Story entitled 'Mac Mhuirich Mor', 27 May 1869
Scope and Contents
Story entitled 'Mac Mhuirich Mor' probably collected from Penelope MacLellan, Ormacleit/Ormaclete, Uibhist a Deas/South Uist. The text bears a number of annotations and amendments in pencil and has been scored through in ink as if transcribed elsewhere. The story tells how MacMhuirich Mòr found a small cat-like creature and took it home. His wife urged him to return the creature to where he had found it but he refused. The creature's mother came looking for her young and threatened to cause trouble if she did not get her young back. MacMhuirich's wife said she could have it back if she carried out certain tasks: building a clachan, bringing home peats and to thatch a roof using feathers and heather but after each task had been completed she reneged on the agreement and asked the beast to do another task. Finally, the big creature is asked to carry out a task she cannot complete 'Dean crann gath an t-simid' that is to make a 'a pole for find[in]g the depth of the sea in the deepest places' from a 'small handle for beat[in]g lint'. The creature takes her young and flees but does not harm MacMhuirich. A grandson of MacMhuirich's was in distress at sea because of a big storm when the creature took hold of the boat and shook it from side to side. She and the MacMhuirich have a verbal sparring contest in which she says that she recognises him as a MacMhuirich because of how quickly he was able to reply to her. The text has been scored through in ink as if transcribed elsewhere.
Dates
- Creation: 27 May 1869
Language of Materials
Gaelic English
Conditions Governing Access
This material is unrestricted.
Extent
From the Series: 64 folios ; 17 x 20.3 cm
Physical Location
5.07
Physical Location
folio 27r, line 19 to folio 29r, line 13
Subject
- MacLellan, Penelope, 1796-1873 (Person)
- MacDonald (of Clanranald) (Family)
- MacMhuirich (hereditary bards of Clanranald) (Family)
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
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Edinburgh EH8 9LJ Scotland
+44(0)131 650 8379
heritagecollections@ed.ac.uk