Story entitled 'Chaora Bhirroch Ghlas', 7 February 1860
Scope and Contents
Story entitled 'Chaora Bhirroch Ghlas' ['Sharp Grey Sheep'] collected from Donnacha Mac Dhirmaid [Duncan MacDiarmaid], Carbost [Càrabost, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach/Isle of Skye], who learned it from Christiana Mac Queen [Christina MacQueen], Fearan an leatha [Fearann an Leagha/Fernilea, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach/Isle of Skye]. The story is told in a confusing manner as the different episodes of the story have been over-compressed. The story tells of two girls. One girl is born to a sheep, which is owned by a wealthy man and the other is the daughter of a nurse. The daughter of the sheep loses the skin on her right arm from retrieving one of the sheep's bones from the mouth of a dog and is also made lame. One day, her mother tells her that she is to marry a prince but her nurse makes no attempt to help with the arrangements for the wedding. The prince declares that he is thirsty but the only way his thirst can be quenched is if he puts his finger in the sheep's daughter's mouth. They marry on a ship and the nurse and her daughter are there for the wedding. In the middle of the night the nurse throws the sheep's daughter out to sea and replaces her with her own daughter. When the prince wakes up he finds that his thirst is not quenched by his wife and realises that it is not her and so they separate and he takes to his bed. His herdsman is out one day when he hears two swans near the beach singing and he tells the prince. The prince then goes to a seanachie, who tells him that he must put an iron stick between the swans to break the spell. This he does and the swans turn into his wife and the other girl.
Dates
- Creation: 7 February 1860
Language of Materials
Gaelic,English
Conditions Governing Access
This material is unrestricted.
Extent
From the Series: 3 notebooks of 80 folios ; 21 x 25 cm
Physical Location
CW107-121
Physical Location
folio 43v, line 1 to folio 45r, line 6
Subject
- MacDiarmaid, Duncan, c1846-1881 (shepherd and cook on barge | Fernilea, Isle of Skye and Glasgow) (Person)
- MacQuien, Christina, c1797-1883 (or MacQueen | domestic servant | Fernilea | Isle of Skye) (Person)
Creator
- From the Fonds: Carmichael, Alexander, 1832-1912 (Excise officer | folklorist and antiquarian | Edinburgh | Scotland) (Person)
- From the Fonds: Watson, William John, 1865-1948 (Professor of Celtic) (Person)
Repository Details
Part of the University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections Repository
Centre for Research Collections
University of Edinburgh Main Library
George Square
Edinburgh EH8 9LJ Scotland
+44(0)131 650 8379
heritagecollections@ed.ac.uk