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Story entitled 'Mac Righ Eirinn', 28 October 1870

 Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW116/124

Scope and Contents

Story entitled 'Mac Righ Eirinn' [Mac Rìgh Èirinn or the Son of the King of Ireland] collected from Lach[lan] Donullach [Lachlan MacDonald], Gramasdale [Gramasdal/Gramsdale, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula]. In the story Rìgh Èirinn has remarried and his new wife is evil, so Mac Rìgh Èirinn runs away to his maternal grandfather's and tells him all about it. His grandfather gives him a filly and tells him that if he whispers 'Crath crath a lothag' to a filly, it will provide gold and if he says it again the other one will provide silver. Mac Rìgh Èirinn decides to visit his muime [nurse]. Before he goes to sleep he warns her not to say 'Crath crath a lothag' to his horse. As soon as he is asleep his relations say what he told her not to and the filly produces gold and silver. The nurse then swaps the filly for one of her own. The next day Mac Rìgh Èirinn sets off and when he says the magic words to the filly nothing happens. He goes back to his grandfather and tells him, so his grandfather gives him a quern and says that if he says, 'Beil beil a bhra[th] ' it will give him oats and the second time it'll give him flour. So Mac Rìgh Èirinn sets off again and when he visits his nurse the same thing happens, she says 'Beil beil a bhra[th] when she was told not to and it pours forth oats and flour and she swaps the quern for another one. Again after the king's son has left, he commands the quern but nothing happens so he returns to his grandfather. On the third occasion, his grandfather gives him a leather thong and a hammer and tells him that the command is, 'Cea[ngai]l cea[ngai]l ial stial stial a phlocain.'' This time, when Mac Rìgh Èirinn visits his old nurse and had gone to bed he is woken up by a terrible noise. On investigating he finds everyone in the house tied up with the nurse on top of them old being bashed by the hammer. She begs him to stop it all but he says he will only let her be untied if she gives him back his filly and quern stone. Reluctantly she agrees and Mac Rìgh Èirinn becomes very prosperous and never visits his nurse again.

Dates

  • Creation: 28 October 1870

Language of Materials

Gaelic English

Conditions Governing Access

This material is unrestricted.

Extent

From the Series: 64 folios ; 19.5 x 23 cm

Physical Location

5.07

Physical Location

folio 47v, line 12 to folio 48v, line 22

Repository Details

Part of the University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections Repository

Contact:
Centre for Research Collections
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Edinburgh EH8 9LJ Scotland
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