh nuagh us a chail e .

”

Ch a idh long Ch lann U isne eir tirFo bhaile mor Righ Connach air,Th a inig Connach ar a mach l e

’fh e ach d,

(Fich e ad laoch ceann uallach ).’U s dh

’

fh iosra ich e l e briara bras,

0 0 na sle igh ta eir an luing so ’

.Z

O lanu eir se a ch ran a t’ann,

Tra ir sinn a th ainig eir tuinu,Eir e inich ’

s eir com araich an RighTha gradh dillse ach d ar ca irde is.

Cha Ch lann air se ach ran l iom sa sibb,

Cha bh e irt saoidh a rinn sibb orm,

Thug sibb uam a bh e an am braid,

De arduil dh onn-shu il e a ch, gh le

-gh e al .

.C’h ildren of Uisne .

Like the spring-tide"s powerful floodHe w as in battle striving with death,Where Darth ula saw h im at firstWhen looking forth from the top of her tow er

'

.

Beloved,said the lovely maiden

,

Is the stranger from the fie ld of w ar,

But sore to h is mother’s heartIs h is rashness on th e h eld of strife .

Thou daughter of the Coll of the Shields,Spoke Naos of the melodious voice

,

Far from us is Alba of the Fe inneAnd Etive of the brown brindled hinds .

But Darth ul a of the kindl iest grace,Weak is becom e thy Speech 5The noise of the waves and of the w indIs ch anging th y speech of melody.

M uch grieved w as my heart for my fatherAnd I bent to the ground to save h im

,

But th e ruddy colour of h is ch eek forsook h im,

His expression and feeling have left him:

The ship of th e Children of U isne went ashoreBelow the great town of Conach ar

,

Conach ar came out w ith h is forces

(Tw enty strong-headed heroes)And h e demanded in w ords of wrath

,

Who are the people on board this ship 2

Children astray are w e ,Three w h o came over the oceanO h the truce and the faith of the kingI s the close friendship of our greeting .

Children astray ye are not to me,No act of friendship to me ye did ,From me ye took the woman in abduction,B artha la the brown-eyed the lovely fair.

Glua is,a Dh e arduil

,as do luing

,

A gh e ug ur an abh ra dhu inn,

’S cha ’

n e agal dh a do ghnuis gh la inFuath , no end, no ach m h asan .

Cha te id mi mach as m e luing,Gus am fa igh mi mo rogha ath ch uinge .

Cha tir,cha ta lam h

,cha tuar

,

Cha triuir bh ra ith re bu gblan snuagh ,Cha’n or

,cha’n a irgiod,

’

s cha’n eich,N i s mo is bean ua ibh re ach mis .

Ach mo e h e ad a dhol dha ’n traigh ,

Far am bh e il Glah n U isne nan tamb ,’S gu

’n tiubh ra inn na tri poga mine

,meala

Dha’n tri corpa caom h a,caoine

,geala.

”

Gh lua is De arduil a sin dh a ’n tra igh ,

’U s th ua ir i saor a sna ith e adh ram h

A sgian a ige’na leth-la im h

,

A th uagh a ige’na la im h -eile .

A sh aoir is fe arr ga’m facas riam h,

Gu de air an t0 1re ’ tu an sgian ?’S e bh e irinnse duit ’

ga cionn,Aon fh ainne buadh ach na h —Eirionn .

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Cha gh a irde ach as gun Ch lann U isne ,O l i s tursa ch gun bhi na’r cual lach d 5Tri mic righ l e ’

n diol ta de oire ,Tha ’

n dingh gun ch om h radh ri uch d uagh a .

Tri m agh am h na Inse-B re atuinn,

An triuir sh e obh ag sh l iabh a Chuillinn,An triuir da ’

n ge il e adh na ga isgich’S da tiubh radh na h -a m h uis uram .

Na tri eoin a b’ailli snuagh ,A th a inig thar chuan 1i am bare

,

Triuir M h ac U isne an l iuinn gh rinn,Mar th riuir e al

’ air tuinn a’ snamh .

Th e id mise gu aobh ach ual lach ,Fo

’n triuir nasal

5

a b’annsa 5

Mo sh aogh al nan de igh cha’n fh ada

’U s cha’n e ug fear abhuilt dom h sa

Tri iallan nan tri chon sin

Do bh uin c ena gh oint o m’ch ridh e 5

’S ann agamsa bh iodh an tasgaidhMur fa icinn an saor cum h a .

A Ch lann U isne tha sid thall,Na’r luidh e bonn ri bonn 5Nan sum h la ich e adh m airbh roim h bhee eileShum h la ich e adh sibh se rom h am -sa .

Teanu a nall,a Naosne mo gh ra idh ,

Is dru ide adh Ardan ri Aill e in 5Na’m biodh ciall a ig m a irbh

Dh e anam h sibb ait dh om h sa .

Ch ildren of Uisne . 2 15

The wright coveted the ringFor its beauty, its power, and its loveliness ,And he gave to De arduil the knife,She reach ed with it the place of her desire .

There is no joy w 1th out the Ch ildren of U isne

O grief not to be in your companyThe three sons of a king wh o helped the helplessTo-day without speech on the brink of the grave .

The three strong bears of the l sl e s of Britain,The three hawks of th e hill of Cuill ionn

,

Th e three to wh om heroes would yield ,And to whom hirel ings would pay homage.

The three birds of loveliest coloursThat are come over the ocean of barques

,

Th e three Sons of U isne of the beautiful mien,

Like unto three swans on the water sailing.

I will go with joyous gladnessTo the side of the three heroes beloved

,

My world behind them is not long.

Nor coward ’s death is mine .

Th e”

three leashes of‘

th e ir three dogsHave draw n sore sighs from my h eart

,’Tis I w h o would have the trea suresHad I not got the fitting gift .

Ye Children of U isne over beyondLying together sole by soleIf dead would closely lie for a livingYe would closely lie for me .

Press closer over ye Naos of my love,And Ardan lie ye closer to Aill e in,Dead if ye would have feel ingYe would make room for me .

”

216 Gae lic Soc ie ty of‘

Inve rne ss .

3rd APRI L , 1889.

At this meeting the Rev. William Cameron,minister of Poolewe

,

w as elected a member of the Socie ty. Th ereafter M r Alex .

Mach ain, M .A .,read a paper contributed by M r Alexander

Macpherson, solicitor, Kingussie, entitled“ Sketches of the Old

Ministers of Badenoch, Part II .”M r Macpherson ’s pap er was as

follows

SKETCHES O F THE OLD MINISTERS O F B ADENO CH.

PART 11.

Unfortunately,in the case of many of the earlier Ministers of

the Parishes of Alvie and Laggan— as in the case of the earlierMiniste rs of th e Parish of Kingussie— since the Reformation in1560— 1 have been unable to trace any particulars beyond th ebare record of their names, with the addition, in some cases, of th eduration of their ministry . But I proceed to give a summary of

th e succession of the Protestant Ministers of Alvie and Lagganfor the last three hundred years

,with such glimpses

,gleaned

from various sources, regarding them as may, I hope, be con

side re d of some general interest.

I I . PARI SH O F AL VI E.

1. JAM ES SPENCE ,EXHORTER .

1572 -15

2 . JOHN ROSS .

1579-15

A son of John Ross,Provost of Inverness . Presented by J ames VI . ,

3 l st March, 1579, but does not appear to have been settled .

3. WILLIAM M AKINTO SCHE.

1580-1585.

Demitted prior to 19th August,1585 .

4. S O VERANE M AKPHERL ENE on M‘PHAI L .

1585 -159

Presented by James VI . , 19th August, 1585, and 6th April, 1586.

Continued in 1594.

5. ROB ERT LESLIE .

1595-159

Continued in 1597 .

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2 18 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

12 . WILLIAM GORDON,a lia s M ACGREGOR .

1739-1787 .

For sometime Schoolmaster in Kinguss ie, and subsequentlyCatechist in Laggan . Ordained and admitted as Minister of

Urquhart and Gl enm oriston,24th December

,1730 . Call ed to

Al vie,30th January, and admitted 20th September, 1739. M r

Gordon was well and favourably known in connection with the ’45 .

Remarkably enough,in view of the promine nt part the High

landers of Badenoch took in that Rising,there is no reference

thereto either in the Session Records of Kingussie,or in those of

Alvie . From other sources of information,however

,we learn of

an event connected w ith the ’45 refle c ting the greatest credit on

M r Gordon . For the capture of “th e de voted Ew en of Clunie

,

”

wh o held such powerful sway in Badenoch,and had

,at the head

of the Macphersons, been among the first to join the Standard ofPrince Charlie

,a reward of £1000 Wa s offered . Burnt out of

hearth and home,Cluny w as

,subsequent to the Battle of

Cull oden,hunted in the m ountain fastnesses of Badenoch for th e

long period of nine years,ultimately— after many hair—breadth

escapes and enduring the most terrible hardships making h isw ay beyond the reach of his relentless pursuers only to die inexile . He and his Clan had been long proscribed, and M r Gordonw as em ployed. by the bloody Duke of Cumberland with theview of inducing them to lay down their arms on the assurancethat

,if they did so

,they would be restored to their name and

countenanced by the Government,or if they j oined the Royal

Army,

“ that their commanders would have similar rank and becared for by the Commander-in-Chief.” This offer

,however

,was

firm ly rej ected . Reduced to the greatest privation after the saddisaster on bleak Culloden Moor

,

” many of their number appliedto M r Gordon for relief

,and were hospitably received at his Manse .

The fact having been communicated to the Duke of Cumberland,then at Inverness

,M r Gordon w a s summoned to headquarters, and

required to answer for himself. With a feel ing of consciousintegrity

,he said — “ May it please your Royal Highness, I am

exceedingly straitened between two contrary commands, bothcoming from very high authority . My Heavenly King’s Soncommands me to feed the hungry

,to clothe the naked, to give

meat and drink to my very enemies,and to relieve

,to the very

utmost of my power,indiscriminately all obj ects of distress that

come in my way . My earthly King’s son commands m e to drivethe homeless wanderer from my door

,toshut m y bowels of com

passion against the cries of the needy,and to withhold from my

Sketch e s of th e O ld Ministe rs of Badenoch .

fellow mortals in distress the relief which it is in my pow er toafford . Pray which of these commands am I to obey ? ”

Inhumanly cruel and bloodth irsty a s he proved to the poor houseless wandering followers of 111-fated Prince Ch arlie— the King of

the Highlanders — the Duke,it is narrated

,w as so impressed with

the humane feelings and noble sentiments of the worthy Minister,that he felt constrained to reply B y all means obey th e

com mands of your Heavenly King’s Son .

M r Gordon died on 2m d April,1787, in the l 018t year of h is

age and 57 th of his ministry, discharging, we are told, the dutiesof his sacred otfic e until within six months of his death . All

honour to h is memory 1

13. J O HN GORDON, A .M .

1788-1805 .

Native of Ross . Studied at the University and King’s College,

Aberdeen,where he took his d e gree in 1770 . Ordained by th e

Presbytery \oi Abe rtarfl“,8th May

,1779

,as Missionary at Fort“

William . Presented by Alexander,Duke of Gordon

,and admitted

as Minister of Alvie,8th May

,1788. Got a new church built in

1798. Died 6th October,1805

,in the 55th year of his age and

27th of his ministry. His descendants were tenants of EasterL ynw ilg, on the estate of the Duke of Richmond, for aabout sixty years after his death in 1805s ! 6 o [F L .S

"

14. JOHN M ACDONALD,A.M .

1806-1854.

Native of the County . Obtained his degree from the Universityand King’s College

,Aberdeen

,in 1797 . For some time School

master of Dornoch . Licensed by the Presbytery of Dornoch,

4th February, 1802 . Ordained by the Presbytery of Abernethyin December

,1803

,as assistant to the Re v . John Anderson

,

Kingussie . Presented to the Parish of Alvie by Alexander,

Duke of Gordon,in March

,and admitted

,24th July

,1806 . Long

familiarly known by the cognomen of “ Bishop John . For

the following particulars regarding him,I a m indebted to the Re v.

M r Anderson,the present Minister of the Parish

The current volume of the Session Records begins with M r

Macdonald ’s incumbency. It h as been well kept, and the penmanship and fullness and clearness of its Minutes are admirable . M r

Macdonald was for many years the Clerk of the Presbytery of

Abernethy. He w as a very able and popular preacher, both inEnglish and Gaelic

,and took great interest in the education of the

young. Apart from the Parish School,he established in th e early

2 20 Gae lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

part of his Ministry three other schools— one of these being whollyc onfine d to instruction in Gaelic . Besides preaching at Alvie

,he

officiate d every third Sunday at Insh, and frequently h ad serviceson Sunday evenings in outlying parts of the Parish . Thus

,the

e arly and greaterpart of h is ministry was abundant in labours .As an auth or, h e wrote a sa tire in verse on the “ Men ”

of

Duthil,in which he exposes

,in trenchant terms

,the love of these

w o1 th ie s for the good things of th i s l ife . Their professional pietyformed a passport to every table , and in exercising this privilege theym ade a point,he maintained, ofmaking ch ow e of the tabl e be st knownfor its rich food and good whisky. Pre-eminent intellectually amongth e Highland Ministers of th e time

,M r Macdonald w as no less

d istinguished for his physical strength,a well-known instance of

which may be appropriately related . O n one occasion he was

waiting in th e Churchyard for a funeral announced to take place .

After waiting for tw o hours beyond the time appointed,he started

to meet the funeral, which w a s coming from th e west end of theParish . O n reaching the Moor of Alvie

,about a mile and a half

from the Church,he found th e bier laid at the side of the road

and th e w hole of the funeral company e -1gaged in a free figh t .

Boldly going into the midst of the combatants, he sought by wordand h an i to separate them . Among their number w a s a w ellknown bully

,w ho made a rush at the Minister and attempte d to trip

him. The Minister,how e ver, seized his antagonist and threw him

with such force to the ground that he lay stunned for some minutes .This incident brought all the combatants to their senses

,and th e

bier w as immediately raised and carried in silence to the Churchyard . The Minister further punish e d the company by orderingthem away as soon as the grave was closed

,without allowing them

to partake of the customary refreshments in the Churchyard .

“Here,

” adds M r Anderson,

“ reference may be made in passingto the use of w hisky at funerals in the Highlands. This use h as,in times past

,been turned too often into abuse . But in many

houses of mourning other suitable refreshments cannot be con

veniently given, and as people often come long distances on footto funerals

,and the bier has frequently to be carr ied many miles,

there can be no doubt that in such cases some refreshments arerequired

,and probably whisky with bread and che ese is the most

available . Those who condemn its use do not keep this in View .

The use of whisky at funerals cannot,I fear

,be stopped until a

hearse is provided for every parish . With such a vehicle inc ommon use

,the partaking of whisky at funerals in the Highlands

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222 Ga e lic Soc ie ty of Inve rne ss .

of Dominie Sampson . As a preacher,M r Grant never wrote his

s e rmons, nor d id they pretend to much culture,but

,intimately

acquainted as he was with the habits and modes of thinking of th epeople

,he w as often pointed and graphic, frequently upsetting th e

gravity even of grave and reverend seigniors. ”

M r Norman Macdonald, the present incumbent, w as ordaineda s minister of the Free Ch urch in Alvie, on 27 th October, 1868.

Possesses excellent attainments, and writes with great ease andvigour. His subj ects are always arranged with admirable clearn ess

,and handled with more than ordinary ability . Has now

ministered with untiring zeal and devotion to his attach ed flock

in Alvie for a period of fully twenty years .

I I I . PARISH O F L AGGAN.

Sh ort descriptions of the old churches of K ingussie and Alvieh ave been given in previous papers . St Killen ’s Church

,th e

“ little aul ’ kirk of Laggan, says Gordon, the editor of the ne w

e dition of Shaw ’s “ History of the Province of Moray,

” publishedin is worth notice . Besides a very small altar-stone

,it h as

two l ittle side altars under rounded arches . At th e southe ntrance i s a large

,round granite baptismal font

,capable of

immers ing the infants . In th e oldest vers ion of the ballad of‘ Sir James the Rose

,

’founded on fact, reference is made to the

churchyard of Laggan . The doorway is not 3 feet wide,and in

both sides there is a groove,as if it had been closed in the manner

of a portcullis,and a hole in each side may hay e be en for the

reception of a wooden bar. Near one side of the door i s an e ve l it

or oile t for reconnoitring .

”

In “ A Survey of the Province of Moray,published in 1798,

i t is said that in the midst of the Coi l l-m ore,the great w ood ,

e xtending at one time about five miles along the southern side of

Loch Laggan,

“ is a place d istinguished by th e name of the Aralm erigie , th e height for rearing the standard . It has been heldsacred

,from remo te antiquity

,as the burial-place of seven Cale

donian kings,who

,according to tradition, l ived about the period

when the Scots,driven northw ard of the Tay by the Picts, held

th eir seat of Government at Dunkeld . It is likew ise,by tradition ,

represented as a distinguished place for hunting ; and it aboundedin deer and roe till they were lately expelled by the introductionof sheep

,with whom th ey never m ingle . The kings

,it is said.

and their retinue,hunted on the banks of the lake for the greater

part of almost every sum mer,which is rendered probable by its

v icinity to the parallel roads of Glenroy, which must have been

Ske tch e s of th e O ld Ministe rs of Badenoch . 223

form ed solely for the purpose of betraying th e game into animpassable recess, and could not have been executed but by th einflue nc e of some of the first consequence and pow er in the State .

In the lake are two neighbouring islands on the largest thewalls remain of a very ancient building

,com posed of round stone

laid in mortar,untouched by the mason ’s hammer. Here their

maj e sties rested from the ch ase secure, and feasted on the game .

The other,named Ei lan-nan-con

,the ‘ Island of Dogs,

’w as appro

priat e d for th e accommodation of the hounds and the walls oftheir kennel

,of similar workmanship

,also remain .

Near th e middle of the parish is a rock 300 feet of pe rpen

dicular height ; th e area on th e summit,500 by 250, is of very

d ifficult access, exhibiting considerable remains of fortification

th e wall, about 9 feet th ick , built on both its sides with largefiagstone s without mortar.

Near the eastern end of Loch Laggan,the venerable ruins of

St Kenneth ’s Chapel rem ain in the midst of its ow n consecratedburying-

ground, which is still (l e voutly preferred to the other.”

“ Laggan,

” says Shaw in his History of the Province of

M oray,” “ was a mensal church

,dedicated to St Kenneth . The

Bishop w as patron, and settled th e parish jure p rop rio. Now, th e

King is properly patron,and the family of Gordon has no act of

possession . Th is parish was sometimes,by the Bish op

,annexed

to Alvie, that he might draw the more teinds from it . M r JamesLyle served long in both parishes

,and

,it is said

,understood not

the Irish language,such penury w as th ere of m m iste rs h aving that

language“ Upon his demitting, the parishes were disjoined, butwere again united (by Murdoch Mackenzie, Bish op of Moray) in1672, and so continued to the death of M r Thomas Macpherson.

It w as again disj oined and re -erected in 1708.

For many particulars regarding the later ministers of Laggan,

I am indebted to the Re v. M r Sinton,minister of Invergarry

,the

Clerk of the Presbytery of a well-known native of

Badenoch .

1 . AL EXANDER CLARK.

1569-1574.

Entered Reader at Lammas,1569. Promoted to be Exhorter

in November follow ing . Presented to the Parsonage and Vicarage by James VL , 27th September, 1574, his stipend then beingXXVI . Ii . XII Is. I I IJd . 48 5 A

3l d). Died prior to 6th

November,1575 .

Now th e M iniste r of Dore s.

224 Gae lic Socie ty of Inverness.

2 . JOHN DOW M ACQ UH O NDO Q UHY.

1575

Reader at Dunl ich tie and Daviot in November, 1569. Presentedto the Parsonage and Vicarage by Jam es VL ,

6th November,

1575 . Continued in 1589.

3. JAM ES LYLE .

16 -1626 .

Was Minister of Laggan and Alvie “ long before 12th October,

Demitted for age in 1626 . See No. 7,Parish of Alvie .

4. ALEXANDER CLARK.

16

Laureated at the University and King’s College

,Aberdeen

,in

1619. Admitted prior to 3rd April,1638. Deposed by the Com

mission of Assembly at Aberdeen before 5th October,1647.

Admitted Master of the Gramm ar School at Kingussie in 1652 .

5 . JAM ES DICK,A .M .

1653-1665 .

Obtained his degree from the University .of St Andrews in 1645 .

Ordained to Laggan prior to 4th October,1653

,having Alvie

l ikewise under his care . O h 29th October, 1656, the Synod of

Argyle w rote him to know what Presbytery he is in,that they

may write anent his carriage in Lochaber .” Was deposed by th eBishop and brethren on 15th Nove m be r

,1665

,for drunkenness .

7. WILLIAM ROB ERTSON,A.M .

1667 -1669.

Graduated at Aberdeen in 1660 . Passed his trials before th ePresbytery of Fordyce, and was recommended for l icence on 2 l st

February,1666 . Admitted as Minister of Laggan prior to l st

October,1667 . Translated to Crathie and Kindroch t or Braemar

after 6th April,1669.

7. THOMAS M ACPHERSON.

1672 -1708.

Was also Minister of Alvie from 1662 to the date of his death in1708. See No. 9

,Parish of Alvie .

8. JOHN M ACKENZ IE.

1709-1745.

Translated from Kingussie to Laggan,and adm itted prior to 3 l st

May,1709. In 1743, M r Mackenzie

,owing to h is great age, and

manifold infirm itie s attending it,

” petitioned the Presbytery of

Abe rtarfi'

to have an assistant and successor appointed . The people

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Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

and,considering the condition of Brae-Badenoch at the time

,and

the pronounced politi cal opinions of M r Macleod,it is likely that

he w as regarded by the people as being a sort of Government spyin their midst . ”

M r Mackenzie died Father of the Church,on 27th April

,1745 ,

in the 59th year of h is ministry .

9. DU NCAN M ACPHERSO N, A.M .

1747-1757.

Graduated at the University and King’s College,Aberdeen

,l st

April,1731. Licenced in 1742 . Ordained by the Presbytery of

Abe rtarff 23rd June , 1743, as Missionary at Glenroy, & c . Transferred to Mull in October, 1744. Called to Laggan

,2nd June

,

and admitted 16th September,1747. Familiarly known by the

cognomen of the M inistez'

r M or,and distinguished for h is herculean

strength , as well as for his powers of mind . For some particulars regarding him I have to express my obligations to theRev. M r Maclennan

,the present minister

,and to M r Angus Mac

kintosh,the worthy ex-schoolmaster of Laggan .

The old Kirk Session records of Laggan having been accidentallyburnt

,the particulars I have been able to obtain regarding

many of the earlier ministers of that pari sh are very scanty.

There is one,however

,Duncan Macpherson (the M iniste ir M ar),

who was well known to the grandfathers of the present generation .

Whether the Reformers worsh ipped in St Kenneth at CamusKillin is uncertain . At anyrate , one of the first Protestantchurches w as that at the Ei lean Dim ,

near B largy . The churchwas of very rude construction, and thatched with heather.The remains are still to be seen . M r Macpherson had hisresidence at Da lch ully , and, in order to get to the church, had tocross the Spey on horseback

,there being no bridges . Sunday was

generally observed both as a holy day and a holiday . For hoursbefore public w orsh ip

'be gan,the young men of the parish met and

played shinty until the arrival of the clergyman,who

,nolens

volens,was compelled to j oin the players otherwise he was given

clearly to understand that he would have to preach to emptybenches . So, after a hail or two, shinties were throw n aside, anda large congregation met to hear the ne w doctrine . The sermonwas short

,but pithy

,and people began to think there w as some

thing in the ne w doctrine after all . Immediately after servicesw ere over

,shinty w a s resumed

,and carried on a t intervals till

darkness put an end to their amusements,when many retired to

the neighbouring crofts and public-houses,where high revelry w as

kept up till morning.

Ske tch e s of th e O ld Ministers of Badenoch .

Frequently the river was unfordable,and on such occasions the

M iniste ir M ar was obliged to preach from a knoll on one side,while one-h alf of the congregation stood on the other. A difficultyarose in connection with th e proclamation of m arriage banns,and the m inister

,w hen not very certain as to the financ ia l status

of the ardent sw ain,would

,in stentorian tones

,cry out— “ M a

chuirea s tusa na l l an t-a z'

rgiod, cuiridh. m isc null a m foca l — a

request that w a s immediately responded to through the mediumof a piece of cloth in which the fe e w as carefully wrapped up, andflung across the river. It is also related that in the case of

bapt isms by the Jl im ste ir M ar w hen th e Spey was similarly inflood

,the infant would be taken to the brink of th e one side of

the river,while th e minister, standing.

on the brink of th e oth ers ide

,would

,w ith h is pow erful arm

,th row the w ater across w ith

such unerring aim as to descend . in showers on th e face of th echild

,and th us

,w ith the appropriate words uttered in tones

sufficiently loud to be heard a long w ay off,administer the rite of

baptism .

The universal application of the scriptural m axim that “ therace is not to the sw ift nor the battle to th e strong”

was,alas !

s trikingly e xe m pl ifie d in the case of the M iniste ir fli e r,the

worthy m an,strong and vigorous though h e w as

,having been

cut off on 13th August,1757, at the comparatively early age of 46.

10. ANDREW GALLIE, A.M .

1758 1774 .

Native of th e parish of Tarbat. Graduated at Aberdeen, 3rd

April, 1750 . Licenced by the Presbytery of Tain in 1753.

Ordained in 1756 as missionary at O Fort -Augustus . Presented toLaggan by Alexander Duke of Gordon

,and admitted 6th

September, 1758. M r Gallie w a s well-known in connection withth e Oss ianic controversy . As h aving reference to visits paid byJames Macpherson, the translator, to th e Manse at Laggan duringM r Gallie ’s incum bency

,let me give a fe w interesting extracts

from th e evidence given by the latter on the subj ect

When he (Macpherson) returned from his tour th rough theWestern Highlands and Islands he came to my house in BraeBadenoch . I enquired th e success of h is j ourney

,and he pro

duce d several volumes , small octavo, or rathe r large duodecimo, int h e Gaelic language and ch aracte rs, being th e poems of Ossian andoth er ancient bards .

“ I remember perfectly that many of those volumes were,at

th e close, said to h ave been collected by Paul M acm h uirich,Bard

228 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss.

Ch lanraonu il , and about the beginning of the fourteenth centuryM r M a h e rson and I were of opinion that, though the bard col

l e cte d them,yet they must have been writ by an ecclesiastic

, for

the ch aracters and spelling w ere most beautiful and correct .Every poem h ad its first letter of its first word most elegantlyflourish e d and gilded some red

,some yellow

,some blue

,and

some green the material writ on seemed to be a limber,yet

coarse and dark vellum the volumes were bound in strong parchment M r Macpherson had them from Clanranald .

At that time I could read the Gaelic characters,though with

d ifficulty, and did often amuse myselfwith reading here and th erein those poems while M r Macpherson was employed on his translation . At times we differed as to the meaning of certain words inthe original .

I remember M r Macpherson, when reading the MSS . foundin Clanranald

’

s,execrating the h ard wh o dictated to the

amanuensis, saying, D n the scoundrel it is he himself thatnow speaks

,and not Ossian .

’ This took place in my house in twoor three instances . I thence conj ecture that the MSS . were keptup, lest they sh ould fall under the view of such as would be moreready to publish their deformities than to point out their beauties .

It was,and I believe still is , well known that the ancient

poems of Ossian ,“

handed down from one generation to another,got

corrupted . In the state of the Highlands and its language,this

evil,I apprehend

,could not be avoided and I think great credit

is due,in such a case

,to him who restores a work of merit to its

original purity.

”

M r Gallie was translated to K incardine, in Ross- shire, on 18thAugust

,1774 .

11. JAM ES GRANT.

1775-1801 .

Appointed by the Committee of the Royal Bounty,2 l st August

,

1769, as missionary at Fort-Augustus . Presented to Laggan byAlexander Duke of Gordon, and admitted 2 l st September, 1775 .

Was married on 29th May, 1779, to Anne, only daughter of

Lieutenant Duncan Macvicar,Barrack-Master at Fort—George

,

afterwards so well known as the amiable and accomplished MrsGrant of Laggan, the authoress of Letters from the Mountains

,

”

Essays on the superstitions of the Highlanders,and other

literary works .M r Grant got the Church of Laggan rebuilt in 1785 . In 1794

he was appointed Chaplain of Lord L yne doch’

s Regiment of Perthsh .re Volunteers, the 9oth Foot. O i refine d and cultivated tastes

,

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230 Ga e l ic Socie ty of Inverne ss.

when a constitution,delicate as h is mind

,m ade it unlikely -that

even th us long w e should support each other th rough the paths ofl ife

,affords cause for much gratitude . What are d ifficultie s w hen

sh ared w ith one w hose delighted approbation gives one spirits tosurmount them ? Then to h ear from every m onth his modest

,

unobtrusive merit receive its due tribute of applause to se e himstill in his dear children

,now doubly dear ; and to know that such

a mind cannot perish,cannot suffer— nay , th rough the infinite

m erits of that Redeemer, in whom h e tr usted,enjoys what we

cannot conceive ! Dear Miss Dunbar,believe me I would not

give my tremulous hopes and pleasing sad retrospections for anyoth er person ’

s happiness . Forgive this it i s like the ove rflow ingof the heart to an intimate friend ° but your pity opens everysource of anguish and of tenderness .

Removing to Edinburgh a fe w years after the death of herhusband

,whom she survived for the long period of 37 years, M rs

Grant continued to live in that city for nearly 30 years,namely

,

from 1810 until her death in 1838.

“ During this lengthenedperiod

,M rs Grant mixed extensively in the literary and other

c ircles of Edinburgh,where her house was th e resort of many

eminent characters,both of her own and foreign countries . She

continued all this time to maintain an extensive correspondencewith her friends in England

,Scotland

,and America

,and her

letters,as may be supposed

,contained many sketches of the

literary and other society of the Scottish Capital,and of the varied

characters with w hom sh e w a s brought into contact,as well as

notices of the literature and general topics of th e day .

”

M rs Grant ’s l ife,for some years after sh e gave up

' writing forthe public

,had been in part devoted to an intellectual employ

ment of another kind— the superintendence of the education of asuccession of young persons of her own se x

,who were sent to

reside with her. From the year 1826, also, her means had beenfurther increased by a pension of £100

,which w as granted to her

by George IV. ,on a representation drawn up by Sir Walter Scott,

and supported by Henry Mackenzie,Lord J e ffrey, and other dis

tinguish e d persons am ong her friends in Edinburgh . In thatrepresentation they declared their belief that M rs Grant hadrendered eminent services to the cause of religion

,moral ity

,know

ledge, and taste, and that her writings had produced a strong andsaluta ry efie ct upon her countrymen

,w h o not only found recorded

in them much of national history and antiquities which wouldotherwise have been forgotten

,but found them combined with the

soundest and best lessons of virtue and morality .

”

Ske tch e s of th e old Ministe rs of Badenoch . 231

O i the five sons and seven daughters of Mrs Grant’s marriage ,four died in early life before their father and, with the exceptionof Joh n Peter, for many years a Writer to the Signet in Edinburgh,who edited her correspondence and the memoir of her life, publ ish e d in 1845

,all predeceased their venerated and famous moth er.

The follow ing is the inscription on the tombstone erected to hermemory

,beside that of her husband

,in the Ch urchyard of

LagganSacred to the Memory of M rs Anne Grant, Widow of the Re v.

James Grant,Minister of this Parish

,who died in Edinburgh, 7th

Nove m be r,1838

,aged 83. Her writings illustrate the associa

tions and scenes of her eventful life . Her eminent virtues adornedits relations . Her Christian faith and fortitude sustained its

many severe afflictions in humble submission to th e will of God .

Her numerous family of twelve children,for whom sh e made most

meritorious and successful exertions,w as, by the will of a m yste ri

ous Providence,all cut off before herself

,except him w h o now

records this memorial of his love and veneration .

He r mortal remains are interred in the burying-ground of

Saint Cuthbert’s Parish,Edinburgh .

”

12 . JOHN M ATHESON A .M .

1802 -1808.

Native of Ross - sh ire . Obtained his degree at the University and

King’s College

,Aberdeen

,in 1778. Licenced by the Presbytery

of Dornoch,29th March

,1785 . Became Missionary at Badenoch

and Lochaber,19th September, 1791. Ordained by the Presbyte ry

of Forres,3rd April

,1792, as assistant to th e Re v . Alexander

Watt of Forres . O n M r Watt’s death,M r Matheson returned to

h is old Mission in Badenoch . Presented to Laggan by AlexanderDuke of Gordon, and admitted 11th August, 1802 . Died l stDecember

,1808

,in th e 49th year of his age and 17th of h is

ministry.

13. DU NCAN M‘INTYRE

, A.M .

1809-1816.

Native of Fort-William . Graduated at Aberdeen in 1779.

Licenced by the Presbytery of Ab e rtarff,25th November

, 1783.

Ordained by them as Missionary at Fort—William,13th July

,1784 .

Became subse quently Missionary at Kilmuir,in Skye

,then at

Laggan and Gl enurch y , and th ereafter at Glencoe . O n thenomination of th e Society for Propagating Christian Know ledge,he afterw ards resumed th e charge of the Mission of th at Society atFort-William . Presented to Laggan by Alexander Duke of Gordonin March

,and admitted 7th September, 1809.

worth quoting. Here they are

Because your petitions1 has a large young family,as yet

uneducated,and because that in his present parish th e pi ope r

Seminaries of Education are not nearer to h im th an Perth orInverness and because the Living of Laggan is inadequat e to th eexpenses that unavoidably w ould attend their being sent to eith erof these places whereas at Kilm al l ie education falls m ore w ithinhis reach and abil ity .

Because the climate of Laggan is so severe a s in generalto render th e cr0 p most unproductive

,and is commonly attended

of course with most serious loss whereas th e cl imate of Kilm a l l ie

is warm,kindly

,and favourable to the rearing of crops

,as well as

most congenial to h is ow n and his family ’ s constitutions,they

being natives of the Parish .

Because that Laggan i s at the distance of fifty milesfrom any m arket tow n where he can be supplied with the ne ce sse ries of l ife 3 w hereas at Kilm a l l ie he can ge t whatever here quires for the use of h is fam ily and for the improvement of theGlebe by sea to the very door.

Because that the Living of Kilm a l lie,including the

Glebe,i s much better th an that of Laggan .

Because that th e feeling of a m or p a tm'

ee binds h im m oreto Kilm al l ie th an to any other parish .

For the above stated reasons,and others to be stated by your

petitioner viva voce at your bar,

He humbly trusts and earnestly entreats th at the Re v .

Presbytery of Abe rtarff will be pleased to grant him an Act ofTranslation

,and your petitioner, as in duty bound, will ever pray,

etc” etc?’

Notwith standing the vastly superior attractions of Kilm all ie ,in the es timation of M r M ‘Intyre , I question very much whetherthe present estimable Minister of Laggan would readily exchangethat Parish for that of Kilm a ll ie . Apparently

,how ever

,M r

M ‘Intyre’

s reasons proved so irresistible to h is Presbyt erythat they agreed to his translation to Kilm a ll ie nem . con.

,

and he was accord ingly inducted as M inister of that Parish on

26th March,1816 .

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234 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inverne ss .

Laggan,and it is only just to add that

'

in its present form theGaelic Dictionary is much indebted to his indefatigable labours

,

and his philological a cuteness and learning have greatly contributedto render it more accurate and complete .

17. DONAL D CAM ERON .

1832 -1846 .

Appointed Schoolmaster at South end in 1815 . Admonished bythe Presbytery

,28th June

,1816

,

“ for cruelty to his scholars,

being censorious and backbiting,and declared to be 111-qual ified to

be useful . ” Licenced by the Presbytery of Kintyre, 13th

December,1820 . Ordained by the Presbytery of Kincardine

O’

Ne ill,2 l st March, 1824, as M issionary at Gl enga irn. Presented

by the Trustees of Alexander Duke of Gordon in May,and

admitted a s Minister of Laggan,l st August

,1832 . 18 said to

have been possessed of some sterling qualities,but apparently h e

was of a most combative disposition . So l ittle sym pathy does h eappear to have had with the manly pastimes of the Lagganpeople that he strongly obj ected to any members of the KirkSession patronising shinty matches

,and the Session Records of

the time show that he even frowned upon any of their numberappearing at Meetings of the Session in the kiltUnfortunately no Session Records of Laggan now exist earlier

than 1827 . Here is an extract from a Minute of the Session,

during M r Cameron’s incum bency,dealing with a profanation of

the Sabbath quite prevalent in Badenoch down to within l ivingmem ory

Compeared in terms of citation — B alm ish a igaccused of profaning the Lord ’s Day by proclaiming a Roup at th eChurchyard gate on Sabbath last

,the 30th ult . The said

— being interrogated a s to hi s guilt,acknowledges

that he did publicly give intimation of said Roup,and expresses

his regret for such violation of the Sabbath,and gives in his letter

expression of th e same that it may be read in face of the Congregation next Lord ’s Day immediately after Divine Service . ”

M r Cameron died 19th April , 1846, in the 54th year of h is

age, and 23rd of his ministry .

18. WILLIAM SU THERLAND .

1846 -1850 .

Translated from Harri s . Presented by the Duke of Richmondand Lennox

,and admitted a s minister of Laggan 24th September,

1846 . Was an amiable,genial

,and popular minister . Translated

to Dingwall,17th October, 1850 .

Ske tch e s of th e O ld Ministe rs of Badenoch . 235

19. JOHN M ACLEOD .

1851-1869.

Translated from Ballachulish and Corran of Ardgour. Presentedto Laggan by the Duke of Richmond and Lennox, and admitted30th Jannary, 1851 . A faithful and most estimable clergyman

,

universally esteemed throughout the district . In qu iet,unassum

ing,pra ctical usefulness w as the beau idea l of a parish minister.

Died at Laggan, 8th April, 1869, in th e 63rd year of h is age .One of his sons is the w ell-known Dr Donald Macleod

,the genial and

popular minister of the Scotch Nationa l Church in London .

20. D O NALD M ACFADYEN.

1869-1880.

Translated from Ardnam urch an . Presented by the Duke of Richmond and Lennox, and inducted as minister of Laggan,

22md

September,1869. An excellent preacher

,both in Ga elic and

English,and a genuine Highlander to th e very core, w ith a most

marked personality. Apt though he w as,at times

,to be carried

away by the Celtic warmth and impetuosity of h is feelings, and

with what,on t h e surface

,appeared a somew hat unattractive

manner,no more devoted

,kind-h earted minister than M r M a cfad

yen ever,I believe

,fil le d the pulpit of Laggan. Was a capital

story-teller— of wh ich he w a s himself frequently the hero— and

had a keen sense of the humorous,as well as of the tender and

path etic,side of the High land character. M r Macfadyen died l st

November,1880 . In testimony of their deep and affectionate

regard,h is

,Congregation, soon after h is death , e rected a handsome

granite monument to his memory in the Churchyard of Laggan,with the following Gaelic inscription

Mar ch uinh ne ach an air M r Dom hnul l M a cph aide in, m iniste ir

L aga in, a ch aoch a il air a cheud la th a de’n Gh e am h radh , 1880 .

Duine a ch oisinn meas ’san e agla is agus urram’na dh uth a ich .

Ch uir a ch om h th ional an carragh so a ig a ch e ann .

”

Let me give a few extracts from th e j ust and eloquent tributepaid to his memory soon after his death by his old fellow-student,Dr Mackenzie

,of Kingussie

Your m inister w as one of my oldest friends . Long before w ew ere neighbours

,w e were fellow -students

,thrown very closely

together,so that I knew him well . He w a s a brave fellow— a

true man— a real Ch ristian . These features of his ch aracter weremarked at College they continued in a more subdued form to theclose of life . When a lad at th e University he show ed a manlyindependent spirit . He Worked h is own w ay . While attending

money prize for an essay on a philosoph ical subj ect . He

resolved at an early period to study for the Church of Scotland .

He did so at a time when to do th is in the High lands entailedfrom many ill will and reproach . When a sch oolmaster in Rossshire

,h is sister w as not allowed to take w ater from a public w ell

,

because her broth er w as a M odera te,and he himself w as shunned

as an outcast . He boldly faced the trials of th at time,and it w as

a cause of rejoicing to him that he lived to see in th e North awider toleration prevail

,and old enmities and feuds laid to rest

,

by the grow th of a kinder and more Christian spirit .

His career in the Ministry was not a very prosperous onem easured by the world ’

s standard . He was called to no eminentc harge . His words w ere not ch ronicled in newspapers . Nocrowded congregation hung 0 11 his lips . He w as a simple ParishMinist e r trying to do his Master ’s w ill

,and feel ing h onoured by

t h e position to wh i ch h is Master had called him .

Beginning his Ministry at Auch ara cl e in Argyl e sh ire , he w as,after four years

,translated to the Parish of Ardnam urch an— that

immense parish w h ich stretches along the w estern se a -board formiles . Th ere he laboured cheerfully and successfully among akind and devoted people for nine years . It w a s a parish that,which to work th oroughly, entailed immense bodily fatigued istances w ere great

,but by boat or on h orseback, the faithful

Pastor found h is w ay to the most outlying districts . He lovedArdnam urch an a nd th e sea

,and would never

,I believe

,have left

it if h e had not been compelled to do so from the state of his h ealth .

Most of you remember h is coming to Laggan at the unanimousrequest of the Congregation then worshipping in the Ch urch, andall of you know what h is ministry here h as been . He had hisfaults

,but h ow fe w they were com pa red w ith his virtues . His

impetuosity,which was the side of his character on which perhaps

he tended to err,wa s prompted alw ays by a thorough conviction

that he was in th e righ t . He was a pure-minded simple-heartedman

,with the guilelessness of a child . I never knew one more

guileless and free from double dealing . He was intensely singleminded

,and absolutely disinterested in all his dealings . You

never could mistake him . As he w as at College, so he continuedto the last — a true Highlander full of Celtic fire

,fond of his

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d irectness of application, pecul iarly his own . The Free Ch urch of

Lagga'

n having been unfortunately burnt down some years ago,t h e present comfortable and handsome e dific e was erected on thesame site 5 and mainly through th e unweariedsive appeals of M r Shaw

,is now entirely free from debt .

he has already attained such an advanced age,it is

,I am sure

,th e

s incere wish of the whole body of the Parish ioners that he may bespared for many years to come, and long be able in health andstrength to go out and in among the members of his attachedCongregation . M r Shaw ’s only daughter is m arried to th e

,Re v .

Murdo Mackenzie, th e worthy and popular successor of the latevenerated Re v . Dr Mackay, in the ministry of the Free NorthChurch of Inye rne ss .

Ifmen were free to take, and w i se to useThe fortunes richly strewn by kindly chance

,

Then kings and mighty potentates might chooseTo live and die lords of a Highland manse .

For why ? Th dugh that w h ich spurs the forward mindB e wanting here, th e high-perched glittering prize

,

The bliss that ch iefly suits the human kindWithin this bounded compass largely lies

The healthful change of labour and of ease,

The sober inspiration to do good,

The green seclusion,and the st irring breeze

,

The working hand leagued with a thoughtful moodThese things

,undreamt by feverish- striving men,

The wise priest knows who rules a Highland glen .

7 7 th APRI L ,1889.

M r D. Munro Fraser, ILM. Inspector of Sch ools, Glasgow, wase l ected a member of the Society at this meeting . Thereafter M r

Colin Chisholm read a paper entitled “ACollection of Unpublished

Gaelic Songs, with Notes .”

