MacRury, John Ewen, c1853-1909 (Torlum | Benbecula) | University of Edinburgh Archive and Manuscript Collections

Story entitled 'Creag Earnaig', 1894

Item

Identifier: Coll-97/CW1/51

Scope and Contents Story written down by John Ewen MacRury, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula entitled 'Creag Earnaig' describing how Creag Earnaig got its name. The location is described as about two hundred and fifty yards north east of the Female Industrial School Torlum Primary School, Cnoc na Monadh/Torlum, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula]. The stones were once a Danish princess called Earnag, her son and midwife, who had been turned to stone by Earnag's wicked stepmother, who had followed her to Scotland, where she...

Dates: 1894

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Carmichael-Watson Collection / Notebook belonging to Alexander Carmichael

Story entitled 'Crodh Marra' [sea-cattle], 4 February 1895

Item

Identifier: Coll-97/CW1/86

Scope and Contents Story written down by John Ewen MacRury, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula entitled 'Crodh Marra' [crodh-mara or sea-cattle]. It tells how a man in Howgarry, North Uist [Hogha Gearraidh/Hogharry, Uibhist a Tuath] was having a difficult time, with his children and his cattle dying in infancy so on the advice of a wise old man, he decided to get one of the red and white sea cattle, which were often seen in the water near the shore. To do this he had to sprinkle 'ùir dhubh' or black loam soil on the...

Dates: 4 February 1895

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Carmichael-Watson Collection / Notebook belonging to Alexander Carmichael

Story entitled 'Dealan De' [Yellow Butterfly], 30 January 1895

Item

Identifier: Coll-97/CW1/83

Scope and Contents Story written down by John Ewen MacRury, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula entitled 'Dealan De' [Dealan-DèYellow Butterfly]. MacRury tells how there are many kinds of Dealan-Dè but this particular kind is uncommon and did not exist until Christ had risen from the dead. They all came out of Christ's tomb. He gives a lengthy, romantic physical description of the butterfly and tells how they are never seen around wrong-doers or where there is bad language. It is good luck for the butterfly to be seen...

Dates: 30 January 1895

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Carmichael-Watson Collection / Notebook belonging to Alexander Carmichael

Story entitled 'Meteor', 1895

Item

Identifier: Coll-97/CW1/85

Scope and Contents Story written down by John Ewen MacRury, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula entitled 'Meteor' describing the first time he saw a meteor. He states that it was in October 1872, and that the meteor 'came down at a very slow rate in a spirally sort of way and leaving a train of faint fire behind it. It was about two miles distant from where I was it fell. Others saw it also and predicted a death within a few days and strange to say a woman died very near the place it fell a few days afterwards.' He...

Dates: 1895

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Carmichael-Watson Collection / Notebook belonging to Alexander Carmichael

Story entitled 'Prince Charlie', 1895

Item

Identifier: Coll-97/CW1/78

Scope and Contents Story written down by John Ewen MacRury, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula entitled 'Prince Charlie' and telling the story of a blanket specially made for Bonnie Prince Charlie [Prince Charles Edward Stuart] after his defeat at Culloden, when he was staying Roisinish [Ròisinis/Rossinish]. An unmarried woman there by the name of MacMillan heard he had no bed clothes so persuaded her neighbours to make a blanket for him. They worked non-stop on the blankets and 'dried [them] on the face of the rocks...

Dates: 1895

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Carmichael-Watson Collection / Notebook belonging to Alexander Carmichael

Story entitled 'Tuaireasgeul Mor', 1895

Item

Identifier: Coll-97/CW1/105

Scope and Contents Story written down by John Ewen MacRury, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula entitled 'Tuaireasgeul Mor' describing the tuairsisgeul as 'a wonderful tale'. It is described as a story which would take a good reciter 'seven winter long nights from beul na hoiche dusk to Goirm choilleach cock-crowing to repeat it in full.' The best reciter was deemed to be Domhnull Ban Dughallach [Donald MacDougall] who was a famous piper of the MacCrimmon school. His son John, a skipper on a Clyde steamer, 'who left...

Dates: 1895

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Carmichael-Watson Collection / Notebook belonging to Alexander Carmichael

Vocabulary note and story about the name Craideag, 18 May 1895

Item

Identifier: Coll-97/CW1/102

Scope and Contents

Vocabulary note and story written down by John Ewen MacRury, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula about the name Craidsag, stating that it is a name for a bad joiner or 'timber-spoiler' from the word cnag meaning a short cutting of timber. He adds that 'A man in North Uist [Uibhist a Tuath] is known as Craidsag and a joiner of the most primitive style.'

Dates: 18 May 1895

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Carmichael-Watson Collection / Notebook belonging to Alexander Carmichael

Vocabulary note and story about the name Cruaicean, 18 May 1895

Item

Identifier: Coll-97/CW1/101

Scope and Contents

Vocabulary note and story written down by John Ewen MacRury, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula about the name Cruaicean. He states that it is 'applied to a short thick stout man of considerable strength. Cruaic a short stump of a tree or a course (sic) piece of timber'. A man from Rona, North Uist [Rònaigh/Ronay, Uibhist a Tuath/North Uist] who was known as Cruaicean emigrated to America with his family about sixty years before [c1835] where they are known as 'Clann Chruaicean'.

Dates: 18 May 1895

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Carmichael-Watson Collection / Notebook belonging to Alexander Carmichael

Vocabulary note and story about the name Dustaidh, 18 May 1895

Item

Identifier: Coll-97/CW1/104

Scope and Contents Vocabulary note and story written down by John Ewen MacRury, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula about the name Dustaidh, stating that it is the modern term for a bad kelper. 'A man that did not burn the sea weed well and in the usual manner, was known to have a great deal of duast dust, which would require to be reburnt with some well seasoned seaweed very carefully.' A man in Uibhist a Tuath/North Uist became known as dustaidh following a season kelp-making on Rona [Rònaigh/Ronay] 'the ground...

Dates: 18 May 1895

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Carmichael-Watson Collection / Notebook belonging to Alexander Carmichael

Vocabulary note and story about the name Fideadh, 18 May 1895

Item

Identifier: Coll-97/CW1/103

Scope and Contents

Vocabulary note and story written down by John Ewen MacRury, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula about the name Fideadh that is it used for a 'bad cooper'. MacRury says he remembers a Benbecula man who was given the name Fideadh for that very reason and adds that some say that the surname Fiddes comes from Fideadh. He also states 'In olden times country cooper[s] were numerous but a good tradesman was known as Cuipear - Cooper.'

Dates: 18 May 1895

Found in: University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections / The Carmichael-Watson Collection / Notebook belonging to Alexander Carmichael

University of Edinburgh Archive and Manuscript Collections

MacRury, John Ewen, c1853-1909 (Torlum | Benbecula)

Found in 22 Collections and/or Records:

Story entitled 'Creag Earnaig', 1894

Story entitled 'Crodh Marra' [sea-cattle], 4 February 1895

Story entitled 'Dealan De' [Yellow Butterfly], 30 January 1895

Story entitled 'Meteor', 1895

Story entitled 'Prince Charlie', 1895

Story entitled 'Tuaireasgeul Mor', 1895

Vocabulary note and story about the name Craideag, 18 May 1895

Vocabulary note and story about the name Cruaicean, 18 May 1895

Vocabulary note and story about the name Dustaidh, 18 May 1895

Vocabulary note and story about the name Fideadh, 18 May 1895

Filtered By

Additional filters: