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Story entitled 'Ron', 29 January 1875 and 7 October 1875

 Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW106/125

Scope and Contents

Story entitled 'Ron' [Ròn or Seal] probably collected from John MacInnes, aged 70 years, Stadhlaigearraidh/Stilligarry, Uibhist a Deas/South Uist. The story tells how a farmer noticed that someone was eating bread from his kiln. He hid in the kiln waiting to see who the culprit was and discovered it was a big seal and a large seal. The seals are eating when the little one says that it can hear a noise but the big seal dismisses it as as the sound of a mouse. However, the noise was the man coming to kill the seals. The small seal notices and flees with the big one following it but the man manages to hit it and kill it. Later, the man arrives on Taisgeir [Theisgeir/Heisker] and he meets a man who asks him who he is. He replies that he is 'Maciogain' [a MacKeegan] and the other man recites a rhyme beginning 'Iog[ain] gad a thug mi am bith dhuit'. They cook up some seal, throwing the waste parts on the midden. Then they hear a voice from the sea, which is the voice of the small seal, cursing MacIogain in a verse beginning 'Och na och cha mhis an ron'. The text has been scored through in ink and written transversely across the first page of text is 'Transcribed into No I Book p189 A[lexander] A[rchibald] C[armichael] Creagorry 7 Oct[ober] 1875' [Creag Ghoraidh, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula].

Dates

  • Creation: 29 January 1875 and 7 October 1875

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 52r, line 11 to folio 53v, line 7

Bibliography

Gillies, William, 'Alexander Carmichael and Clann Mhuirich', Scottish Gaelic Studies, vol. XX (2000), pp. 1-66

Repository Details

Part of the University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections Repository

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