M r Chisholm’s paper is as follows

be followingev. B anald

s congregation at M oidart, when he w as parting with themustra l ia , in 1855 . I have heard several verses of his comon

,the most humorous of these I remember is his “ Address

Engine,” which was included in a former paper that

this Society (se e Vol . XI I ., p . 153. The Re v.

ld Rankin Australia,died in 1863

,aged 64.

TAL ADH AR S L ANU IGHIR

Air fonn Cum h a M h ic Ann'

s.

Ale lm'

a h,Ale luz

'

ah,Ale lut

'

a h,Ale luia h .

M o gh aol, mo gh radh , a’s m ’

fh eudail thu ,M

’ion

’ntas ur a ’

s m’e ibh ne as thu

,

Mo m h a can a luinn c eutach thu,

Cha ’n fh iu mi fein bhi ’

d dhail .Al e lu iah

,& 0 .

Ge’m or an t—aobh ar cl iu dh om h e

,

’S m or an t -aobh ar cura im e

,

’S m or an t—aobh ar um h lach d e

,

Righ nan dul’bhi ’

m laim h .

Ge d’ is l e anam h dibl idh thu ,

Cinnte a ch’s Righ nan Righ re an thu,

’

S tu ’n t -oigh re dligh e a ch , firinne ach

Air Riogh a ch d Dh e nan gras .

Ge d’ is Righ na glora ch thu

Dh iult iad an tigh -osda dh uit,Ach ch ualas a ingl e an solasa ch’Toirt gloir do ’n T1 i s aird .

Eu mhor solas agus iogh nadhB uach a il le an boch da nan caora ch ,’Nuair chual iad na h - a ingl e an a

’

glaodh a ich ,Th a inig Slanu i

’

e ar thun an t-saogh a il .”

B’ e sin an c e ol

,

’s an na igh e ach d agh m h or

’

Sh e inn na h -a ingl e an anns na h -ardaibh,

Ag innse adh gu’n d ’

rugadh Slanui’

e ar

Am Betlehem,am baile Dh aibh idh .

Fh ua ir iad ’n am a ch la is th ein th u

,

Th a irg iad o_r dh u it

, m irr a’s tuis

,

Th ug iad aoradh dh uit a’

s cl iu ,

B’ e turas an a igh do

’

n triuir,

’Th a inig a sh e al ltuinn mo ruin.

’0 na dh ’ innis a inge a l Dé dh u innGu ’n robb ’

n fh oil l an cridh e Heroid,

Dh’

fh a lbh sinne leat do ’n Eiph itG

’ a sh e a ch nadh mu ’n de anta beud ort .

O ’Heroid a ch ridh e ch rua idh,

Cha ch oisinn t ’

im l e a ch d d huit bua idh,

’

S l ionar m ath a ir dh’

fh ag thu truagh ,’

S tu dian an toir air bas mo lua idh .

’S fh ada

,thada

,bho Iude a

Te aruinte bho d ’

ch laidh e am h ge ur e,

’M e asg nam mac cha d

’

fhuair th u fein e,

’S fal la in

,slan thu

,

’

s fath d hom h e ibh ne a s .

Dh’

a inde oin do m h i-rinn a ’

s t’

fh arm a id,

Bidh mo m h a c -sa c liuite a ch,a inm e il

,

Cha ch uir e n igh an or n’an a irgiod,

A riogh ach d ch a riogh ach d th alm h a idh .

Gur galach,bronach

,tursach iad

An dra st ann an I e rusa l e m ,

A’caoidh nam macan 1

‘

1ra sin,

’

S b’ e ’

n diubh a il’n cur gu bas.

Tha Rachel an d iugh fo bh ron,A

’caoidh a pa isde an a luinn

,5g,

’S frasach air a grua idh na de oirBho nach ’eil iad a ice beo.

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[

Th ige adh na sloigh chur ort tailteDh e anadh um h lach d dh uit mar Sh lanuiBidh solas m or am m e asg siol AdhamhTh a inig am Fear-saora idh

,th a inig !

Thig a ph e aca ich , na biodh sgath ort,Gh e ibh thu na dh ’

iarras tu ’

gh rasan

Ge d’bh iodh do ob iontan dearg m ar sgarla id

Bidh t’anam geal mar shne a ch d nan ard—bh e ann.

Hdsanah do M h ac Dh a ibh idh ,Mo Righ

,mo Th igh e arna ,

’

s mo Sh lanui’e ar,

’S m or mo sholas bhi ’

ga d’th aladh

,

’S be anna ich te am m e a sg nam m na i mi .

The following lament was composed by the late CaptainDonald Chisholm

,at Musselburgh

,for his son Archibald Chisholm

,

w h o died in India :

GU M B ADE CHAPTAIN SHISEAI L DO M HAC, GI L L EASB AIG S ISEAL ,

A FHUAIR B ias ANNS NA H-INNSEAN , DO L NA 19 A DH’

AO IS.

AIR FONN— Och Ochain ! ’

8 mi trom inntinne ach,

’S nach urra inn mi ga innse adh dhuibh .

D’fh albh mo L e anabh fada bhuam

,

Air a chuan ’8 na h -Innse annan,

Och,Ochain

,& c .

Gur e bh as a ig Serampore,A d

’

fh ag to’bh ron

’

s to’m h i-gbean m i.

Air mo ch ridh e rinn.

e crua’

ach’

,

Co ch ruaidh’s nach glua ise adh l igh

’ch e an e .

A Colle ction 07 Unpublish ed Gae lic Songs.

Ach an t-Ath a ir,a b’

fh e arr coir air,Cum mo bh ron gun m h i-m h odh dh uit,

Gabh mo L e anabh to’ do ch uram ,

O ’n bha run ’

8 inntinn d hu it.

’S mor bha e arb

-’S as gach gloir

Ach bh a e gh nath ga dh ite adh fein .

Cul-ch ainnt cha ’n e isde adh a ch luas

,

Ge b’

e cc bh ua ith e th ige adh i .

Bho bh eul cha d ’th ainig mi-stua im ,

A chuire adh grua im no mi-gbean orm .

Gar an robh a sporan lan ,B h a ch ridh e tla do ’

n dill e ach dan.

’S tha m l nise ann

’

an doch as,

Gu’

n se inn e gloir gu siorruidh dh uit.

John Mackenzie,in his “Beauties of Gaelic Poetry

, glve s six

verses of the following popular song . I give eight verses,as w ell

as the name of the poet . It was Christoph er Macrae . He w as

a schoolmaster in Kintail in th e latter part of the last century. Ihave heard verses of other sweet songs he composed . To distingu ish him from his neigh bours, he was called Gill e criosd

Hasal ”

FAI L TE DHU T A ’

S SLAINTE LEAT.

L uinneag.

Fa l lte dhut a ’

s slainte leat,

Failte ch u irinn a ’

8 do dh éighFailte dh ut a ’

s slainte leat,

Failts oh uirinn a ’s do dh e igh .

’Se mo run an‘Gae l lagh ach ,

Gur tu a th agh a inn’s cha b’

e’n Gall

Ort a thig 1i a h -a irm air th agh adh ,O s ceann adh arc chrios nam ball .

Failte dhut, e tc .

Eadar Cluanaidh ghorm’s B ra igh

—choil ich,

’S trio a l e ag thu lan damh croich d

,

B h iodh do gh il l e an tigh inn gu baile ,Sith inn bh iata ch d dh a ibh mar ch oir.

Failte dhut,etc .

’S tu se alga ir a

’s dirich am h arc,’S geal an a inge al th

’ann ad gh leus’S tric do lua idh e gh las na siubh al ,’S i gu fuilte a ch , guine ach , geur.

Failte dhut, etc .

Eu tu nam h ’

d a ch apuil l-ch oille ,’S a bh u ic an doire nan stii c

M arbh a ich a bh ric ris a ch oinne il ,’S a ch oil ich ar m s a ch oill e dh luth .

Failte dhut, etc .

’S math thig sind dhut air do gh iulan,

Fla sg anns am bi fudar gorm,

’S a ith re ach leam nach d ’ rinn mi ’cui s riut,Ged a bh iodh iad dium bach orm .

Failt dhut,e tc .

Leat cha’n iarra inn seom ar cada il,

No clara idh leap ’bhi ri m ’th aobh

B’

annsa bhi l e m’

gh aol’s l e m

’a igh e ar,

’N aros nan a igh e an

’s nan laogh .

Failte dhut,etc .

Fh ir ch aidh tim ich e al l an rugh a ,Tha mi dubh ach as do dh e ighGus am fa ic m i

, gh aoil , thu rith isd,Gu ’n robb gach sl igh e dhut reidh .

Failte dhut,etc .

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Agus Mcnair gu fiadh ach,a sh eoid

,

O idh ch e Ch alla inn na ’m b

’ail

Gh e ibh te bradan o’

n Fh aine as gu d’bhord.

’N am sgaoil e adh nam macan,Gun robb ua isl e a’s c e artas a ’

fas,

Cha bu chuba ire ge altach ,Ach curam a ch

,sm ach da il, gun sgath ,

Ri am t ional na tuath aCha b ’ ann agartach crua idh m m na mhal

,

B h iodh na boch dan ag e igh e a ch d

Gun robb fortan mhic Dh e dh u it an dan.

Dh’

e ire adh sud ’

s an Taobh -tuath leat,

Mac-Coinnich,l e sh luagh air an ceann,

Nall 0 L e ogh a s, na h -Earadh ,Cinn-t—saile

,Loch-Carunn,

’s Loch—Aills’

Eu leat arm u inn na Com ra ich,

Agus pairt dh ’fh e ara ibh donn ’

Innse -Gall,

Mar sud a ’s siol ’Ille-Ch a luim ,

’

S iad a’d ioladh na fola gu te ann .

But leat na Gordana ich riogh a il ,L uch d a ch ruadail gun m b i-eb linan camp

,

’S e sud an c inne adh nach strioch dadh

,

Gus an caill e adh iad d ire ach an ceannClann-an—Toisich nam pios leat,Bha iad crosda

’nuair sh ine adh am fe arg’S mur de ach a idh fad air mo ch uim hneTh ige adh brod Ch lann-

’ic -Aoidh leat a nall .

Dh’e ire adh sud m u do gh ua ill ibh ,

Na’n cluinnt

’ thu bhi ’n cruadal no ’

11 catsClann Each a inn nan Roibne an,

’S cha bu gh e alta ch an toise a ch adh blairB h iodh da sh l ios Locha—Braon leat

,

’S ged bh ith e adh cha b ’

iogh nadh leam 8,

Mar sud ’

s a Ch oige ach Chinn-Asainn,

Dha do ch om h nadh , fh ir gh asda ,’s an spa irn.

Gus an cinnich na m aoth ara in 5g,Ma ’

s a toil e ach l e Dia e,

Na’m bu fad ’ ach an lion iad do chot’.

’S tim dh om h sgur dh e th mo m h uladMo ch re a ch leir mi ch a bh uidh nig e bonn,’S ann is fh e udar dh om h sgur dh e th

Na d ’

dh e igh th e id gach duin’ air an fh onn .

Mar na coil ltich e an conna idh,

Tha na sa igh de an a’

pronnadh nan sonnSgith mi dh

’

am h arc an dromaFar bh e il luch d nan cul donna gu trom .

The maker of this merry song describes the charms,and

m entions several admirers, of Betsy,the daughter of the host at

’S fh e udar dh om h bhi beoGed a robh thu ’

m dh ith,

Cia mar gh e ibh mi sm ua ire an

A ch um a il dh iom .

’S ann san L uib tha ch a il e ag,Dha ’

n tug m i’n gaol falaich ,

Ma ni i mo m h e al ladh’S arrabanach mi .

’S fh e udal

,etc .

B e ta idh , th ir na La ibe,’S mor a gh abh mi loinn dhi

’

,

M’ aisling fe adh na h -oidh ch e

,

M u na m h a ide an gh rinn .

S fh e udar, etc .

’S 1mo gh aol an a innir

Dha ’n t ig breid is anart,

’

S iom adh diuc is baran,

D’

fh arra ide as co 1.’S fh e udar

,etc .

’S ann diubh Donnl Grigor

,

‘Giul lan boidh e ach,sgioba lt,

Posa idh e gun fh ios i,Th uirt e sud rium thin .

’S fh e udar

,etc .

Ged tha Donnl boidh e ach,

’S e ch o binn ri sm e ora ch

,

Ni thu mar ’s coir dh u it

Posa idh tu mi thin .

’S fh e udar

,etc.

L AO IDH AN SPI O RAID NAO IM H .

O thig a nuas, a Spiorad Naoim h ,A sh e all ta inn anm annan do gh aoil,’U s lion ar cridh

’

l e d’

gh rasan caom h,

A Ch ruth ada ir a’

ch inne -dh aoin’

.

’S tu ar Com h fh urta ir ’

s gach cas,

’S tu gibh t

’ro-naom h an Dé a ’s aird ’

,

’S tu ’

m tuaran beo,an teine

,

’n gradh

’U s unga id spiorada il an aigh .

Tha do th iodh la ic e an se a ch d -fillt’

,

Miar deas-lam h Dh e thu ’th riath gach ni

,

’S tu ge al ladh

’n Ath ar naoim h l e c innt

,

B h uat—sa thig deas-labh a irt cinn .

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’Sh acram a id

,tha sinn l e um h lach d

,

’Toirt dhut aoraidh

,cl iu

,

’us gloir’

Rioch d an t—S e ann—lagh ch uire adh ch l ris;’San Lagh-ur tha’n thir-bh e a ch d chorr ;Ged nach tuige ar l e

’r c e ud-fathan,

Cre ide am h cha dian taill inn oirnn .

Gloir do ’n Ath a ir,’s gloir do ’n Mbao

,

’S gloir co-ch e art do’n Spiorad Naom hCli1‘1 ’

us a igh ir, onoir’s ne art

,

Slainte ’s be anna ch adh a ch aoidh

Triana id ch um h a ch da ch nam teartM olam a id m u se ach

’8 mar aon .

U RUAIGH NA SACRAM AIDE.

De agh do bh e ath a Chu irp Ch riosta ,B eagh do bh e ath a Righ na

’m fe arte an,

B eagh do bh e ath a fh u il i s fh e oil,De agh do bh e ath a phor na

’n gras,

De agh do bh e ath a Dh iadh a ch d Naom h ,B eagh do bh e ath a dh aonnda ch d eheart .Bho ’

n th oilich thu te ach d,

F0 sge im h arain a chuirp sh la in,

L e igh is m’ anam bho gach ol e

,

O rm sa noch da idh mar a ta,A Th riana id naom h , gun d e ire adh gun tusNa bidh t ’

fh e arg rium na’s modh,

Bath m’u ilc am tuil do gh ras,

Failte dhut a M h oire sa Dh ia . Amen .

Before I left London the following very good Gaelic translationof “ Auld Langsyne” came to me by post . I laid it carefullyaside, and discovered it recently in the leaves of a M S . Th e

cuim h n’

,

01 air chul’S na la ith e an bh ’

ar m 0’ chian .

L uinneag .

Air sgath nan la ith e an c ian a gh ra idh ,Air sgath nan la ith e an c ian

,

Gu ’n gabh sm n cupan ca irde il lan,Air sgath nan la ith e an c ian .

B h ith trusadh ne oine an fe adh nam bruach,

B’e siod aon nair ur m iann

,

Ach ’s iom adh ce um sgith a sh iubh a il sinn,

O laith e an bh’ar m a chian .

Air sgath nan,etc .

Bha sinn araon a cluich ’s na h -uil t

,

Gu h -oich’o

’n chite gh rian,

Ach bh e uch d na cuainte an e adar-ninu,

O la ith e an bh’ ann o chian.

Air sgath nam, e tc .

Sin mo lam h -sa ch a irid ch aom h ,

’S thoir dh om h ’

8 do la rnh ’

s gun gh iam h ,’S gu ’n gabh sin tarruinn fh iala idh lan,Air sgath nan la ith e an c ian .

Air sgath nan, etc .

’S co cinnte ach sa bh ios tusa stop,Bidh ’

m fh e arsa air bord l e ’m m h iann,

’S gh e ibh sinn cupan ca irde il lanAir sgath nan la ith e an cian .

Air sgath nan, etc .

’S ann m u

‘

th oise a ch na ’

m faoile ach,

Fh ua ir mi na igh e ach d nach caom h leam ri sh e inn,

M u’n tra anam och Di h -aoine

,

Gun bhua il sa igh e ad bho’n aog fear Ch noic -fh inn

,

’S cruaidh leam acan do d h aoine ,Mathan galach cha ’

n ionadh do dh e igh ,’S do bh e an og ga do ch aoine ,

’S ann c irre s ’

fh a id e bh ios saoil a do dh e igh .

Tha do planntanan oga,*Air an l ionadh lan bron a do dh e igh ,Mar sin ’

s De adh M h ac do Ph e a th ar,

Agus Cloinn B h ra th air t ’

ath a ir’s e fein,

’Ch raobh m h ul la ich a b ’

a irde,

Bhi air tuite am m u’n d

’

fh as a euid gengDh -fh ag do cheile to chra lot,’Si bhi cum h a gu brach a do dh e igh .

’Strom do ch inne adh ga t’iarga inn,

’S do ch e ann fine lan siorra ch d do dh e igh ,Cha bh iodh t ’

fhu il ua ibh re a ch gun dioladh ,Na ’

m bann l e na im h de an a riabt do ch re ibh,

S l ionm h or S iosalach mor,

Rach adh to arm a ch d a com h nadh chum feum,

B h ua ile adh sporan ri ord,Aig na cuiridh ga se oladh ri glens .

Ch aill anR igh ce annas te a ch d,B huinnige adh cis far a faltrich air each,Nnair dh e ire adh na Glaisic h

,

Na fir mhor to do bh rata ch gun sga,B

’

thior Ch a ipte an air sluagh th u ,

Sh e asadh dana an cruadal a bh la ir,

Gun lean sud ribb mar d hualch as,Nach cuire adh lasar no lua idh e oirbh sga.

Th e planntanan oga al lude d to h e re w e re th e six sons of Fe ar Chnoic

Ph inu . B e agh M h ac do Ph e ath ar w as th e Re v. Col in Grant, for som e tim e

m issionary prie st in Nova S cotia . w h e re h e die d. Cloinn B h rath ar t’

ath air’

s e fe in”w e re th e tw o B ish ops Ch ish olm , w h o die d at Lism ore

,th e ir siste r,

M rs Allan Ch ish olm,late of Ke rrow

,and th e ir ve ne rable fath e r, Val entine ,

Wh o die d at Inch ul ly , age d 96

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Ach gur mor mo ch uid arta il ,’S mi bhi cluinntinn ’

s a fa ic inn mar tha,

Gun d ’th ua ir innl e ach d fir Sh asuinn

,

Comas com h nuidh na t ’

a itre abh a th am h,

An dara c e anna s bu shinne,Deth ’

n t-se ann l inn de na ch inne adh a b ’

fh e arr,

O rion a n ’ionad nan saoidh e an

,

Mac a Gh oill thigh ’n an taobh so na d ’ ait ’ .

Gum b’ e ’

n cara ich e an saogh a l ,L e ch uid fa il e asan faoine gun sta,Sm a irg a gh abh adh droch m h isne a ch d

,

Na dh e il ege adh briste bhi dha,Mar bha Iob air a ch e usadh

,

L e lotan lan ch re uch dan gu bh as,An d e igh ch uid cloinne agus fh e udal

,

A sgrios bh ua idh m u’n d

’

e irich sud dha .

Nuair bh iodh t ’s tigh-osda ,

Ch a ba sgrubaire poit thu bha crion,Ch a b

’e e igh e ach d nan stopan,

Eu m h ian l e do sh e orsa riam h,

Ach goo am buide a l as de abh i,’

S olar as i mu ’n de ona ich sinn trial l,G e b

’

e dh ianadh a tragh adh ,’

S tusa a b ’

urra inn a pa idh e adh sa diol .

’

S goirt a gh aoir a ig na fe um naich ,’

S iad a cum h a m u dh e idh inn do bhais,

’

S iom adh fear agus te,Fhua ir cnodach gun eis air do sga,Gh e ibh t a poca id na feile,Rud a bh e ire adh na feum nai cli a cas

,’

S cridh e farsuinn na c e ill eGa th oirt se ach ad gun eis air a la im h .

A Colle ctiori of Unpublish ed Ga e lic Songs. 255

’Nuair th ill e adh tu dh a ch a idh ,Gu tur m e adh rach do bhaile l e m uirn,

B h iodh m na i oga lan a ite as,

Na dc sh e om ra ich e an dait l e surd,’S iad fuaigh e a l air anart,Ann an uinne agan glainne gun smuid,Gh e ibh t se anach as mu ’n Fh e inn annAgus iom ada idh sge ul air a chul .

Gh e ibh t am B iobul l ga l eugh adh ,

Aig do sgoil e aran geura l e tur,’S de adh bh e an—tigh e na feile ,Cur an c e ill da ibh mar dh -fh e um adh a chuis

,

An am dh a ibh e iridh sa m h aduinn,

Agus sl e uch dadh roi’

ch ada l na h ’oidh ch e

Gu’m bith e adh cre ud agus pa idir,

Mar ri laoidh agus l e adan ga’n se inn.

24th, APRI L ,1889.

At this meeting the follow ing gentlemen were elected membersof the Society, viz . z— Major Randle Jackson of Swordale, Evanton,Ross sh ire , a life member ; M r Cecil Ke nard

,Sconser Lodge

,Skye

M r David Todd, Kingsburgh M r Gilbert Matheson,draper.

Inverness and M r Peter Macintyre,of the Crofter’s Commission

,

6 Parliament Square, Edinburgh , ordinary members . ThereafterM r John Whyte read a paper contributed by the Rev. ArchibaldM acdonald

,Greenock

,entitled Some Hebridean Singers and their

Songs . ” M r Macdonald ’s paper w as as follows

SO ME HEB RIDEAN SINGERS AND THEIR SO NGS.

John M a cCodrum,popularly known in his own day as Iain

Mac Fh e arch a ir, was undoubtedly the greatest of our Hebrideanbards . The M a cO odrum s w ere

,I believe

,a sept of the Macdonald

c lan,but the origin of th e name is unknown

,and the family seems

to be extinct . John M a cCodrum h as immortalised his birthplacein a verse of S m e ora ch Ch loinn Dom hnuill

,

” a song composed inh onour of h is favourite clan

,and published in Mackenzie ’s

Beauties”

“An Cladh Ch oth ain rugadh mise’

N Aird-a -Runna ir ch a idh 1no .th ogai1,Frad h arc a ch ua in ua im h rich chuisl ich

,

Nan s tuadh guanach , clua ine ach , cluich e ach .

256 Gae lic Socie ty of Inverne ss .

Th e w orks of this bard have never been published in a separateform

,though the most famous of them have appeared in the col le c

tions of Stewart and Mackenzie . Since then, and within the lastfew years, tw o of his other songs, Ta ladh Iain M h uide arta ich ”

and Oran na h -Q ige,”h ave appeared in print for the first time

,

the former having been contributed by the Rev . John M acrury,Snizort , to M r Sinclair’s O rana ich e

, and the other by myself tothe Ce ltic M aga zine . Oran na h -Q ige” w as taken down from th e

rec itation of Donald Laing, Howm ore, in South Uist, wh o died afew years ago, and who was really a marvellous repository of

poetical lore . Though already in print, it is not out of place thatit should be reproduced here, along w ith other effusions by thesame bard

,obtained from the same reciter. The Transactions of

the Gaelic Society of Inverness will thus possess a complete recordof all that h as been rescued from oblivion of the productions of abard of whom his countrymen are justly proud . These poems,w ith one exception, publish ed for th e first time

,are an interesting

illustration of the length of time the works of a great,th ough

untutored bard may be handed down by oral tradition .

O RAN NA H-O IGE.

An toiseach nam bl iadh na ich e an ur,

De ire adh gh e am h ra idh e an udla idh nam fras,’Nuair is anm oich e dh

’e ire as a gh rian,

’S i s lionm h oire ’

sh il e as an sne ach d

Ri gach l e anabh , gach naoidh e an boch d, m aoth,

A’

gabh a il gu saoth a ir’s gu cne ad

,

Ach ge ire ad an fh a ilidh’

s an fh uach d,

Nach faodar an gluasad bho nead .

’N toiseach Earra ich thig Ge arran flinch

,garbh

,

Chu ire as ca l luinn gach a inm h idh air a is,

Thig tein-adh a ir thig torrunn ’na de igh ,

Thig ga il l ionn thig e ire adh nach lagRi gach l e anabh gach naoidh e an boch d m aoth

,

Nach urra inn doibh inuse ’de staid,

Gun e irbh e irt,gun asdar

,gun luth

,

Gus an te irig an dudlach d air fad .

Mart tioram ri todh ar nan crann,

A’sugh adh gach a l lt

’us gach e as,

Gach luibh b h ios an garadh no ’n coill

,

Gun snodh ach,gun duil le ach

,gun m h e a s

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258 Ga e l ic Socie ty of Inve rne ss.

’N tigh cre adh a so

’m bh e il thu ’

n ad th am h ,Chois ch e adh a ig ni cnam h anns an u ir

,

Ma ’s droch dh e agh ad

*a bh

’agad

’

s an fh eoil,

Thig fath ast dhuit doruinn ’

g a’

c h ionn .

Cia mar dh ’

e ire as do 11 ch oluinn’n robh

’m bosd

,’Nuair a th e id i ’

s a’

bh ord-chiste dh luth ?Cia mar dh ’

e ire as do ’n teanga ’n robh ch e ilg,

No do ’n ch ridh e bha de ilbh a m h i-run

No do uinne agan bua iridh nam m iann ,

Dh’fhad brua ille in a

’

d’

inntinn bho thus ?’S grannada sloc anns an robb iad a

’d

’

ch e ann,

’N de igh an stopadh l e poll

’us l e nir.

’N de igh a stopadh l e poll

’us l e n ir

Anns a ’

closa ich gun diu is beag toirt,

’S am beagan a thug thu leat sios

,

B h e ire ar bu il e a ch e dh iot anns an t -sloc

Cia’n agh a idh bu m h a isich e h amb

,‘

Cia do shu il e an,cia t-fh iaclan

,cia t -thalt

,

Cia na m e oire an an glaca ibh nan la m h,

Bha cur se a ch ad gach spair n a rug ort .

’Nuair a dh ’fh al bh as an Sa m h radh c iuin blath

,

Th e id gach uam h ar’s gach ardan air chul

,

B i cnuim h e an’

g’ur ith e

’

s’

g’ur se arg,

Ris an abair iad farmad ’a s tnu

’Nuair nach fogh a inn na dh’

fh ogh nadh de’n bh iadh ,

’S nach fogh ainn na liona s a bh ru ,

Ch a robb bh e a irtt as a ig Solam h’s a ig Iob,

’Na th oil ich e adh com h lath do shuil .

Gur e ’n ga isge a ch nach ge alta ch am h as

,

Leis an coinge is an s aoibh ir no’

n1 boch d,

’Nuair a th ilge a s e’n gath nach t e id iom ra ll,

Cho cuim se a ch ri urrach a ir a m h oisgCha ’

n a m h a irc e dh ’inbh e 110 dh

’

ua isl’

,

Ach gach ardan ’s gach ua m h ar

’na th osd,’S ni cinnte ach sh iol Adhamh o thns’

,

B as nadurr’ ’us cunnta s na chois .

M a’

8 droch dh e agh ad a.

bh’agad

’s an fh eoil .

Th e w ord deagha d is not uncom m only e m ploy e d in North U ist in th e sensl iving, or m orals. It appe ars to be a corruption of tne English w ordth ough ne ve r use d in Gae lic in th e origina l sense of th at w ord .

Som e Hebride an Singers.

A very touching poem was composed by M a cCodrum on thee ve of a number of the M a cdon11d clan emigrating to America .

The song seems to have been composed in prospect of theird eparture but tradition says that th e greater number of thebetter—ofi

’

among the supposed emigrants w ere in a plot to ge ttheir poorer neighbours away

,under th e pretence that they them

selves w ere to accompany th em across the Atlantic. The story

goes that the conspirators carted a large quantity of what appearedto be baggage to Lochmaddy

,the port of departure, but that their

trunks and boxes only contained peats Those who were not inthe plot— and among them

,it is said

,Macdonald of Grim inish

h ad made genuine preparations to depart,and carried out their

intentions,even after the conspiracy Was discovered, with feelings

more to be imagined than described ; while th e rest, satisfied

probably with the success of the ruse,returned to their respective

homes. The song seems to have been composed before the plotwas divulged

,as it makes no suggestion regarding th e treachery

that was enacted

Moch ’

8 mi ’

g e iridh

Fo sproch d’s to éisl e in

,

Gur boch d mo sgeu la’S cha bh reug mo ch a innt,Ma ’

8 sgeula fior e,

’S e sgeul is cianala ,Ch ualas riam h

Ann an Inuse-Gall .’

S e sgeula mor eAir bh e agan solais

,

’S e sge ula bh roin eGun ch e ol , gun fh onn’S e sgeul is trua igh eChuala cluas e

,

Air bh e agan bunna ch d’S gur buan a chall .

’S e sgeul tha crua idh eGu ’n d ’

gh abh sibb fuadach,

Ar sar dh aoin ’-ua isl e

Gun gh rua im ,gun sgra ing

Gu’

n d’

gh abh sibb fogradh ,’S ch a b ’ann ’

g’ur d e oin

,

Dha’n an tir nach b ’

solachAn se ors

’ud ann .

Ga

An tuinnse t e ann

Gu ’n d f rug beul sios wLoirnn,

Gun duil d ire adh,

Gu’n d

’luidh am mi—fh ortan

Air ar ceann .

Mu ’n thine ph rise ilEu m h isne ach d righ sibb ,An am dal sios duibhSibh cruinn

’s a

’ champ,

’S a sh e asadh la idirRi aodann Spa intich ,

’S nach traoigh t

’ur n-ardan

Gun bh as nan Gall .

Gur boch d an sgath an

B bi triall’

g’ur n-arda ich

,

Gun ann ach fasachUs larach lom

,

Na tigh e an m a ise ach

Am biodh am pa ilte as,An de igh an sgapadh

Gun ch loich,gun ch rann .

Ga’

n d’

bh uail a ch uibh l’

oirnn

L e tuinnse te anu.

Th e w ord cuibh le in th is conne ction probably m e ans th e w h e e l of fortune ,or Providence . Iain L om use s th e w ord sim ilarly in h is e legy to AlasdairDubh

,Gh linne -Garaidh

Th ionndaidh cuibh l’

air Clann Dom hnuill ,’

N tre as a conspunn bh i bh ua th a.

”

Tuinnse m e ans th e fatal blow W h ich th is w h e e l gave in th e course of its

re volution.

B eul sios w as an old ph rase conv eying a m al e diction . B e ul sios ort

w as a strong e xpre ssion of ill -w ill, and , th ough not now in use,is to be found

in som e of Cam pbe l l’

s We st High land tal e s .

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Tha ’

n taod cho teanu .

Tha chuis ra’r n-aodann

Cho crua idh ’

s a dh ’

fh aodas,’S a fearann daor oirnnGun saorsa plangTha ’

n t-sid air caoch ladh .

L e gaoith’

s l e caonna ig,’S an tuil air aom adh

Bho th aobh nam be ann .

Ar daoine fine altaSoca ir, Siobh a ll

’

,

’N robb pa il te as riom h a idh ,Gun stri

,gun sta ing

B’ e mais a r beusan,

Bhi sga ipte a ch gl e idh te ach ,Bhi tapa idh , tre ubh achGu cur ’na ’

ch e ann

Bhi reio ar n-a irne is’S ar n-aite taimbe

,

’S e dh ’

fh ag’ur ca irde an

Gu tursach trom’Na bh e il an larach dh iuFalbh am m a ire a ch

,

Gun dad a dhailAch gu ’n tig an long.

’

S i Gh e arm a ilt ua im h re ach

A dh e arbh’ur cruadal ,

Rinn Alba chuarta ch ’

L e cruas ’ur lann

B’e dre ag bhur nam h a idSibb sh e asam h la idir

,

An cinn bhi ge arrta’S an cnam h an pronn.

Som e He bride an Singers.263

Sinn nis ’nar tra ill e an

Ma thig an nam h a id,Gur lag ar pairt dh iubh’S ar n-a ire am h gann .

L e mhend ’s tha m h iann orm

’S tha run a ir m

’inntinn,

Cha ’

11 e ol domb innseB h o ch e ann gu ceannGach lasga ir ur-

gh lan

A ch a idh an taobh ud,

Cha ’11 e c l dom h ch unntas

Bho thus mo rann .

Ach ’s m or an dith

Air a ’ch e arn

’80

’

n righ e ach d,Aig mend na h - ire’G an tug sibh ann,

’S a nis bh o ’

n th rial l sibh,

L e’r c liu

’8 Is

’

r c iatabh ,Biodh b e anna ch d Dh ia l e ibh’Gar dion ’

s gach ball .

Much of the foregoing is in th e poet’s happiest style, and althoughsome of the vers e s, as w e have them,

are not lacking in obscurity,

the poem is not unworth y of the poet’s reputation .

The next of M acCodrum’

s unpubl ished poems I am giving youis an elegy composed to Al exander Macdonald of Kirkibost andBalranald better known in his day as “ Alasdair Mac Dh om h a ill .He was the seventh in succession of the Macdonalds of Balranald

,

of whom Alexander Macdonald of Edenwood,in Fifeshire

,is the

eleventh and present representative . Alasdair Mac Dh om h aill w asmarried twice

,both t imes with issue, and the Macdonalds of Pene

m uire an,in South Uist

,are the representatives of the younger

family . They are all the descendants of Donald He rrach Macdonald

,who was a son of Hugh

,first of Sleat

,brother of John,

last Lord of the Isles . He was called Dom h all He rra ch from thefact that his mother was a daughter of Macleod of Harris, wh erehe was probably brought up. Alasdair Mac Dh om h aill” w as

factor for Macdonald of Sleat over his Long Island property,and

w as a man held in much esteem by the people of North Uist. He

w as also renowned for his great physical strength . His tragicdeath is celebrated in the M arbh rann . The channel whichseparates the island of Kirkibost from the main island of North

poem is

Ach ge fada mi m’ dh usgadh ,

Gur a pailte l e m’dh usal no m ’

th am h,

Gu bh e il sa c air m o gh iulan.

Agus a ic e id ’

g a’

ch iuradh l e cradh’

S beag de sholas na duth ch a,

Tha dhe m ’

ch om h radh ri dh usgadh an trath s’

,’

Na ’bh e il a dh ith a1r a ch unnta is

,

Dh’fh ag e sgith sinn

’

g a’dh usgadh gach la .

Gur e fuaradh na B e a lltuinnDh

’fh ag am brua il l e in

’nar ceann gun bhi slan,

Sinn a’copadh gu frasach

Air na dh ’ol na fir gh a sda dhe’n t—sal 3

Ar sar ch onnspuinn Gilleasbuig,Agus Eoin a chuil ch le ach da ich mo gh radhDh

’fh ag iad ta irne an nar cridh e

nh aoid h cha slanuich aon l igh ich ach bas.

Fh ua ir sinn fuaradh ’

n a dh e igh ,

S’ trio an rua ig ud

’

g ar taghal a gh nath ,Dh

’

fh ag fiam h gnl air ar rosga ibhSinn nile ri aca in ’

s nach narAr sar spa ilp a dh uin

’ nasal,

Eu de a ca ir fh aota inn mu ’n cua irt dhuin’ni b

’fh e arr

,

Duine m acanta —sua irc e,

Duine tapa idh gun tua ire apa chd lam h .

Duine m e asarra c l iu ite a ch,

Bha gu h -aoidh e il’na gh iulan

’8 na gh nath s

’

,

Beul na firinn’

s an t—sugra idh ,’S mor an dith air an duth a ic h do bh as

’S mor a ’

bh e arn’n ar daoin’

ua isl e,

Ch aidh am maran ’s an nair sin m u lar,

Dh’fh albh ar tacsa ’

8 ar reite,

'

Cuis is goirte do sh e ath ar bhi fas .

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266 Gae lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

Eu tu be annach d na tuath a,

’S tu nach te annadh iad crua idh mu ’n a m hal

,

Ceann d iadh a idh nan truagh an,’Nuair

,a dh ’

iarradh iad fua sgladh na’n cas 3

Fh ir a b ’aon-fh il lte cridh e,

’S tu gun ch laonadh gu sl igh e a ch an c e arr

,

’S tu nach bua ine adh a bh uinig,Air a ch lua in sin nach cuire adh am karr.

Cha robh ar diobh a il gun gh a inne ,’S Di—c iada in m u dh e ire adh de ’

n M h a igh

Ann an ioch dar na sge ire ,Bha ar mi-stath so sh oill e ir l e each 3Ann an uach dar a

’

ch lada ich,

Far nach d ’

fhuair thu tigh’

n dh a ch aigh gu blath s’

,

Cas bu lua ith air an astar,

Agus gualla inn’

n robh ne art air an t-snamh .

Gu’m b ’ e im rich an fh uath a isAnns a ’

m h aduinn’nuair gh lua ise adh Di-m a irt,

Gu’n robb frasan air grua idh e an,

Agus basan g’

am bualadh l e‘

cradh 3Gu ’n robh gruagan

’

g an e ire adh,

Daoine truagh a’

g an spionadh gu lar,Mar nach guidh e adh neach riam h leat,’

S ar m a dh ’uidh e am a ich Dia dh uit am h as.

We now pass “ from grave to gay, from those more seriousand pathetic efforts to others of a lively, sportive, and humorousdescription

,a style of composi tion which was thoroughly charac

te ristic of M acCodrum ,whose sallies of w it are still rem embered

and quoted in his native island . One of the sprightliest and mostamusing of his comic songs is Oran a bh onn-a - sia

,of which the

following is an account — A cattle dealer and farm er from Skye,called Roderick Macleod— or, from the name of his place, RuairiB h orla in— had occasion once to ferry live stock from Loch Eph ort,'n North Uist

,across th e Minch to Skye . Among others

,the

bard,who was as v igorous in body as in mind, was called upon to

assist in taking the cattle on board . After this w as accomplished,and the sails of the smack were about to be hoisted to catch thefavouring breeze

,M acCodrum received from th e drover, as the

reward of his services,what

,in the uncertain light of eve, the

poet ’s exuberant fancy imagined to be a guinea . In “ Oran abh onn-a—sia” he describes his reception of the gift, his thanks to

.Som e'

He bride an Singers. 267

donor,and the despatch of a messenger to the neigh

to get a part of the gold dissolved into m ountainWhen the supposed guinea wa s presented in payment th e

be imagined

Sora idh slan do ’11 duin’

nasal,

Thug dh om h an duais nach robb m ioth ar’N de igh do

’

n gh re in do’na suidh e ,

’S greis air tigh inn d e

’n oidh ch e 3

Gus ’

n do ra inig m i’n teine

,

Mo ch ridh e m ire ri m ’

inntinn,

Ann an duil gur e guinea ,A rinn an duine dh om h sh ine adh .

B aoi o h aoir1 horo thall,

& c . ,& c .

,

Ch a cheil mi air caoh ,Nach ’

e i1 am baidse leam gann .

Rinn mi fich e ad troidh square ,

Agus barra ch d a sgriobadh ,U rrad eile ’

s ni’s modha

,

De m h odh anna siobh a l t’

3

A’fa ighne a ch d l e onoir

,

Ciod am m oladh a b ’fh iach e .

’Nuair a ch uncas am ba idse,

’S ann bu nar e ri ’ a inuse .

B’ ann ’

s an tigh air a ’

la im h r1g,Fhua ir sinn t e arm ad na h -oidh ch e

,

Dh’fh aighne a ch d Aongh a s Mac Aula idh ,Ciod a th ’ann a eh e art riribh ?

Th uirt mi thin gu’n robh guine a ,Gun aon sgill in a dh ith air,L abh a ir esan gu soca ir

,

’S coir dh uit bota l th oirt dh uinn dh e th .

Th uirt mi th in l e guth fosgarr,’Uam am bota l beag spioca ch ,

C’nim

’ a bh ith ’m id ri boch dainn

,

C’nim

’ nach cosgam a id p innt dh e th ?Falbh th usa bi tapa idh ,Thoir an clachan so sh ios crt

,

Gabh rath ad na L e aca ich ,

*

Fae: do ch aisbh e a irt cuir dh iot e .

L e acaich -So call e d from th e rocky nature of th e land .

’N sin l e ag Te arrlach a m h ala ,

’S thug e crioth nach adh mor dh’ i

,

Cha 1obb mise ’m bh al l buirte

,

Bho ’n la gh iula in mi cota,

Bonn—a—sia air son guinea ,Cha gh abh duine tha b e o e

,

Fh a ic thu cuine adh na Ban righ,

’S d e albh na clarsaich to ’

t—n air.

L abh a ir Aongh as an tra th sa ,’S ann tha naire sin dom h sa ,

Na bi rith ist ’

g a’th nm ad h

’Sinn ’nar urrach an coire 3Far a fa igh te

’ duin ’ nasal,Cha b ’ e Rua iri an drobh a ir

,

’8 m ar a d e a ch aidh mi m e arach d

Gur a balach gu bh roig e .

Nnai r ch luinne as Torm od a U inis,Agus U ill e am a 0 8 e

,

Torm od eile ’

s a Siorra m,

Far an cruinnich iad com h la th 3Their iad fein nach duin ’ nasal

,

C th ug uaith as a dhorn e,

Ach fior sh e am anach balla ich,

*

Fear gun a ith ne gun eolas .

Their Fear-fearann an Leigh,

Tha mi ’

g e isde ach d n i’s mo dh e th

,

Thig an gnoth uch gu solus,L a onoir

’

s l e com h dach 3

Fior sh e am anach ba la ich —Th e dictionarie s rende r th e w ord sea m anach

a s m e aning stout, jolly , ch e e rful . B ut th e h ard m ake s use of it as signifying a sturdy indifie re nc e to th e righ ts or fe e lings of oth e rs. S e am anach

balaich”is a rough , ch urlish , bul ly ing ch aracte r.

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Ged tha mo bh e an beo .

Cha bheag a chuis anntlach d*’S gun mi gann do na caoirich

,

A bh i c e annach an aoda ich,

Ged th a mo bh e an beo 3Ge beag e ri radhTha e nar learn air ua iribh ,Bhi air faoigh an t-snath fhuaigh illGed tha mo bh e an beo .

Ch a’n fh uil ing a ch lann domb,

Bhi ri stre am pull no briodal ,Chual iad gu c innte a ch

Gu bh e il mo bh e an beo .

’S truagh nach robb mise

’S gun ise ’

m Eirgini,Far nach de ant’ orm innse

Gu bh e il mo bh e an beo .

Chuirinn te ach da ire rom h am

Gu iom a ll gach sgire ,Dh

’innse gu cinnte a ch

Nach robb mo bh e an beo .

Gh e ibh inn te 0g annA c hordadh ri m ’

inntinn,

’S cha ch luinne adh i ch aoidhGu bh e il mo bhoan beo .

Tha i mall air a lam h an’S i dana gu labh a irt,’S e dh ’

fh ag m i gun sam h uilt

Mo bh e an a’ bhi beo.

Somewhat similar in tone i s another fugitive effusion of thebard’s Oran nam B antra ich e an .

”He pretends to be annoyed

by what would at first appear to be the obtrusive attentions of

In th e se ve rse s against h is w ife , it m ay appe ar unre asonabl e on th e bard’

s

part to com plain of h aving to buy h is c loth e s,or be g for th read. It ne e d

h ardly be e xplaine d th a t cloth e s and l ine n th re ad w e re al l h om e ~spun in th osed ays out of native w ool and h om e -

grown flax .

