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Family history and story about Clanvurich Staoligeary and accompanying verse, 29 October 1872

 Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW106/104

Scope and Contents

Family history and story about Clanvurich [Clann Mhuirich] Staoligeary [Stadhlaigearraidh/Stilligarry, Uibhist a Deas/South Uist] probably collected from Angus Currie, pauper, Iocar [Ìochdar] describing the different lands held by different generations of the clan up until they lost Stadhlaigearraidh as the seventeenth generation to have lived there over three hundred and sixty years. The name of the last member of the clan to hold it was Niall mac Lachlain ioc Neill ioc Dhonil [Niall mac Lachlain 'ic Niall 'ic Dhòmhnaill]. The story tells how MacMhuirich met a beast on his way home to Stadhlaigearraidh from Dremisdale [Dreumasdal/Drimsdale] and tooks its young away from it and went home. The beast followed MacMhuirich home and demanded that her young be returned to her. MacMhuirich said that he would return it when she had completed different tasks including the building of Clachan Lainginish. The beast left and when she reached Sgor Huissinish [possibly near Uisinis, Uibhist a Deas/South Uist] she found a group of fishermen around a fire and made her way through them to bake her own bannock. She then declared that she would rather be with the task master that was MacMhuirich than all of them and so broke their boat in two. She then recited a couplet beginning 'Curracan du eir a le tao, Co chia le ran co chia le ran', which is completed with another couplet by MacMhuirich. Her young asked her to sink his boat but she said that should could not. The story is truncated a little, perhaps because Carmichael had heard it before.

Dates

  • Creation: 29 October 1872

Language of Materials

English Gaelic

Conditions Governing Access

This material is unrestricted.

Extent

From the Series: 117 folios ; 20 x 16.5 cm

Physical Location

5.07

Physical Location

folio 33r, line 18 to folio 34v, line 18

Related Materials

Coll-97/CW106/105 - the song which the beast is said to have sung.

Bibliography

Gillies, William, 'Alexander Carmichael and Clann Mhuirich', Scottish Gaelic Studies, Vol. XX (2000) pp.16-19.
Gillies, William, 'Alexander Carmichael and the Folklore of the MacMhuirich Poets', in Domhnall Uilleam Stiùbhart (ed.), The Life and Legacy of Alexander Carmichael (Port of Ness, 2008), pp. 96-114.
MacKenzie, Henry (ed.), Report of the Committee of the Highland Society of Scotland Appointed to Enquire into the Nature and Authenticity of the Poems of Ossian (Edinburgh, 1805), pp. 275-279

Repository Details

Part of the University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections Repository

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