Som e He bride an Singers.

th e w idow s of the district . These dames, who did not refuse tobe comforted, were not disposed to regard John as an ineligiblematch

,though he had by th at time buried his second w ife . The

satire of the following stanzas is as much directed against himselfas against the widders

,

”of whose supposed arts he seems to have

been a s much afraid as D ickens ’ famous hero . Whether hesuccumbed to the charms of one of these experienced sirens or tothe attractions of a spinster in h is third matrimonial venturea re unable to say

Tha na bantra ic h e an ’

g am sh a ruch’

,

’S gun agam m u dh e igh inn pairt diubh ,Och I och ! m o chall ’

us mo naire,

Fa l bh aidh mi ’8 faga idh mi

’n tir.

Th e ire adh iad gur mi ’n coire ach

,

Mi ’n coire ach

,mi ’

n coire ach,

Th e ire adh iad gur mi’n coire ach

,

Ged a th e irinn-sa nach m i.

’M Pabuil l

’s a

’ Sanuda,

’

s a’ Sollas

,

Gu’m bi dream dh iubh anns gach dorus,Leis mar a ch uir iad ’nam bh oil mi

,

Th e id mi sgorr am fa igh mi sith .

Th uirt te dh iubh le com h radh caoim h ne al,

’S m a ith a b ’

ajridh e air m a igh dinn,’S math a bh e annsaich e adh eAn dorus faing ged bh iodh i stri.

”

Th uirt te eile gu oe ol spors doibh ,Ciod e ’

m fat-h dh uinn bh i’

g a th orach d,B

’ fh e arr leis bhi fa lbh leis na h -orain,

Na bh 1 doruinn ri cois-ch ruim .

Sin ’nuair th uirt B a il idh an Tigh e arn,’S ann tha ’

m baini ort a ’

tigh inn,’

G iarra idh gu posadh a rith ist,’

S tu ’n d e igh dith is chur do

’n chill .

Th e w ord raom e is not, I th ink, in books or dictionarie s. It is , h ow e ve r,q uite inte ll igible in U ist, th ough not quite so com m on or curre nt as it w a s

forty y e ars ago. It m e ans a young barre n cow th at h ad a calf,or pe rh aps

tw o 3 but, be ing barre n, and h aving cuid a laoigh a ir a le is”

th e c a lf ’spart or sh are (of m ilk) on h e r th igh s —

sh e w ould be strong, and d ifficult to l ayh old of and m anage at th e tim e of sh ipping. He nce th e proprie

ty of th e

!c om plim ent to M acCodrum’

s strength .

272 Gae lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

Thuirt fear Gh rim inis gu fiadh a ich ,’S e tarruing bu cu is air fh iaradh ,A faca sibh riam h cuis mi -th lach d,

Ach fear liath gun ch iall gu m naoi 1”

The satire on the tailors— a fraternity he held in scant respect.is the last ofM acCodrum

’

s unpublished efforts I am in a positionto give you . My version of it seems to be a fragment

,and I am

not aware of the existence of any other. He appears to haveencountered insurm ountable difficultie s in securing the services ofthe “ knights of the needle

,

” and the irritation caused by thisunsatisfactory state of matters resulted in Oran nan Ta ill e aran .

”

Its chief interest l ies in the fact that it was M acCodrum’

s secondeffort at rhyme

Saoil sibh fein nach m oralach,

An spors a bha’8 na ta ill e aran

,

Fairi fairi c c bh iodh annNa fogh nadh danns

’ ’

us ga ire ach daich 3Ach ma bh e ire as dragh no trill e ach orra,Drip l e m naoi no pa isde an,

’S ann a ch ith e ar fe adh na tire iad

,’Nan aoidh e ach da ich

’

s nan anrach da ich .

*

’M b

’

a ith ne dhuibh-se m h nath an,

A mac sam h u ilt a ig na ta il le aran ?’Nam e irigh ar m s a m h aduinn,

Gun dad aca ch u ire a s bla th s orra,

H-n ile sian de ’n ria tanas

,

’

Ga iarra idh air na naba idh e an,

’S an te bh e ir ulta ch moine dha

,

B h e ir Dia na gloire pa idh e adh dhi

Nan aoidh e ach daich’

s nan anrach daich .

Aoidh each da ch is de rive d from a oidh — a gue st ; first , of course,in a good

sense , but a m an w h o taxe s too m uch th e h ospitality of h i s friends,be com e s

conte m ptibl e , and is call e d an aoidh ea chda ch — a sorne r. Anra chda ch pro~

bably com e s from th e w ord ra th — a fortune , or luck, or prospe rity— w ith th eprivitive a n pre fixe d , so th at it w ou ld first be an-7 a tha ch

,an adj e ctive

an-ra tha chd be ing th e noun. With th e com m on te rm ination ach adde d, th e

above noun m igh t ve ry e asily be com e anra ch da ch . I t m e ans a m ise rable

W ande re r, in fact, a tram p , w ith out th e ide a of vicious practic e s. Th e sh orte rw ord , a nrach , is in Ne il M ac le od ’

s Gle ann ’

s a’

robb m i 0 g.

”in th e sense of a

w ande re r, but doe s not se e m to involve any degradation, but m ay m e an h one st.

pove rty , still a state m e n w i ll look down upon.

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274 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inverne ss.

prie tor of North Uist, was, with a number of Uist and Skyegentlemen

,deer- stalking in th e hills the re

,they came upon a

sheiling,or a iridh

,w here the parents of the bard were residing

for a fe w weeks, with th eir catt le and sheep,as was the custom in

those good old t imes and,the goodw ife h aving shown h e r hospi

tality by offering them a drink of the milk of her heather—fe dcows

,which all Highlanders know to have a peculiar sweetness of

its own ba inne air a iridh — Sir James, who added to his o therextensive and wonderful accomplishments a good know ledge ofthe mountain tongue, entered into conversation with her, askingher about the welfare of her family, and so forth . She told him

,

among other things,that her tw o boys were at the west side in

school,and that one of th em had been born with a defective arm

,

short and with only rudimentary finge rs . Sir James asked hisname

,and when told that he was baptised by the name of

Gilleasbuig,

” he answered,It was a pity that they did not call

him Coll,so that there w ould be another ‘Colla Ciotach ’ again in

the Macdonald clan . Before leaving, Sir James gave her moneyto a id in the prosecution of her sons’ education . Luckily thesound arm was the right one, so that he w a s able to use it invarious ways ; and, being an expert writer, he was employed byMacdonald

,the baillidh breac”— a son of Alasdair M ao Dh om h

aill,

” to whom M a cCodrum composed the elegy— as clerk,whilst

he held th e factorship of the Clanranald estate of South Uist.Mention having been made of Sir Jam es Macdonald

,it may be

added that during that shooting excursion the gun of Macleod of

Ta ll iske r went off accidentally,and the shot lodged in Sir James"

leg,and that it w as with difficulty the crofters of North Uist were

kept from laying violent hands on the offender. It was said h isfine frame never recovered the shock from the accident . It w asthen that his kinsman

,Macdonald of Va l lay , composed the well

known p ioba ire a ch d, Cum h a na Coise . Gilleasbuig na Ciotaig,”

l ike all true bards,had an ambition to immortalise himself

,by

having his bardic effusions perpetuated in a book 3 and, with thispurpose

,he started for Inverness

,the town with which the

Western Isles had most frequent communication and easiest accessin those days. He only reached as far as Fort-Augustus, wherehe died and was buried 3 and, if the Spot could be identified,which is very unlikely

,it would be well on the part of his country

men to erect a monument to the memory of one who has justlybeen called the fine st and cleverest of all the Gaelic comic bards .It is said that while at Fort-Augustus he met w ith AlexanderStewart

, wh o had been parochial schoolm aster of North Uist— th e

Som e Hebride an Singers. 275

author of A M h a iri bhoidh e ach ,’s a M h a iri gh aolach — and that

his manuscripts,h aving fallen into Stewart ’s hands after Mac

donald ’s death,formed th e foundation of that excellent volume of

Gaelic poems,called “ Stewart’s Collection .

” Macdonald i sessentially th e h ard of humour and sat ire, and his only seriousproduction

,h is eulogy of Lochiel

,i s much inferior to his livelier

poems . One of h is m ost amusing songs i s his lampoon on the“ Docta ir L e odach

,

” published in Mackenzie ’s collection . ThisDocta ir L e oda ch

”w as a favourite mark with Macdonald at which

to aim h is sh afts of ridicule . Macleod w as born in St Kilda,and

seems to have returned th ere on a visit once at least in the courseof his life . Hence Macdonald nicknamed h im the Gioba in

Hirte ach” in a sprigh tly effusion, of which 1 have picked up the

following . Th e hero seems to have been a great top, who wentabout arrayed in full High land dress

Gu se inn mi ’n Gioba in Hirte ach dh uit

’S e nis a tigh

’

n do ’n duth a ich ,

Cha dean mi di-ch uim h n ’ idir air,

’S ann bh e ir mi tiotal ur dh a 3Ma dh ’

fh a lbh e uainn gu brioga ise a ch ,Gu’n d ’

th a inig e gu biodagach ,’S ch a’n fh a igh e

’n aite bh riosca ide an,

Ach ise anan an t-sula ir.

’Nuair ch unna ic iad an L unnain thuB h a h -uil e fear a feora ch

,

Co as th a inig an lunna ich e ,’S am buim e a la ir

’

s an t-olach,

Ma ’

8 m ara ich e gur oulach e,

’

S gur l e ath unn tiugh a p hu l le t e ,’S tha w a tch urrad ri turnipAig a

’lunna ich e

’

n a’

phocaid .

An gille bh ’a ig na docta ire an,

Gur iom adh poit a sgurr e ,

Gu ’m b ’olc gu re efa dh top sa i l,’Nuair bu chaise th ige adh cuis e’Nuair ch unna ic an long Spa inte a ch e

,

Gu’m b ’ard a ch luinnte ra inich e,

Cha sa igh de ar am fear spa irte a la ch ,Ch a seas e gua rd no duty .

Another hitherto unpublished poem by Macdonald is in theform of a sgioba irea chd, in

’

which a m ost amusing description is

Thug anam innte sios .

Sgioba ir la idir a ine olach,

Ro bh ara il e ach m u gh niom h ,Gu ’m b ’

olc gu cunntas fe ara inn i,

’S i an—sh e asga ir

’

n a’

gniom h 3Da thota ’

s dh’

ith na giura in iad,Na croinn a ir an cul sios,B

’

e cnid de ’n fh asan ur,

An cur an taobh nach robh iad riam h .

B’ e sud na croinn ’

8 bu ne onach iadGun dad ach se orsa ram h

,

Gun dad a sna idh e adh riam h orr’,

Ach an l iadh th oirt dh iubh l e tal 3Spre od de bhun slat iasga ich ,Mar a th ogas fiannuis chaich

,

’S gur iom adh nair a sh iola igh

’m id

,

Mar bh ith e adh Dia nan gras .

Na cupla ich e an Tgun sugh adh annt’

,

’

S an stagh’sa dh uil ri falbh

,

Na croinn a baga irt lubadh ,’Nuair a th ige adh tuirl ing gh arbh 3Deich la im h rige an a ch unnt m i,’

S mi ’nam ch ruban air a calg, i

’

S mi gre im e ach adh l e m’inne an

,

Ann an ait’ nach dire adh sgarbh .

Ganntas fe arainn —A ph rase applie d to th e progre ss of a boat as it

skirts along th e coast.“t O uplaich e an

”—Th e sh rouds.

Calg”

— I am in doubt as to ca lg be ing th e prope r re ading in th is passage ,as I h ave not be en abl e to asc e rta in th at th e w ord is applie d to any part of a

boat. It h as b e en sugge ste d, w ith som e l ike l ih ood,th at th e w ord is re al ly

ha lg and I find th at th e w ord bulg, in M ac le od and Dew ar’

s dictionary , asw e ll as in th e High land Socie ty ’

s,is rende re d, th e conve xity of a sh ip.

”

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much inferior powers to either of the foregoing,was Alexander

Macdonald,tw o of whose songs w ere given to your Society recently

in a paper by the minister of Snizort. He w as descended from theaboriginal family of Macdonalds in North Uist . He was calledthe “ Dall M uil e ach

,from th e fa ct of his father having resided

for a number of years in the island of Mull,w here the bard was

probably born . His fath er,how ever

,l ike a true Highlander

who is beyond all oth ers “ fac il e ag an droch clada ich”

— migratedback to Uist

,and his posterity are st l ll called the “M u il e ach s

,

from their ancestor having soj ourned in M u il e nam M orbh e ann

for a time . He w as a man of fine presence,a splendid specimen

of a stalwart Highlander. He went about alw ays dressed in thegarb of Old Gaul

,and from his great size

,as well as to the fact

of there being in the same local ity another blind man of diminutive stature

,he was called the Dal l Mor. ” He lost h is eyesight

in early youth in consequence of a virulent attack of smallpox .

The Dall Mor” was a great rhymester,but not many of his

effusions have been preserved . Being a man of great pow e i s ofmemory

,and being th us able to repeat the whole of the Shorter

Catechism and large portions of the Bible,he was appointed as

catechist for the parish of North Uist,th rough which he travelled

summer and winter,and it is said did a lot of good by teaching

the youth of his day to learn by heart th e Catechism,a number of

Psalms,and other portions of holy writ . The following verses

were composed by him to one of the Macdonalds of Va llay, probably a son of Ewen Macdonald

,first of Val lay , who has been

already referred to a s the author of Cum h a na Coise .” They areall I have been able to pick up of the Dall Mor’s” productions

’S toigh leam an Dom h nulla ch sobar,Aig am bh e il an t-aigne stollda

,

B h e ir gach aon duit urram corra,

Eogh a inn oig a B bal la idh .

’S toil learn an Dom h nul lach subh ach ,Cru inn chas a dh ire as am bruth a ch

,

L e gunna caol a bh e oil c h um h a inn,

B h e ire adh iuil’8 a lam h a ich .

Tha thu d ’dh annsa ir, tha thu d

’

fh idh l e ir,

Tha thu fogh a inte a ch deas d ire a ch ,’S tu nach labh radh ach an fh irinnBeul o’

m binn thig manran .

L e do gh il l e an la idir.

’S ca irde ach th u Dh untuilm nam ba ide alAnns an tur am biodh na brata ich ,B u idh e ann nan se c l

’s nan srol daite

Ra ch adh grad do ’

n lam h a ich .

I must now bid farewell to the Hebridean s ingers, but I hopeit is not for long . In th e preparation of th i s pape r I have receivedmaterial assistance from my fath er— Re v . Roderick Macdonald,m inister of South Uist— especially as regards the information Ihave giv en about “ Gille na Ciota ig

” and the “ Dall Mor,” with

reference to whom I h ave almost given h is ip sissim a verbal . I havea lso had valuable aid from him in th e explanatory notes appended .

I would trust on a future occasion to submit to your noticeanoth er

,if a smaller

,galaxy of poetical stars in the Western firm a

ment,with some snatch es of song

,worthy of remembrance, w hich

I have picked up 1n the course offa fe w flying visits to U idh ist

bheag riabhach nan cradh -

gh e adh .

”

l st M AY,1889.

At th is meeting M r Angus J Beaton,C.E. ,

London and NorthWestern Railw ay

, B angbr, North Wales, was elected a member ofth e Society . Th ereafter the Secretary read a paper contributedby M r Chas . Fergusson, The Gardens, Cally, Gateh ouse, entitledThe Early History

,Legends

,and Traditions of Strath ardl e .

M r Fe rgusson’s paper w as as follows

SKETCHES O F THE EARLY HISTORY,LEGENDS, AND

TRADITIONS O F STRATHARDL E AND ITS GLENS .

At a meeting of the Gaelic Society,about a dozen years ago

,

w h en I was a resident member in Inverness,the subject of collect

ing th e early history, legends, traditions, folk-lore,& c .

,& c .

,of the

Highlands,was brought forward

,and

,after discussion

,it was

Gae lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss.

agreed that every member then present should collect,in their

respective native districts,wh atever old lore they could find for

the Society 3 and as I was the only Perthshire m an present,I was

specially asked to do what I could for my native Athole,to which

I readily agreed,a s I had been for many years previously engaged

in collecting material for a proposed history of my native Strathardl e

,a work in which I am now well advanced

,and from which

I now give some short sketches .I

‘

am very glad to se e that other two members who werepresent at that meeting have already redeemed their promiseM r Colin Chisholm and M r William Mackay

,who are doing such

good work for their native Glens of Strath gla ss and Urquhart and

I hope the other members will be to the front next session w ithwhat they have collected in their several districts .

Th e writing of th e history of m any districts of the Highlands,

such as Athole,Breadalbane

,Braemar

,or Strathspey

,i s com

para tive ly easy, as, in general , it i s s imply t h e history of the greatfamilies who ruled there

,and whose deeds and doings are part of

Scotland ’s history,and

,as such

,are preserved in publ ic and

private records . But in Strath ardl e,as in some other districts

,i t

is more d ifficult,not from want of material

,as I do not think there

is another district of the same extent in the Highlands where somany historic scenes can be pointed out 3 but from the fact thatno great historic family ever ruled there as lords supreme

,for

though m ost of the district is in the ancient Earldom of Athole,

and the Duke of Athole bears the title of Earl of Strath ardl e , yet.the native clans— the Robertsons

,Fe rgussons, Rattrays, Smalls,

Spaldings,and M ‘Th om as or M ‘Com bie s— alw ays followed their

different chiefs,w h o generally took opposite sides . Owing also to

its position on the Lowland border,and as one of the great passes

into the Highlands, it was generally in a state of war and turmoil ,from that famous day in 84

,wh en the defeated Caledonians fle d

for shelter to the woods of Strath ardle from the conqueringRomans

,after the battle of Mons Grampus

,till 1746, when Lord

Nairne and other defeated Jacobites sought shelter in its cavesand woods after Culloden . So most of its lands very oftenchanged owners

,and m any of the old families are extinct, and

their histories mostly forgotten and th eir records lost, so that itshistory has to be collected from many scattered sources .The M ‘L e ans of Mull, claim to have been so far advanced at

th e time of the flood,as to have started opposition to Noah

,in

“ having each a boat of their own .

” I w ill,however

,be more

modest for Strath ardl e,and only go back to the year 1, when w e

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Drums,seemed to have faced about on th e summit of ea ch Drum

,

and there to have made a resolute and bloody stand against th eirpursuers . This appears presumable from the number and positionof the tum il i on each of th ese Drums . It l ikew ise appears fromth e disposition of the tum il i along the neighbouring hills that thefiigh t of th e Caledonians, previous to their h ual dispersion, w as

principally by tw o distinct routes,one north —west to th e w oods of

Strath ardl e,and the other north-east to those of Manse

,where

there is also a number of cairns in which M r Playfair has latelydug up cinders and some bits of human bones, and where somehave thought it probable that Anlus Atticus and some of thethirty-three Rom ans w h o fell w ith him w ere burnt together in onefuneral pile at the Great Cairn

,which is about 80 to 90 yards in

circumference,and in th e centre of which we had occasion to see

cinders turned up last summerMuch more could be said on th is very interesting subj ect, but

a s space is limited,I must now pass on from Roman to Druidical

Cairn s and Relics,which are even more interesting

,and for which

Strath ardl e stands pre eminent over al l other districts in Britainfor the number and variety of its Druidical remains . Chalmersin his Caledonia says

,at page 72 The number and variety

of the Druid remains in North Britain are almost endless . Theprincipal seat of Druidism seems to have been the recesses of

Perthshire,near the Grampian range .” And again

,he says, in a

n ote,at page 75 In Kirkmichael Parish

, Strath ardl e , Perth

Kirkher of wh ich w e have written . It hasw a s

,no doubt

,used for th e purposes

of'

prie stcraft . In the Old Statistical Account of the Parish of

Kirkmichael,by the Re v . Allan Stew art (the famous M a igh iste r

Allain), we read In th e middle of a pretty extensive andheathy moor stands a large h eap of stones or cairn

,270 feet in

c ircumference, and about 25 feet in h eight . Th e stones of w h ichit is composed are of various sizes

,but none of th em

,a s far a s they

are visible,large

,and appear to have been th rown togeth er w ithout

order. Th ey are in a good mea sure covered w ith moss,and in

some parts overgrown w ith weeds . Round th is cairn are scattered,at different distances

,a great number of smaller cairns. Th ey are

generally formed in groups of eight or ten together . About afurlong to th e west of th e great cairn are found vestiges, quitedistinct

,of two concentric circular fences of stones

,the outer circle

being about 50 feet,th e inner 32 feet in diameter. Th ere are

also the vestiges of six, perhaps more, single circular inclosures ofstone

,from 32 to 36 feet in diameter

,lying at different distances

in the neighbourhood of the cairn . Tw o parallel stone fencese xtend from the east end of th e cairn

,nearly in a straigh t line

,to

th e southward,upw ards of 100 yards . These fences are bounded

a t both extremities by small cairns,and seem to form an avenue

or approach to the great cairn of 32 feet in breadth . There canbe but little doubt that all these cairns are reliques of Druidism 3th at the great cairn is one of these at w hich they celebrated theirsolemn festivals in the beginning of summer and the beginning of

winter,when th ey offered sa crifice

,administered justice

,tire

,and

that these circles and lesser cairns must have been th e scenes ofsome other religious rites, of which th e memory and knowledgeare now lost. Similar cairns are to be seen in the neighbouringparishes

,but this parish h a s to boast of a more uncommon and

remarkable monument of Druidical superstition. About a milenorth- east from the above—mentioned great cairn

,on a flat topped

eminence,surrounded at some distance with rocky hills of con

side rabl e height,and rocky ascent

,stands one of these Rocking

Stones which th e Druids are said to have employed as a kind of

ordeal for detecting guilt in doubtful cases . This stone is placedon the plain surface of a rock level with the ground . Its shape is

who have treated of the custom s of th e ancient Celts .This opinion is

,how ever

,the more confirm e d from find ing in

the neighbourh ood of this stone a considerable number of otherDruidical relics . O n the north side of the stone

,at a distance of

60 yards,on a small eminence

,are two concentric circles

,similar

to that already described,and a s ingle circle adj oining to them 0 11

the east side . Beyond th ese,at 45 yards ’ distance

,is a th ird pair

of concentric circles,with their adj acent circle on th e east side .

Furth er on,to the north- east

,at a distance of 90 yards

,is a single

circle,and beside it

,on th e w est side

,two rectangular enclosures.

of 37 feet by 12 feet . Also a ca irn 23 or 24 yards in circumfere nce

,and about 12 feet high in th e centre . Several smal ler

cairns are scattered in the neighbourhood . O ne hundred andtwenty yards w est from the Rocking Stone is a pair of concentriccircles

,w ith a small single circle beside them of 7 feet in diameter.

All the pairs of concentric circles are of the same dimensions, theinner one being about 32 feet

,and the outer about 45 or 46 feet

in diameter,and all of th em having a breach or doorw ay 4 or 5

feet wide on the south s ide . The single circles are,in general,

from 32 to 36 feet in diameter,and have no breach . The vestiges.

of all these structures are perfectly distinct,and many of th e

stones still retain the erect posture in which all of them had probablv been placed at first .

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286 Gae lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

fully alluded to in the poem of ‘Dan na Du—th uinn,

Smith’s S e em Dana,page 85

Ach a nis cha ch luinne ar mo dh an,

Ch a’

n a ith nich an t—aurach m’ua igh 3

Ch i e leao gh la s, i s cu ise ag ga obdach ’

,

Fe oruich idh co d’ an ua igh i.

Ch a’n a ith ne dhu inne

,their Clann a gh l inne

Cha d ’

innis an dan a ch l iu dh uinn .

’

‘Now,there wont be h eard the song of m y fame,

The stranger will not know my grave 3He will se e a grey stone with ragw eed o

’

e rgrown,

And he will ask— whose grave is this ?We know not

,the children of the

,glen will say

,

The song has not carried down his fam e to our day .

’

There are th ree very fine monoliths in the upper part of th e

glen,in the parish of Moulin

,one on the farm of Cottartown of

Straloch,anoth er at Tulloch

,and one at Ennoch dhu

,besides the

one at Ardl e ’

s grave . The stones at Tulloch and Ennoch dh u arememorials of the great battle of Ennoch dh u

,fought betw een th e

S trath ardle men and the Danes at a very early date . I havenever yet been able to ascertain th e exact date of this battle or tofind any distinct notice of it in any of our old historical records .Many incursions by the Danes into the districts of Angus and

Gowrie are recorded,but as the sites of the battles are not always

mentioned,it is difficult to hnd out 0 11 which occasion this battle

took place ; but, though it must have been at a very remoteperiod

,the tradition of the district about it is still very distinct .

Th e h ero Ardl e is always said to have been the eldest of threebrothers

,each of which gave his name to the district over which

he ruled— Ard-fh uil,high or noble blood

,to Strath ardl e ; Ath

fh uil,next or second blood

,to Atho le 3 and Teth-fh uil

,hot blood

,

to Strath Tummel . The latter’s hot blood was the cause of h is

death,for wishing to cross the river Tummel on some hot-blooded

expedit ion with a band of followers in winter,they found the

river in very h igh flood,with great quantities of large blocks of

ice float ing down , and they a l l saw it w as impossible to crossexcept Teth -fh u il

,w hose hot blood neither ice nor w ater could cool

,

so he dashed in to swim across,but the ice knocked him under

,

and he was drowned,so the river and the Strath took their

name from him . I f Ardl e was really Ath ol e ’

s brother,then they

must have lived at a very early age,as Athole is the earliest

district mentioned in Scottish history . In fact,if we are to

24,give s th e following account of the origin of the P1ct8 from

these ancient records . (The Book of B a l l im ote was written in1391

,and is a copy of the works of Gillacae m h in, who died in

1072)De B unadh Cruith ne a ch andse o.

Cruith ne mac Cinge, m l c L u ch ta i, mic Parrth alan, mic Agnoinn ,

mic B ua in,mic Mais

,mic Fath e ch t

,mic Iafe th

,Mic Noe . Ise

a th a ir Cruith ne ach , agus cet bl iadh na do irrigh e .

S e ch t meic Cruith ne a ch annso i .

Fib,Fida ch

, FO DL A, Fortrend cath ach , Cait, O s , Cirigh . Et se ch t

randaibh ro roindse t in fe arand,ut dixit Colum cill e .

M h oirsh e ise r do Cruith ne cla inn,

Ra indse t Albain i se ch t raindGait

,Ce

,Cirig, ostbach clann

Fib,Fidach FO TL A

,Fortrenn .

Ocus is e aimm gach fir dib fil for a fe arand ut e st, Fib, agus Ce ,agus Cait

,agus re l iqua .

”

O i th e Origin of the Cruth ne ach here .

Cru ith ne , son of Cinge,son of L ucta i

,son of Partalan

,son of

Agnoin, son of Buan,son of Mais

,son of Fath e ch t, son of Jafe th ,

son of Noe . He was the father of the Cruith ne ach,and reigned

a hundred years .

These are th e seven sons of Cruith ne,viz .

Fib,Fidach

,FO DL A

,Fortrend

,warlike

,Geit, Ce , Cirig ; and they

divided the land into seven divisions,as Colum cill e says

Seven children of Cruth ne

Divided Alban into seven d1V1810n8,

Cait,Ce

,Cirig, a warlike clan,

Fib,Fidach

,FO TL A

,Fortre n .

And the name of each man is given to their territories,as Fib

,

Ce , Cait, and the rest .

Fodla and Potla are the spellings given here 3 in th e Annals ofTigh e rna c, in the year 739, it i s At/aj

'

oith le,and in the Annals of

Ulster for the same year it i s Atfoz'

th le . I f the tradition that

288 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

Ardl e and Tum m ul were brothers of Athol e ’s (or Fotla) be correct,

th en, no doubt, if th ey h ad not come to an untimely death beforeth e great divide, th ey would have each received a large slice of

S cotland as w ell as th eir broth ers .Previous to the death of Ardl e

,the strath was called Sm tk

.110 7‘ net M m'

ce B rice — th e Great Strath of th e Spotted or BrindledSow . This famous sow, like Diarm ad

’

s wild boar in Glenshee,had

ravaged the district for a long time,and had her den at Sron-na

muice,the Sow ’s Rock . In the old Statistical Account of Kirk

michael we read —“ According to tradition

,Strath Ardl e was

anciently called in Gaelic Strath-na—muice—brice,the strath of th e

spotted wild sow,which name it i s said to have retained till the

t ime of the Danish invasions, when,in a battle fought betw een th e

Danes and the Caledonians,at the head of the country

,a chief

named Ard-fhuil, (High or Noble Blood) w a s killed, w h ose grave

is sh ow n to th i s day . From him th e country got the name of

S tra th Ard—fhui l, Strath ardl e . Ardl e’

s grave is at th e back of

the village of Ennoch dh u ,close to th e entrance lodge of Dirnane an .

It is sixteen feet long,as both Ardle and his faithful henchman

,

who fell with him,are buried in it

,w ith their feet towards each

other. There is a large stone at Ardl e’

s head,and a lesser one at

the henchman ’s . According to tradition,when th e Danes marched

up the strath,Ardl e and his men posted them selves on the round

hill of Tulloch,and awaited their approach . As soon as the

Danes reached the foot of the hill, the Highlanders rushed downon them,

and a fie rc e battle began at the Standing Stone of

Tulloch . After a time,the Danes were driven back to the Stand

ing Stone of Ennoch dhu,the Black Moor

,where the figh t raged

hottest,and the issue seemed doubtful

,till Ardl e led a h erce

charge on one wing of t h e enemy, and drove all before him 3 and,as they turned and fled eastw ard

,he pursued them too eagerly

,

as he left all h is men behind him,and

,supported only by his

fa ithful henchman,rush ed in amongst his foes

,w h o

,seeing only

two men,suddenly turned

,and

,surrounding them

,cut them to

pieces,at the spot where they are buried

,before his men could

come to their assistance . Th e slain Scots were buried at theSta nding Stone of Ennoch dh u

,and the dead Danes were thrown

into the Lag-

gh la s, the Grey Hollow,a round hollow in the wood

at the back of Ennoch dh u 3 and my uncle has told me th at whenthe wood there was planted

,the workmen

,in m aking pits for the

trees, turned up quantities of very much decayed bones andpieces of old metal , wh ich were supposed to be the remains of th eslain Danes

,and their arms .

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Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss.

giving m y version of h ow it came there,w hich

,as it is the old

tradition of the country, no_doubt the Gaelic Society will prefer to

th e learned divine ’s sc ientific theory. W'

ell,as the story goes

,

w hen the Cummings w ere lords of Badenoch , and ruled th ere witha rod of iron, centuries ago, the great Comyn proposed to build acastle there so strong that no human power could take it, so

instead of employing m asons to build it,he engaged a famous

Badenoch witch,w h o, for a great reward, agreed to carry the

stones in her apron,and to build an impregnable castle . Her first

proceeding w a s to hunt up two enormous boulders of equal size andshape for door posts for the outer gate

,but after searching all

Scotland,no two such stones could be got

,equal matches

,and sh e

s in despair till on her midnight rambles sh e met a sister witchfrom the Isle of Man, that famous stronghold of witchcraft, andall sorts of dealings w i’ the deil

,

” who told her of two such stoneson the hills of Man . Next night she started for the Isle of Man

,

and having got one of the stones in her apron,sh e started north

wards for Badenoch on a clear moonlight night. As sh e waspassing where the stone now l ies

,a famous hunter who l ived there

was coming home from the Ath ole Forest w ith a deer 0 11 his back,and seeing such a great black mass fly ing through th e air

,he

uttered th e exclamation— Dh ia gle id/t m is— God preserve me .

The moment he uttered the Holy Name it broke the w itch’spow er

,and her apron string at the same time

,so down the stone

fell,and there it lies to this day

,as she could never get another

apron string strong enough to carry it, or even lighter stones . So

the Comyns ’ Castle never went further,and ever since

,on the

anniversary of that nigh t, the w itch returns, and spe nds'

th e nighttrying to move the Clach Mhor

,so that the good folks of the glen

used to give such an uncanny spot a wide berth after dark . Thisstone stands 20 feet above ground , and is 74 feet in circumference,and calculated to weigh nearly 1000 tons .

Th e next notable stone is another Cla ck or big stone,and

I think it well deserves the name,as it i s 22 feet high

,25 feet

wide, and 51 feet long, quite flat on the top and covered w ith longh eath er. It lies at the foot of Kindrogan Rock, or, as it 11 as

anciently called, Cra ig Ch iocha the Pap Rock— from th e roundedtorm of its western sh oulder. In olden times

,w h en w olves w e i s

common in S tra th ardl e,and when they had th eir dens and l eared

the1r young in the great cairn there,this stone w as a famous place

for killing wolves,on th e clear moonlight winter nigh ts

,w hen the

young m en of the district lay in ambush in perfect securityamongst the long heather on its top

,and sh ot th e w olves with

Ske tch e s of th e Early History of Stra thardle .

th eir bow s and arrows, as they ran past on the scent of somec arcase w hich the hunters traile d along the ground past the stone!during th e day.

Th ere is another place,a fe w hundred yards further up, on the

w est sh oulder of Kindrogan Rock, wh ich was another famous

p lace for killing wolves, where a ravine, or gully, runs down theface of the h ill to the foot of the rock. O n the ridge on the lows ide of th is ravine

,there is still seen a circular pit

,now partly

fallen in,and covered with moss

,which w as dug and used for a

place of ambush to lie in wait for the wolves as th ey came up thispass in th e morning, making for the hills, after prow ling all nightin the district . The Laird of Kindrogan had got a

“very valuablem are as part of h is w ife ’s toch er

,and as fodder was scarce in

s pring,the mare w as turned out to feed on the hills ide

,wh ere she

w as killed and partly devoured by w olves in th is ravine . Beforenext nigh t th e carcase w as drawn within sh ot of the pit, and tworenowned h unters lay in wait

,and shot the two wolves when they

:returned to feed,in mem ory of which the place is still called

Clais—ch apu ill” the Mare ’s Ravine . The w olves ’ cubs were

a fterwards found in the deep cairn on “ Creag M h ada idh ”— the

Wolf’s Rock— near Loch Curran,w hich got its name from being a

famous breeding—place for w olves,as it still is for foxes .

So numerous and destructive were the wolves in Strath ardl e,

G lenshee,and Glenisla

,th at all tenants were bound by their leases

to keep a pair of h ounds for hunting the w olf and fox. In a lease

granted in 1552 by Abbot Donald Campbell, of Cupar—AngusAbbey

,to Donald Ogilvie

,of the h a ill toun and landis of New ton

.of Bellite,half of Fre uch y and one quarter of Gle nm e rky ,

”h e w as

bound to h ave a pair of good bounds and a pair of sleuth-h ounds,

and sall nw ric e ane leich e of gud h oundis,with ane cuppill of

rachis,for tod and wolf, and salbe reddy at a l l times qnh e ne

ch arge th em to pas w ith 118 or our bailzie s to th e h ountis .

” Manyother leases with similar conditions could be given .

Th e wolves of Ben B h uirich,at the head of Glen Pernate

,were

reckoned th e largest and most ferocious of all,and Colonel

Robertson,in h is Historical Proofs of th e Highlanders,

”says th at

th at mountain took its name from the roaring of its wolves . Th i sis also mentioned in Oran nam B e ann

,

”one of the most ancient

poems known in Ath ole

Ch ith mi B e inn Ghlo nan e ag,B e inn Bh eag

,

’s Argiod B h e ann,

Heinu B h uirich 7m m M /m dadh.’

S Allt-a -nid -an-cun ri tt obh .

”

Ga e lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

I se e Ben Ghlo of the pointed t0ps,Ben Bh eag and Argiod B h e ann,Ben B h uirich of the great wolves

,

And the Brook of the Bird’s Ne st by its side .

But to return to our historic stones . The next i s the Clachnam Barain” the Baron ’

s Stone— at B a lvarron,the home for

several generations of that famous old Strath ardle family,th e

Barons Ruadh ”— the Barons Reid or Robertson— oi Straloch

and Inve rch roskie , four generations of whom w ere born at BalVarron

,and each young Baron w as baptised with water out of a

c ircular hole or basin hewn out of this stone,a ne w h ole being

made for each Baron . There are four such basins cut in it,and

there would have been many more,tradition informs us

,if th e

parents of the last Baron h ad not,in their pride

,despised the rude

baptismal font of the family,and got their heir baptised out of a

silver basin .

“ And there w ere no m ore Barons,

” as h e had anonly daughter. This last Baron was th e famous General Reid orRobertson

,one of Strath ardl e ’

s most illustrious sons,th e composer

of “ The Garb of Old Gaul,

” and founder of a Chair of Music inEdinburgh University . He died in 1803. The Baron ’s Stone isa grea t block of granite

,and it is situated on the ris ing ground a

little above the stables at B alvarron House . Some years ago ith ad a very narrow escape from being blown to pieces

,through the

ignorance of a local worthy,who w as employed blasting stones for

building purposes . “ A stone w as just a stone to him,and it w as

nothing more,” so thinking this huge boulder a grand prize, b e )

bored a hole in it,and had begun fill ing in the powder, when th e :

late proprietor happened to come that way,and at once put a stop »

to such an act of vandalism .

The next notable stone is the great boulder in the river Ardle,.

in the pool formed by the croy that sends th e water to the BlackMill . According to tradition

,this stone m akes three distinct

jumps up the stream every time the cock crows in the morning .

So firm ly was th i s believed, that old people have assured me thatthey remem ber it much further down the stream than it now isI have never been able to learn anything about the origin of thisvery curious belief of the supernatural movement up the streamof this huge boulder

,or of its connection with the crowing of th e

cock . The t0 p of this stone w as also a famous haunt of the waterkelpie, especially when the w ater was in high flood . I have knownold people who would not upon any account pass this stone afterdark, for fear of the kelpie. It was altogether a place of evilrepute, and as such the whole of its surroundings got the name

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294 Gae lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

ne igh bou i s who had done it, and at once struck them in return,so th at every meeting ended in a free figh t . Things went on thisway for a long time, getting worse and worse, till an old tailor atlast discovered by accident th e cause of all the disturbance .

Having to w ait rather long one morning for th e coming of th e

clergyman,the tailor am used h im se lf

“

w ith his shears,w h ich he

had brought in his pocket 3 and happening to catbh them b y the »

blades,and holding up the handles, and looking th rdugh the finger ,

holes,like spectacles

,he to his great astonishment at once saw

the B aobh going about her usual w icked prank s . How e ve t e

had the shrewdness‘ to keep to himself what he saw,till after th e

service, when he informed th e priest, who told him to tell no one,but to come back next Sunday

,and take his shea1 s w ith him . Th e

tailor promised to do so ; but alas .

1 it w as j ust the old,old story

woman ’

s wiles beguiled h im ; for he was so excited when he wenthome that his wife at once saw that something uiitisual

pened him . So in a very short time she had fish ed

out of him, .and in a shorter time had’ told

al l her gossips ; and it became so public that the B a iobh

herself came to get an inkl ing that sh e was discovered,

and,in revenge

,killed nea11y all

CD

th e cattle ln the country thatweek . Next Sunday

,the priest put a bottle of holy water in one

pocket, and the tailor’s shears '

1n the oth er,and began the service .

After a little,he took a sly peep through the finger holes of th e

shears,and saw the B aobh p resent . He at once stopped th e

service,and telling the people to follow him

,he pui sue d her. She

took to the hill for a little, and then ,sat down on a stone

,to let

them pass,as she thought she w as still invisible . However

,the

priest,looking through th e shears, saw her on the stone, and

pulling out his holy water,he made a circle round the stone 3and

her,out of wh ich it was impossible for her to get . He then set

the people to gather stones,and pile them ove r

'

h e r,which

”

theydid w ith right good will . She pleaded h ard for m e i cy , and evenafter the stones w e i e high over her head

,sh e offered th e priest to

turn all the stones in the cairn into gold. if he would only releaseher ; but, to th e honour of the clergy of Kirkmich ael, he re fuée dth is very tempting addition to his stipend

,and only answered her

by calling to the pe0 p1e~ — “Cuiribh c irre,cu iribh oirre , clach air 8011

gach m a irt. (Put on her, put on her, a stone for every cow 8h6killed).Having got the B aobh in safe keeping under her great cairn

,

we will now go some miles down the Strath, to another similarcairn, also built over the grave of another wicked female béin‘

g,

Ske tch e s of th e Early History 07“

Stra th ardle .

but of a different class — a mermaid . S trath ardle seems in oldentimes to have been a favourite haunt of all kinds of these supernatural beings

,belonging to both land and water. I will quote

this story from a series of articles w h ich appeared some years agoin Th e Blairgow rie Ne ws,

”from the pen of a worthy laird in the

Strath,w h o knows

,perh aps

,more of the old legendary lore of

Strath ardl e th an any other individual now l iving O 11 Bal-nabruich h ill stands a cairn of immense magnitude called Carn—l iadh

,

the Grey Cairn,the origin of wh ich

,according to tradition, was

thus — A loch on the contiguous estate of Da lrulzion, belongingto the same proprietor

,w a s th e h aunt of a mermaid

,w hich

occasionally v isited th e low er part of th e Strath,but never with

out committing damage. Her depredations became insupportable,and the inhabitants being in terror of h e r visits

,various fruitless

attempts w ere made to capture and conquer her,with a view of

putting a stop to h e r ravages . Ultimately,a famous dog named

Bran,belonging to the Finga l ians, was let loose on h e r at the

Village of Kirkmich ael,and

,after an exciting chase and a fie rce

e ncounte r,ove rpow e re d and killed h e r where the cairn lies . In

olden times many curious and incredible stories w ere currentamongst th e people of th e Strath regarding the doings of thisfabulous being . The loch said to h ave been h e r abode w a s by nomeans of a lo vely appearance

,and its banks were very unsafe for

people w alking 0 11 th em,being liable to give w ay . It is about a

mile distan t from Dalrulzion House,and is now a handsome loch

,

its surroundings having been greatly improved by the proprietor.Its Gaelic name is Loch -M h a irich

,th e Mermaid ’s Loch . According

to the traditional exp anation,th e cairn referred to was obviously

reared to mark the spot of th e mermaid ’s grave

,w ith th e obj ect of

preventing the return of se a monsters to the district . Theaccumu lation of such an .enorm ous pile of stones — principally largeboulders— must h ave been the w ork of many men and horsesThe cairn h as recently been considerably diminish ed in size by theremoval of stones for the building of fences

,& c . O u Tuesday;

26 th September, 1865 , it w a s visited by M r Stew art, th e secret-eiry

of th e Antiquarian Society of Edinburgh, accompanied by theLairds ofWoodh ill , B la ckcra ig, and Ballintuim,

and many otherge ntlemen, and about a score workmen w ere engaged to turn overth e old cairn . M r Stewart superintended the work for two days

,

and all were eager to h nd some relics of th e ancient Druidicalworship, which , it w as anticipated

,w ould be brough t to ligh t.

The resu lt,h ow ever

,w as not very gratifying, the rel ics found con

sisting ch icfly of stones used for weights and for grinding meal in

296 Gae lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

th oée days . The circumstances above stated regarding the pursu itand conquest of the mermaid by the dog Bran gave th e namePitvran Gaelic

,Pitbh ran — to the whole face of the hill from

Kirkmichael to the Cally boundaries,and the memorial gave name

to th e loch alluded to .

”

We will now cross the hills to Glenshee,to a stone connected

with still another kind of female spirit— the Clach-na—narrich e,or

Serpent Stone of Inve re drie,of w hich Dr Marshall says O n the

lands of Inve re drie,on th e north side of Loch Baiune

,is a wonder

ful stone called Cla ch -na -na rrich e,or the Serpents Stone . The

e xplanation of the name is this One of the Lairds of Inve re drie

had a famil iar spirit,th rough whose favour and influ enc e h e pros

pered remarkably in everything to wh ich he put h is hand . Hisprosperity was the admiration and envy of th e whole neighbourhood . In process of time a misunderstanding took place betweenhim and his familiar. The laird h ad a child th at died

,and he

blamed the familiar for its death . She (the famil iar w as of thefemale sex) took the imputation very much amiss, but he persistedin it

,denounced her

,and forbade her to appear in h 18 presence .

One day th ey met by the s ide of Loch B a inne,at the above stone

,

and renew ed th e contention betw een them as to th e death of thechild

,and it waxed very Violent . The laird ’s Highland blood

rose toth e boiling point,and h e drew his sw ord to run it through

h is familiar. In an instant she transformed herself into a serpentand darted into the heart of the stone by a hole wh ich no instrument could h ave made— such were the turns and curves in itThe laird in his tow ering passion

,hacked at th e stone w ith h is

sword,and left marks on it which

,it is said

,m ay be traced to this

day. When he w as going away his familiar spoke out of the holeshe h ad made in th e stone

,saying As long as you look at your

cradle,and I look at my stone

,we may speak and crack

,but w e

will never be friends .

’

Now that we h ave gone over the principal historic stones inthe district, and landed in lone Glenshee, we w ill leave these gravesof supernatural beings and turn to the grave of a famous lady of

the h uman race w h o, along w ith her husband,made Glensh ee a

noted spot f1om th e earl iest ages . Th is was the beautiful Gra inneand h e r beloved Diarm id Donn

,who lost his l ife hunting th e boar

on Ben Gh u ilbu inn,at th e head of Glenshee . Dr Marshall ’s

version is as follows As far back a s th e days of Fingal therew a s a great h unt on Ben Gh u ilbuinn at th e head of the Glen . Itwas th e w ild boar that was hunted . It had long abounded inthese wilds and disputed the sovereignty of them with man . The

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down it is extremely fabulous and inconsistent,and can

_

lay :no

claim to poetical merit . However corrupted in all the editions wehave heard repeated

,it is expressed that both De rm id and Grana

,

died in the,hunting ground where the boar of Ben Ghu ilbuinn w as

.

killed by De rm id,and that both w ere buried hard by one another:*

It bears genuine intrinsic marks of remote antiquity . It makesmention of the Druids

,and intimates their prescience of future

events 3 and it mentions the elk, an animal not known infor many ages

Gleann Sith,an gleann se o th a ri m ’

th aobh,

Far ’m bu l ionm h oir guth feidh ’

8 loin ,Gleann an trio an robb an Fh iann,

An ear ’

8 iar an de igh nan con .

An gleann sin tos B e inn Ghu ilbuinn ghuirm’S a il e adh tula ch an tha fo’

n gh re in,

Is tric bha na sruth an deargAn dc igh na Fiann bhi se a lg an fh e idh .

Glen Shee,that glen by my side

,

Where oft i s heard the voice of deer and elk,That glen where oft the Fiann have roved,East and West after their dogs .

That glen below Ben Gulbin greenO f the most beautiful hillocks under the sun,

Often were thy streams dyed redAfter the Fiann hunted the deer.

We will now leave the dim mythical ages of remote antiquity,and come down to events recorded in history, which will bearranged in chronological order .729. In this year the great Angus M ‘Fe rgus, King of the

Southern Picts,advanced against the Northern Picts of Athole,

and a great battle w as fought between them on the hill ofB la th va lg, betw een Strath ardl e and Athole, a t the back of LochBroom . The battle took place on the height called Druim Dearg

— Red Ridge— or as it is sometim e s called the Lamb Dearg_

— Red

into th e small loch th ere called the Lochan Dubh m B lack Lochwhich took its name from that event

,and to this day it is '

suphaunted by the ghosts of these ancient dead . It i s ah evil repute th at nobody cares to pass that way

,and

e m e m be r w hen a boy h ow carefully I kept aw ay from -it

dayl igh t w h en alone . Th e only one of consequence w h o‘

fell on Angus M ‘Fe rgus’

side w as h is favourite bard,w h o had

ventured too far amongst th e enemy w hen pouring forth hisB rosna cha -ca th

,or Song of War

,to -encourage 0 11 h is clan to battle,

which w as the duty of bards in those days . His body was notthrown into the Lochan Dubh

,but was buried on a round hea thy

hillock in the great corrie which runs down from B lath valg intoGl ende rby , and wh ich to this day is called Coire -a —bh a z

’

rd — th e

Bards ’ Corrie . Th is battle i s recorded in the Annals of Tigh e rna c :729. Cath Droma Derg B lath m ig e t ir Piccarda ibh i Dtu ist agusA'engus Ri Piccarda ch agus ro m arbadh Drust andsin la dara la‘

deg do mi Augh u ist .

” The Battle of the Red Ridge of B lath m igbetween the Piccardach

,that is

,Drust and Angus

,King of the

Piccarda ch , and Drust w as slain there, on the tw elfth day of themonth of August.In the Annals of Ulster it is recorded in Latin instead of

Gaelic 29 Bellum Drom ade rggbla th‘

nigm reg1onbus Pictorum

inter O -engus e t Drust regem Pictorum e t c e c idit Drust . ThoughVictorious in this great battle, Ang us did not fina lly subdue Atholefor other ten years, when he overthrew and drowned anoth er Kingof Athole, as recorded 111 th e Annals of Tigh e rnac

739 Talorcan mac Dre stan Rex Ath fhotl a a bath adh l e

h Aengus .Ta lorcan, the son of Drostan

,King of Athole

,drowned by

Angus .This Angus M

‘Fe rgus was the greatest of all the Pictish kings,and subdued all opponents

,and united the Northern and Southern

Picts . He reigned for 30 years, and died m 76 1.

806 . In this year Constantine M ‘Fe rgus, the grandson of AnguéM ‘Fe rgus, founded Dunkeld as th e seat of the primacy of th e

Scottish Church . 111 the Pictish Chronicle w e read

Constantin Fitz Fe rgusa x1. annz . Cesti fist e diferDunke ldyn.

”

s Constantin M ‘Fe rgusreigned forty years . He caused Dunkeldto be built .

300 Gae lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

Col . Robertson, in h is Historical Proofs,says Th e Register

of St Andrew s even, admits the foundation of Dunkeld by KingConstantine

,which

,coming from a quarter that was j ealous of all

oth er church es, i s strong confirm ation of its truth ; and as thedistrict of Ath ole and country near Dunkeld was then in theCrown

,by th e conquest of its provincial rulers by Angus

M ‘Fe rgus, King Constantine h ad it in h is pow er largely to endowh is ch urch , and place it also where it m ust have been consideredsafe from the heathen plunderers . ”

Amongst the lands w ith w hich Constantine endowed Dunkeldwere the whole barony of Cally

,the lands of Persie and Ashmore

,

a nd the whole stretch of country from there to Dunkeld,wh ich

continued to be the property of the Bishops of Dunkeld till theReformation .

In later times there was a monastery and a nunnery at Bridgeof Cally in connection with Dunkeld . This connection with thec hurch gave their names to many of th e places in Strath ardl e .

Cally itself is derived from Ca i lla ch , a nun,and the full name of

it is L agan—dubh -cha i l lich

,the Hollow of the Black Nuns ;

Roch a l l ie comes from Ruith -ch a i l lz’

ch,the Nuns’ Sh eiling 3 Ben

c hallie and Loch B ench al l ie are B e inn Ch a i l li eh and L och B e ina

Ch a i l lich , th e Nuns Mountain and Loch ; B la ckcra ig, in full,

is Cra ig-dubh -ch a z

’

l lich,the Rock of the Black Nuns . There w a s

also the Monks’ Mill near Bridge of Cally .

In 903, the Pictish Ch ronicle tells us,the Danes laid w aste

Dunkeld and all Alban . Possibly it w as then the battle of

Ennoch dh u w a s fought .About 1005, in th e reign of King Malcolm Kirkmichael

g ave the title of Abthane to Crinan, Abbot of Dunkeld, who hadmarried th e King’s daughter

,B e th oc or Beatrice . This title of

Abth ane is peculiar to Scotland,as no trace of it is found in any

other country,and only three in Scotland . In the article on

Malcolm II . in the “ Scottish Nation, w e read : Malcolm ’s

daughter B e th oc marrie d Crinan, Abbot of Dunkeld, and thismarriage gave a long line of Kings to Scotland, ending w ithAlexander 111. Their 80 11 Duncan succeeded his maternal grandfather on th e thron e

,and w as th e ‘

gracious Duncan’ murdered

by Macbeth .

Crinan is styled by Fordun Abth c mus d e Du l l a c S enesch a l lus

I nsu lara m . The title of Abth ane seems to have belonged to anabbot w h o possessed a thanedom . It w as peculiar to Scotland,a nd only th ree Abth ane rie s are named in ancient records

,viz .

,

those of Dull in Ath ole,Kirkmichael in Strath ardl e

,and Madderty

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$302 Gae lic Socie ty of Inverne ss i.

In 1033, w hen Th orfinn,the Danish Earl of Caithness

,defeated

and slew K ing Malcolm,and subdued and overran th e whole north

o f Scotland as far south as F ife° th e only districts north of the

Forth which he did not conquer were Athole and Strath ardl e .

As we have now followed the History of Strath ardl e for ath ousand years, and are now en tering on modern history, I willl eave the remainde r for another pape r .

em M AY,1889.

At this meeting, M r Roderick Maclean,Ardross

,read a paper

e ntitled, Notes on th e Parish of Kilte arn.

”M r Maclean’s paper

w as as follows

NOTES O N THE PARISH O F KI L TEARN.

The Parish of Kilte arn l ies on the north side of the CromartyFirth

,west of, and parallel to, the Parish of Alness . Its greatest

length is nearly 16 miles, and its average breadth 3 miles . Thetotal area by th e Ordnance Survey of 1576 is acres

,of

which 4578 acres are arable . The surface is beautifully dive rsifiedby hill and dale

,wood and water

,a1 able and moorlands— the hills

rising in successive altitudes to the crowning point at Wyvis, 3429feet high . From the summit ofWyvis on a c lear day the View is

grand . A description i s almost useless ; it must be seen to beappreciated .

The or igin of the name is to m e doubtful . It is traditionalthat one of the early Barons of Fowl is was buried at th e s ite ofth e present Parish Ch urch,that in process of time many of theretainers of the family w ere buried around him

,and that when a

place of worship w as built there it w a s called Kill—an—Tigh e arn

th e burying-place of the lord of th e manor. I am not aware of

another place of worship or of burial in th e Highlands which,if

d edicated,i s so to any other than to the Divine or to a saint.

M ay not the dedication be to the Lord— Kill an Tigh e arna ?Great ch anges have taken place in the parish since Dr

Robertson w rote his Statistical Account in 1791. There werethen very fe w stone and lime h ouses — th ose of the poorer classesw ere miserable turf and mud huts .

» Th e population th en w a s

6 94 males and 922 females together,16 16 3 in 1831

,1605 3 and

Note s on th e Parish of Kilte arn. 303

in 1881, 1146 . I have no doubt the difference of the number of

males under th at of the females in 1791 w a s owing to the numberof the Clan Munro who w ere then serving in the arrhy . Theyw ere alw ays famed as a warlike race .

The object of this paper being to give the place names,I now

proceed with them in alph abetical orderAch l e acl1— Achadh —an- L e ath ad— The fie ld on the slope .

Al lt-Ca ilc— The chalky burn . Plants under water on thebanks of this burn have the appearance as if covered w ith chalk

,

no doubt caused by lime held in solution in the water. Limestonemust be th ere, though as far as I know it has not been discovered .

Allt-Dua ck— The black small burn .

Allt-Duill e ag— Th e leafy burn, named after w ater—cresses that

grow th ere .Allt -Garbh a idh — The rough burn .

Allt—Grad— The ugly burn . Th is is a portion of the rive rflow ing from Loch Glais, now too well known to require a minutedescription . North of th e village of Evanton

,the river

,for a

d istance of nearly tw o miles, runs through a narrow chasm from80 to 120 feet deep— in one place only 16 feet wide— and it issaid in th e last century a smuggler pw su e d by excisemen leaptover th e ch asm at th is place .

Al lt-a —Ch oil ich — Th e burn of the blackcock .

Al lt a Gh oil l— Th e burn of the stranger or Lowlander.Alltan-Te ann— The sw ift running burn .

Allt—na-moine— Th e burn of the peat moss .Al lt-nan -Caorach — Th e burn of th e sh eep . Supposed to have

got the name from a large number of sheep h aving been smotheredin it during a severe snow storm . There is h ere a lead mine

,which

w as found to produce good lead,but the work was not prosecuted .

An L e a ca inn The side of the hill .Ardullie .

Ath —a -B h e ala ich Edh e anna ich .

Bad a Gh orta in— T h e clump of w ood at the small arable fie ld .

B adgh arbh a idh— The clump at th e rough place .

B ala ch ladoch — Th e town at th e shore .B alacre ig

— Th e town of th e rock .

B alm e anach — Th e mid town .

B al conie — B alcom h nu idh —The residence . So named fromh aving been the first building erected by th e first Earl of Ross

,

a nd in times gone by known a s Baile Com h nuidh Mh ic Dh onuil l .B alnacra e

B og Tuath — Th e north bog.

304 Gae l ic Socie ty of Inve rne ss.

Bog a Ph ioba ire — The piper’s bog.

B ogandurie~— Bog-an -Tur — The bog of the tower. The tower

is now in ruins .B ognah a irn

— The bog at the south side of the Skiak water,

where th ere existed a tow er now in ruins .Cadh a Dubh — The black narrow pass .Clach—a —Ch olum a in— The pigeon’s stone .Clachan B iorach — Th e pointed stones .These stones have evidently been erected as a Druidical place

of worship . There are tw elve of them disposed into th e form of

two ovals j oined to each other, of equal areas, measuring 13 feeteach from east to w est in th eir longer axis, and 10 feet from northto south in their shorter axis . In the west end is a stone 8 feetabove the ground

,and the others are from 4 to 5 feet high . In

the middle of the western oval is a flat stone,which probably may

have been the altar. About 9 feet from the eastern oval is ac ircular hollow, said to have been a well of considerable depth,now fill ed up. It is 8 feet diameter at the top. Around theseovals are the remains of three consecutive circles— the first 35

paces,the second 50 paces, and the third 80 paces in circum

ference . Th e remains of large sepulchral cairns and tumuli in th eparish are numerous

,and are worthy of be m g ke ot on record .

Clais B h uie — The yellow hollow .

Clais Dh a ibh idh — David ’s hollow .

Clare— Clar— A name applied to a plane,or land. having a

smooth surface . There is here an area of about 200 ac'res of whatw as till about 40 years ago arable and meadow land

,about 700

feet above the sea,but w hich cannot now ,

owing to the coldnessand lateness of the seasons

,be profitably cultivated .

Caolasie — The narrow passage at the lower end of Loch Glais .Here is the ford of the old drove road that passed that way.

Clyne— Claon— The slope . This is the name by which theestate, now called M ountge rald, wa s known till recently.

Cnoc a ’

M h argaduidh—Cnoc—a -M h arga idh

-Dhuibh— The hill ofthe black market . Supposed to have got the name from somedisaster that h appened there

,either in loss of l ife or loss in

business— th e former probably— on account of the number of

tumuli at the base of the hill . This is a beautiful hill,oval in

form, having its longer axis from north -west to south east,or

parallel to the valley of the Glais . Its base measures about 800yards by 400 yards

,and its summit 60 by 20 yards. Its elevation

i s 1020 feet above the sea,and about ‘

250 feet above the averagelevel of the surrounding ground . O u the eastern slope can be

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306 Gae lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss .

Gulbin— Behind the hill .Culcairn—

r-Behind the cairn . This portion of the parish lies

to the east of the Al ltgrad, awkwardly jutting into the parish of

Alness It w as included in the parish of Kilte arn on account ofth e small estate which it forms having belonged to a scion of theFow l is family wh en the boundaries of the parish were fixe d .

Culnaske ath — A nook enclosed on one side by the Skiak wa ter .Dal—Gh e al — Wh ite plain .

Drummond— Drum m e an

village of Evanton .

Dunruadh — The red mound . The ruins of an old stronghold,

relating to which there is no tradition .

Eil e anach — The place of the islands . The place is about amile and a half south of Loch Glais . The ground is flat, andduring floods the river spreads out so as

,to form a fe w islands .

Near this place is a beautiful waterfall, called Conas,

” properlyCone is— The waterfall of the dogs . Why it is called so I couldnot ascertain . The fall is in two leaps, about 15 feet each . Thefirst falls into a large basin, over the lips of which it h as beenrecently observed th at less w ater flows out than falls in . Curiosityled the observing party to try by experiment if there existed aninvis ible channel

,and

,to their astonishment and del ight

,small

pieces of wood and other ligh t substances thrown into the basinwere sucked up by a small eddy, and they reappeared in the poolat the bottom of the fall

,after having made th eir way through

the under channel .Evanton— A village situated betw een the Alltgrad and Skiack,

about a mile north of the Cromarty F irth . The first house wasbuilt there about the year 1800

,wh en M r Fraser w as proprietor

of Balcony,and he called the village after h is only son

,Evan .

Before then a small village existed to the west of Sh iach w ater,to

t h e north of the farm of Drummond,where th ere are still a few

houses,still ca lled the village of Drummond and

,to distinguish

the one from the oth er,Evanton w as

,and i s still by old people

,

called “Am Baile U r”— the ne w town . This village is laid out

w ith regular streets,its sanitary condition is good, and, a fe w

years ago,the present superior— M r Ferguson ofNovar— introduced

water a t considerable expe nse to h imself.Fannyfie ld

— The name given by th e late M r John Munro ofSwordale

,in 1859

,to a portion of the estate of Sw ordale

,formerly

know n by the name of B og-Riabh ach f—the brindled or greyish bog .

Fe rrindona ld -Fearann Donuil l - J l‘

h e country of Donald,

w hich includes the parishes of Alness,Kilte arn

,part of Dingw all

,

and part of Kincardine .

Th e low ridge. A farm w est of the

Note s on th e Parish of Kiltearn. 307

Buchanan relates that,about the beginning of the ele venth

c entury, King Malcolm the Second of Scotland feued out the landsin the country to great families in it, on account of their eminentservices in assisting him to extirpate the Danes out of the kingdom .

And,according to th e records of th e Fowlis family, it w a s on that

occasion that th e lands between the Borough of Dingwall and thewater of Alness were

,in 1025

,given to Donald de B unroe , pro

genitor of the family of Fowlis,from whom all the Munros in this

country are descended . Part of th ese lands were afterw ards, byt h e king, erected into a barony, called th e Barony of Fowlis . Fromthis Donald de B unroe is l ineally descended the present Sir HectorMunro

,bart .

,who is the th irty- second baron of Fow l is . Th e

surname of B unroe (now softened to Munro), is said to haveoriginated in the fact that Donald came to assist King Malcolm II .w ith a band of trusty follow ers

,from th e foot of the river Roe

( B un Am h a inn Roe), wh ich falls into Loch Foyle, in the northof Ulster

,and hence w e have a fe w place names of Irish origin

still existing in Fe rrindonald, the most prominent of w hich isFow l is

,Ben-Wyv is, and Loch Glais . Wh en the first charter was

granted by the Crown is not known . Th e earliest I could get atis th e one granted by James the Sixth of Scotland

,dated 8th

March,1608

,granted to Sir Robert Munro .

Fluch lady— Flinch L e ath ad —The w e t hill- side .

Fow lis — Fodh -’

n-Lios— Beneath the fort . Th e word 1ios isnow applied to a garden

,but originally in the Irish language it

m eant th e enclosure of the garden, or that which defended the

garden from the inroads of cattle or other animals . It meant alsoa w all of defence surrounding a dw elling. Hence w e have Lismorein Ireland, and the island of th at name in Argyl e sh ire , bothmeaning th e big fort or strongh old . Now

,on the top of the hill

above Fowlis Castle,there is to be traced the foundation of what

appears to have been an oval fort,and th e late Sir Charles Munro

told me that the site of Fow lis Castle derived its name from itsb e ing situated beneath th is old fort . Hugh Munro, first of th e

fan1ily , au th entical ly designated of Fowlis,died in 1 126

,and h e

s eems to h ave been the grandson of Donald de B unroe . Hugh ’

s

grandson bui lt th e first tow er of Fow lis 0 11 a piece firm gro i ind

surrounded by a bog about 1150 or 1160 . It is only in thepresent century that th e last of this bog has been dra ined . The

pre sent Ca s tle of Fo wlis is built upon th e foundations of th e old

t ow er, greatly extended in area, and the dates upon it are 1754,

1 777, and 1792 . Th e barons w h o successively occupied the fort

308 Ga e lic Socie ty of Inverness.

and castle are eminent in the history of our country,and to do

justice to their memory would be the writing of volumes . Icannot, however, refrain from mentioning an anecdote which istold of Sir George Munro of Culcairn, uncle of Sir John Munro

,

known as the “ Presbyterian Mortar-piece,

” and from whom th e

present Baronet of Fowlis has descended . He w as a soldier of

fortune,and was engaged in the thirty years’ war. He was called

the Presbyterian Mortar-piece on account of h is firm adherenceto Presbyterianism during the twenty-eight years of Prelacy inScotland from 1660 to 1688. He was too powerful a man for

Bishop Paterson to take before the Commission for nonconformity,

but his dependants did not always escape . The Bishop was

informed that two men on the Fow l is estate,John Munro (Caird),

and Alexander Ross (Gow), were in the h abit of holding oon

venticl e s,and caused them to be summoned before a Commission

which sat in Elgin in Decembe r, 1684, or January, 1685 , on nonconformity

,

“ to fine, confine , banish and hang, as they should se e

cause . ” The Commission consisted of the Earls of Errol and Kintore

,and Sir George Munro of Culcairn . Sir George was a friend

to the oppressed . He w a s told by his lady that John Caird andAl exander Gow were summoned to appear before the Com mission

,

and he desired her to tell them when called not to answ er to theirnames of “ Munro and Ross

,

” but Caird” and Gow .

”He

then,on the Court day

,when the men were before them

,said that

their Lordships did not understand Gaelic,wh ich he did

,and that

the names of the m en meant “ tinker ” and “ blacksmith 3 thatsuch characters never troubled themselves about religion - theyrather engaged in drinking, swearing, and figh ting, and that th eCourt w as really disgraced by the Bishop bringing such charactersbefore them

,and he moved that the men be ordered out of Court

,

never to appear before them again,wh ich was agreed to

,and the

Bishop was censured . At the same m eeting Sir John Munro ofFowlis was ordered to be imprisoned in Tain

,and his son in Inver

ness,for nonconformity .

Sir John was a man of great physical power. Here is th ewhisky bottle out of which he used to give his tenants a dramwhen paying their rents

,and this is the glass . The bottle con

ta ine d 5% gallons , and the glass large wine gla ssfulls. It issaid that S ir John could

,with ease

,l ift the bottleful in his right

hand and steadily fil l the glass . From other anecdotes related ofhim he must have weighed over 30‘ stones . He died in 1696.

Many of his dependants also were strong m en . It is said tha tabout this period an English champion came to Fowlis and

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310 Gae lic Socie ty of Inverne ss.

Weyvis— Fuath ais (3429 feet), is an Irish word, meaning a

den,or a dismal place to look into . Near the summit of the moun

tain there is a corri e,which cannot be viewed from above without

feelings of aw e . It is comparatively narrow,and 1000 feet deep

O n the south-west side the cliffs are nearly perpendicular,and it

would take a cool head indeed to attempt to scale them . O n th e

north .east side the descent can safely be m ade . From this corriethe mountain has got its nam e . It 18 now called Corry-na-icol

,on

account of the number of cattle that were killed by falling over thecl iffs in the days when Ross- shire farmers sent cattle there to summ e r

grazing. It is said of a man who at one time herded the cattlethat when he happened to be s h ort of food he did not scruple todrive some of the cattle under his care to the edge of one of thecl iffs at night

,making himself sure of dead m eat at the bottom of

the corri e next morni .ng Many stori e s a re told of excursions toWeyvis by caterans in the days of cattle lifting, I will relate one .

Twelve Lochaber men,in quest of spoil

,came to Wéyvis, and drove

be foie them all the cattle they could find into Corrie-na fe ol, withthe intention of commencing their home journey the followingm orning. A powerful old man

, w h o herded the cattle, known byth e nam e of B re ach ie

,

”from the freckled appearance of his skin

,

assisted by an active young man named Donald og, took a bundleof withs

,came upon the twelve men by surprise during the night

,

overpowered and bound them with the withs . They w ere handedover to justice . Seven were hung

,and the rest set at liberty . The

leader, wh o w as a bit of a poet

,composed a song on the occasion

of his capture,of which the following is a verse

Tha mo bh e ansa torrach og,’S truagh a ri nach b

’

e mac e,

Ach an toir e steach an toir,

Air Donul l bg is air B re a ch ie .

At no time is Wyvis without snow. Even in the hottest summersa patch is to be found in some one of its corries, and in allusion tothis, says Dr Robertson of Kil te arn

,in h is Statistical Account of

the parish,written in 1791, there is a remarkable clause inserted

in one of the charters of the family of Fowlis, which i s, that th eforest of ‘U a ish

’ i s held of the King on condition of paying asnowball to h is Majesty on any day of the year, if required . Snoww a s actually sent to the Duke of Cumberland when at Inverness,in 1746, to cool his wine .

Mackenzie of Gairloch,Bart .

Stuart Blackie,Edinburgh University

Charles Fraser-Mackintosh of Drummond,M .P.

Colin Ch isholm Namur Cottage, InvernessAle x . Nicolson, M .A .

,LL .D . ,

advocate,sh e rifi-substitute

,Greenock

L I FE M EM BERS .

Baillie,James E. B .

,of Doch four

Bankes,P. Liot, of Letterewe

Burgess,Peter

,factor for Gl enm oriston

,Drumnadrochit

Campbell,Alasdair

, of Kilmartin, G1en-UrquhartChish olm of Chisholm,

33 Tavistock Square,London

Ferguson, R. C. Munro,of Novar

Fletch er,Fitzroy C .

,Leth am Grange

,Arbroath

Fletcher,J Douglas, of Rose h augh

Finlay,R. B .

, Q .C.

,M .P.

,London

Fraser—Mackintosh,Charles

,of Drummond

,M .P.

Fraser,Donald

,of Millburn, Inverness

Jackson,Maj or Randle

,of Swordale, Evanton

Macdonald,Lachlan

,of

'

Ska ebost, SkyeMacfarlane

,D. H. ,

46 Portman Square, LondonMackay

,Donald

,Gampola

,Kandy

,Ceylon

Mackay,George F .

,Roxburgh

,Otago

,New Z ealand

Mackay,James

,Roxburgh

,Otago

,Ne w Z ealand

Mackay,John

,C .E.

,Hereford

Mackay,John

,of Ben Reay

Mackenzie,Sir Kenneth S .

,of Gairloch

,Bart .

Mackenzie,Allan R , yr. of Kintail

Matheson,Sir Kenneth

,of Lochalsh , Bart .

Scobie,Captain N. ,

late of Fearn, Ross-shire

H O N O RARY M EM BERS .

Beith,Gilbert

,7 Royal Bank Place, Glasgow

Blair,Sh eriff

,Inverness

Brown, J A. Harvie,Dunipace

,Larbert

Davidson,Donald

,of Drummond Park, Inverness

Dunm ore,th e Righ t Hon . th e Earl of

Fe rguson,Miss Marion

,23 Grove Road

,St Joh n

’s Wood

,London

Fraser,Alexander

,agent for t h e Commercial Bank of Scotland,

Inverness.

Fraser,A. T. F . ,

clothier,Church Street

,Inverness

Gard,Lieut . -Col . Gostw yck, late 93rd Highlanders, Cul-an-e ilan

InvernessGrant, Brigade-Surgeon Alex .

,Reay House

,Inverness

Grant,Ian Macpherson

, yr. of B all inda l loch

Grant,John

, jun . ,Oakbank

,Glen-Urquhart

Grant,Joh n

, Cardifi,Wales

Grant,Field-Marsh al Sir Patrick, Chelsea, London

Grant,Robert

,of Messrs Macdougall dz Co. , Inverness

Innes,Charles

,solicitor

,Inverness

Jolly,William

,E .M Inspector of School s

,Pollocksh ie lds, Glasgow

Macandrew,Sir H. C .

,sh eriff—clerk of Inverness -shire

M acallister Councillor T. S .,Inverness

Macbean,William

,Imperial Hotel

,Inverness

M acConnach ie,John

,M ayor of Card iff

Macdonald,Alexander

,of Edenwood

Macdonald,Allan

,solicitor

,Inverness

Macdonald,Andrew

,solicitor, Inverness

Macdonald,Captain D. P.

,Ben-Nevis Distillery

,Fort-William

Macfarlane,Alex .

,Caledonian Hotel

,Inverness

Mackenzie,P. A. C.

,Rio de Jane iro

Ma ckenzie,Re v . A. D.

,Free Church

,Kilmorack

Mackenzie,Mackay D.

,Nationa l Provincial Bank, Gateshead-oh

TyneMackintosh of Mackintosh , M oyh al l

Mackintosh,Angus

,of Holme

,Palace Chambers

,9 Bridge Street,

Westminster

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314 Gae lic Socie ty of Inve rne ss.

Cam eron,D. ,teacher

,B lairour, Aonach an,

LochaberCameron

,Joh n, bookseller, Union Street, Inverness

Cam eron,Miss M . E. ,

of Innse agan, Fort-WilliamCameron

,Paul

,Blair-Athole

Cameron,Rev. Alex ,

Sleat,Skye

Cameron,Rev . John, Beauly

Cameron,Rev . William,

minister of PooleweCampbell

,Fraser (of Fraser Campbell), High Street, Inverness

Campbell,George J sol icitor

,Inverness

Campbell,James

,builder

,Ardross Place

,Inverness

Campbell,The Re v. John

,Kilmore Manse

,Glen-Urquhart

Campbell,John

,jun .

,inspector of poor

,Kingussie

Campbell,Paul

,shoemaker, Castle Street, Inverness

Campbell,T. D. (of Cumming Campbell), Inverness

Cesari,E.

,Station Hotel

,Inverness

Chisholm,C. C.

,65 Kilbow ie Road

,Clydebank

,Dumbarton

Chisholm, D. H . ,

21 Castle Street,Inver ness

Chisholm,Duncan

,coal merchant

,Inverness

Chisholm,Archibald

,P.F.

,Lochmaddy

Chisholm,Col in

,Namur Cottage

,Inverness

Cockburn,Thomas

,Royal Academy

,Inverness

Cook,James

,commission agent

,Inverness

Cook,John

,commission agent

,21 Southside Road, Inverness

O ran, John, Kirkton , B unch re wDavidson

,D.

,Waverley Hotel

,Inverness

Davidson,John

,grocer

,Ingl is Street, Inverness

Davidson,William

,Ruthven

,Strath e rrick

Dewar, Daniel, BeaufortDick , Mrs, Greenhill, Lower DrummondDwelly

,E.

,Piper Argyle Highlanders

,Ballachulish

Fergusson,Charles

,The Gardens

,Cally

,Gatehouse, Kirkcubrigh t

shireFergusson

,D. H.

,pipe-major

,Inverness

Finlayson,Dr

,Munlochy

Finlayson,John

,rector

,Farral ine Institution, Inverness

Finlayson,John

,com mercial traveller, Hillside Villa, Inverness

Forbes,Duncan

,of Culloden

Forsyth,John H . ,

wine merchant,Inverness

Fraser,E ne as (Innes dxMackay), Inverness

Fraser,Alexander

,Schoolhouse

,Kinguss ie

Fraser,Alex

,draper

,15 Church Street

Fraser, A. R. ,South Africa

House , InvernessFraser,Fraser

,Strath glass

Fraser, John, draper, 80 High Street, NairnFraser, Miss Hannah G.

,Farral ine Villa

,North Berwick

Eraser, Miss Mary, 2 Ne ss Walk, InvernessFrase r, Roderick, contractor, Argyle Street, InvernessFraser

,William

,School Board offic e r

,52 Tom nah urich Street

Galloway,George, chemist, Inverness

Gillande rs, K . A., Drummond Street, Inverness

Gillande rs, John, teacher, DennyGlass

,0 . C. ,

12 2 North Street, St Andrews

Gordon,John A.

,dentist

,Inverness

Gow ,James Mackintosh , F .S .A. Scot ,

Union Bank,Hunter’s .

Square,Edinburgh

Grant,George Macpherson

,The Ca stle

,B all indal loch

Grant,Re v. J E C. Manse

,Kilmuir

,Skye

Grant,Dr Ogilvie

,Inverness

Grant,Rev. Donald

,Dornoch

Grant,J M . , of Gl enm oriston

Grant, J . R , factor and commissioner for Th e Chisholm,Erch l e ss

Grant . F. W. , Maryhill, InvernessGrant

,William

,Chapel Walk

,Cross Street

,Manchester

Gray, James, slater, Friar’

s Street, InvernessGunn

,Rev . Adam,

Durness,Lairg.

Gunn,John

,14 Dalkeith Road

,Edinburgh

Gunn,William

,draper

,Castle Street

,Inverness

Henderson,John

,factor for Rosebaugh

,Fortrose

Holt, John B . ,Abbey School

,Fort-Augustus

Hood, John, Life Association of Scotland,Edinburgh .

Hood, Thomas, chemist, 11 Broad Street, BristolHorne, John, Teviot Cottage, Southside Road, InvernessJameson, Walter, Glenarm,

Co. Antrim,Ireland

Jerram,C. S . , Preyot House, Petworth

Kemp, D. William,Ivy , Lodge, Trinity, Edinburgh

Kenard, Cecil, Sconser Lodge, Skye

Kennedy, Neil, Millburn, InvernessKennedy, Rev . John, Catta coil , ArranKerr, Dr, InvernessKerr, Ca th e l , Free Church College, Aberdeen

3 16 Gae lic Soc l e ty of Inve rne ss .

Kerr,Thomas

,Caledonian Bank

,Inverness

Livingston,Colin, Fort-William

Lyon,Councillor, Aberdeen

Macaulay,A. N Cumberland Street

,Edinburgh

Mach ain,Alexander, M .A. ,

P.S .A Scot,head-master

,B aining’

s

School,Inverness

Macbean,William

,35 Union Street

Macbean,George

,writer

, Q ue ensgate , Inver nessMacbean

,James

, 77 Church Street, InvernessMacbean

,Lachlan

,editor

,

“ Fifesh ire Advertiser KirkcaldyMacbeth

,R. J Q ue ensgate , Inverness

Maccallum,Dr C. H . D.

,Elm Lodge

,Anstruther

Maccallum,Henry V.

,42 Union Street

,Inverness

Maccallum,John

,builder

,Fort-William

M ‘Corm ick, Rev . J H. J Scot,Whitehaven

,Cumberland

M accow an, Rev . J CromdaleMacdonald

,Alex .

,Audit Oth ee

,Highland Railway

,Inverness

Macdonald,Alex , Station Hotel, Forres

Macdonald,Charles

,Knocknage al , by Inverness

Macdonald;Re v. Charles, M ingarry, Loch Shiel , SalenMacdonald

,David

, St Andrew’s Street

,Aberdeen

Macdonald , D. , Inland Revenue office r, LochmaddyMacdonald

,James

,hotel-keeper

,Fort-William

Macdonald,John

,banker

,Buckie

Macdonald,Thomas

,builder

,Hilton

,Inverness

M acdonald,Donald

,fle sh e r

,Ne w Market

,Inverness

Macdonald,D. C . ,

solicitor,Aberdeen

M acdona ld, Fin1ay, Druidaig, KintailMacdonald

,John supervi sor

,Ed inbu1gh

Macdonald,John wholesale merchant

,Castle Street

,Inverness

Macdonald,John

,superintendent of police, Inverness

M a cdona id,Kenneth

,town- clerk

,Inverness

M acdonald,William

,sheriff—clerk-depute

,Inverness

Macdonald,John

,14 Shore Street

,Inverness

Macdonald,William, contractor, Innes Street, Inverness

Macdonald,Ralph Erskine

,Corindah

,by Bowen

,Downs Q ueens

landMacdonald, L .

,Altona

,Pennsylvania

, U .S .A.

Macdonald,Alexander

, 62 Tom nah urich Street,Inverness

Macdonald, Joh n,Loch Erich t Hotel

,Dalwhinnie

Macdonald,Ronald

,headmaster

,Central S chool

,Inverness

Macdougall, Alexander, booksel ler, Fort-WilliamM acfarlane

,Peter

,chemist

,Fort-William

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Mackintosh, Neil, yr.

,of Raigm ore

M ackintosh,Re v. A. , Chapel House , Fort-William

Mackintosh, R. L .

,wine merchant

,Church Street

,Inverness

Mackintosh,William

,Idvie s

,Forfar

Maclach lan,Dugald

,Caledonian Bank

,Portree

Maclachlan,Duncan

,Public Library

,Edinburgh

Maclennan,Alex

,fle sh e r

,Ne w M a i ke t

,Inverness

Maclennan,Joh n

,Bilbster Public School

,Wick

Maclennan,Dr John

,Milton

,Glen-Urquhart

Maclennan,Rev . D. S .

,Laggan

,Kingussie

Maclean,Roderick, factor, Ardross, Alness

Macleay,W. A. ,

birdstuffe r,Inverness

Macleish,D.

,banker

,Fort—William

Macleod,Reginald

, Q ueen’s Remembrancer

,Edinburgh

Macleod, Neil, Th e Skye Bard,

”7 Royal Exchange, Edinburgh

Macleod,G . G. ,

teacher, Gl e dfie ld Public School, Ardgay

Macleod,D.

,H.M . Inspector of Schools

,Inverness

Macmillan,D.

,Church Street

,Inverness

Macnee,Dr Jam es

,M .D .

,Inverness

Macph ail,Alexander

,S trath pefl

'

cr

Macphail,Alex

,Forbes Fie ld , Great Western Road, Aberdeen

Macpherson,Alex .

,solicitor

,Kingussi e

M acph e rson, Al e xande 1 , 1 Laurieston Te r1 a ce , EdinburghMacpherson

,Cap tain, J . F .

,Caledonian United Service Club,

EdinburghMacpherson

,Duncan

,8 Drummond Street, Inverness

M acpherson,Duncan , Inverguseran, Knoy dart

Macpherson,Hector, 7 View Place Inverness

M acpherson,Joh n

,Glen-Affric Hotel

,Strath glass

Macrae,A. Fraser

,172 St Vincent Street, Glasgow

Macrae,Rev . Farquhar, M .A .

,E.C. Manse, Invergarry

Macrae,Rev . A.

,Free Church Manse

,Clachan

,Kintyre

Macrae,Rev . Angus

,Free Ch urch Manse

,Glen-Urquhart

Macrae,Duncan

, Ard intoul , LochalshMacrae

,R.

,postmaster

,Beauly

Macrae,Joh n

,sol ic itor

,Dingwall

M acrae,John

,M .D . ,

Craigville,Laggan

,Kingussie

Macrae,Kenneth

,Dayville

,Grant County

,Oregon

M mcra ild,A. R

,Fort-1Vil li mn

M acritch ie, A. J solicitor

,Inverness

M acrury, Rev . John,Snizort

,Skye

“I Lc tav ish

,Alexander

,I r0 11n1onsre r, Castle Street, Inverness

M actavish,Duncan

,High Street

,Inverness

Medlock,A rthur, Bridge Street, Inverness

Menzies,Duncan

,farmer

,B la irich

,B ogart

Millar,William, auctioneer, Inverness

Miller,Dr

,Belford Hospital

,Fort-William

Mitchell,William

,draper

,Fort-William

Morgan,Arthur

,6 Parliament Square

,Edinburgh .

Morrison,He w

,Free Library

,Edinburgh

Morrison,J A.

,Fa irfie ld Road

,Inverness

.

Morrison,William, schoolmaster, Dingw all

Mortimer,John, 344 Great Western Road , Aberde en

Munro,A. R ,

Eden Cottage, L adypool Lane, Birmingh amMunro

,Re v . Robert

,B .D.

,Old Kilpatrick

,near Glasgow

Murdoch,Joh n, Horton Cottage, U ddingstone

Murray,Francis

,The Lodge

,Portree

Murray,Dr James

,M .D .

,Inverne ss

Nairne,David

,sub-editor

,North e rn Chronicle

Nicolson,Alex .

,M .A .

, LL .D advocate . sh e riH-substitute of

GreenockNoble

,Joh n

,bookseller

,Castle Street

,Inverness

O’

Hara,Thomas

,Inspector of Na tional Schools

,Portarlington

IrelandRitch ie

,

’

Re v . R. L .

,Creich

,Sutherlandshire

Robertson,John

,Tartan Warehouse

,Fort-William

Robertson,Rev . Duncan, Arisaig, Fort-William

Robson,A. Mackay

,Constitution Street

,Leith

Ross,A. M .

,

“ North e rn Ch ronicle, InvernessRoss

,Provost Alex

,architect

,Inverness

Ross,George

,ironm1onger

,Dingwall

Ross,James solicitor, Inverness

Ross,Jona th an

,merchant

,Inverness

Sharp,D.

,81 Scott Street

,Garne th il ] , Glasgow

S ie pm ann,Otto

,Th e College, Inverness

S impson,George B .

,Broughty-Ferry

Sinclair,Rev . A. Ma c l ean

,Springville, Nova Scotia

S inton,Re v. Th omas

,Dores

,Inverness

Smart,P. H. ,

drawing-master,Inverness

Spalding, William C . Adam pore , South Thibet, IndiaS tewart

,Colin J Dingw all

Thomson,Hugh, stockbroker, Inverness

Thomson,Rev . B . W . , Fodderty, Strathpeffer

Thomson,John

, 57 Argyle Place, AberdeenTh oyts, Canon, TainTodd

,Dav1d , Kingsburgh, Skye

Wallace,Thomas

,rector

,High School

,Inverness

Whyte,David, photographer, Church Street, Inverness

Whyte,Duncan

,live-stock agent

,Glasgow

Whyte, Joh n, bookseller, InvernessWilson, George, 20 Young Street

,Edinburgh

DECEA S ED M EM B ERS .

Chisholm,Simon

,Flowerdale

,Gairloch

Dott,Donald

,banker

,Lochmaddy

Mackay,Charles

,LL .D .

,Fern Dell Cottage

,Dorking

Morrison,Dr D.

,Edinburgh

Rose,Hugh

,solic itor, Inverness

Ross,Alexander

,Alness

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NAM ES O F B OOKS .

Cameron’s Chem istry of AgricultureSketches of IslayCameron’s History of SkyeKennedy ’s Bardic Stories of IrelandHicky ’s Agricultural Class BookOrain Gh aelach Mhic Dhunl e ibh eThe Wolf of BadenochFamiliar Illustrations of Scottish LifeAntiquity of the Gaelic LanguageThe Dauntless Red Hugh of Tyrconne ll

The Kilchoman People VindicatedCaraid a

’Gh a idh e il— Sermon

Highland Clearances the Cause of Highland Famines

Co~operative AssociationsLectureReview of Eight Days 111 IslayGold Diggings ln SutherlandReview of Language of IrelandHighland CharacterAn Te ach da ire Gae

’

l ach,1829-30

The Scottish RegaliaCampbell ’s West Highland Tales

,4 vols

B l iadhna Th e arla ich

Macfarlane ’s Collection of Gaelic PoemsOld Gaelic Bible (partly MSS .)

M a cHal e’s,Archbishop, Irish Pentateuch

Irish Translation of Moore ’s MelodiesThe Bull “ Inefi

'

abilis”

(Latin, English,Gaelic

,and French)

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