Benbecula Inverness-shire Scotland
Subject
Subject Source: Local sources
Found in 61 Collections and/or Records:
Story about an encounter with fairies, 16 December 1894
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW1/59
Scope and Contents
Story written down by John Ewen MacRury, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula telling how about sixty years before [c1834] Lachlan MacRuaraidh [Lachlan MacRury], Ardmona, Iochdar, [Àird na Monadh/Ardnamona, Ìochdar, Uibhist a Deas/South Uist] was out looking for a lost stirk at dusk. Near Tigh Cloiche, Mointeach an Ìochdar, he saw what he thought was the men of Ìochdar digging lazy beds. As he approached them he realised they were not men 'for they all wore a green long garbe and a sort of green[e]d...
Dates:
16 December 1894
Story about 'MacCallain' and 'Frith making', 1895
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW1/65
Scope and Contents
Story written down by John Ewen MacRury, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula about Duncan McInnes [MacInnes], Balavanaich [Baile a Mhanaich/Balivanich, Beinn an Faoghla/Benbecula] also known as MacCallain [Mac Ailein] who was well-known for making 'frith' [making incantations for a missing person]. Once a boat was caught in a winter storm returning from Uig, Lewis [Eilean Leòdhais/Isle of Lewis] and with no wreckage or people it and its crew were thought lost. Mac Ailein was approached for frith and...
Dates:
1895
Story and customs about Leac na gruagaich, December 1894
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW1/57
Scope and Contents
Story and customs written down by John Ewen MacRury, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula about Leac na gruagaich [Leac na Gruagaich, Beinn na Faoghla, Benbecula], a stone which was on the croft of Angus MacAulay, Liniclate [Lionacleit] at 'Rudha Chuidh Oib or Cuidh an Obain', an old cattle fold. The tradition was to pour a little milk into the hollow of the stone to prevent the gruagaich letting the cattle out of the fold and into the corn. MacRury tells how Raoghnull MacRuaraidh 'a Cuial decendant...
Dates:
December 1894
Story entitled 'A Chliarsheanachain' [itinerant band/sorners], 5 March 1895
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW1/92
Scope and Contents
Story written down by John Ewen MacRury, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula entitled 'A Chliarsheanachain' [itinerant band/sorners]. The Cliar Sheanchain or sorners, were a band of sixteen burly men, who would eat and drink and entertain or satirise and they were notoriously difficult to control. The story tells how the the last known band of sorners stayed in Baile-nan-Cailleach [Baile nan Cailleach/Nunton] with Mac 'ic Ailein [Clanranald] as their host for a night. They stayed much longer then...
Dates:
5 March 1895
Story entitled 'A Sealladh mu dheireadh a Roca-Barraidh', 1895
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW1/82
Scope and Contents
Story written down by John Ewen MacRury entitled 'A Sealladh mu dheireadh a Roca-Barraidh' [The last sighting of Rocabarraigh] telling how the island of Rocabarraigh was seen many years after it sank after it had been prophesied by an old man. The old man's family thought he had died but managed to rouse him and he told them what he had seen. In his vision he had wrestled with a man from Rocabarraigh, who threatened to sink Barraigh/Barra, whereupon every sort of fish would wash up on the...
Dates:
1895
Story entitled 'Cailleach Bheag an fhasaich', 12 February 1895
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW1/87
Scope and Contents
Story written down by John Ewen MacRury, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula entitled 'Cailleach Bheag an fhasaich' [Little Carlin of the Wild]. There was a poor soul living in Benbecula called Iagan-lom, because he had never managed to grow a beard. He wanted to marry someone like himself who was neither too big nor too small so he decided to go away to find her so that if she rejected him no one would know. So he set out whereupon a crow told him to go to Na Hearadh/Isle of Harris as that's where...
Dates:
12 February 1895
Story entitled 'Creag Earnaig', 1894
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW1/51
Scope and Contents
Story written down by John Ewen MacRury, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula entitled 'Creag Earnaig' describing how Creag Earnaig got its name. The location is described as about two hundred and fifty yards north east of the Female Industrial School Torlum Primary School, Cnoc na Monadh/Torlum, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula]. The stones were once a Danish princess called Earnag, her son and midwife, who had been turned to stone by Earnag's wicked stepmother, who had followed her to Scotland, where she...
Dates:
1894
Story entitled 'Crodh Marra' [sea-cattle], 4 February 1895
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW1/86
Scope and Contents
Story written down by John Ewen MacRury, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula entitled 'Crodh Marra' [crodh-mara or sea-cattle]. It tells how a man in Howgarry, North Uist [Hogha Gearraidh/Hogharry, Uibhist a Tuath] was having a difficult time, with his children and his cattle dying in infancy so on the advice of a wise old man, he decided to get one of the red and white sea cattle, which were often seen in the water near the shore. To do this he had to sprinkle 'ùir dhubh' or black loam soil on the...
Dates:
4 February 1895
Story entitled 'Dealan De' [Yellow Butterfly], 30 January 1895
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW1/83
Scope and Contents
Story written down by John Ewen MacRury, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula entitled 'Dealan De' [Dealan-DèYellow Butterfly]. MacRury tells how there are many kinds of Dealan-Dè but this particular kind is uncommon and did not exist until Christ had risen from the dead. They all came out of Christ's tomb. He gives a lengthy, romantic physical description of the butterfly and tells how they are never seen around wrong-doers or where there is bad language. It is good luck for the butterfly to be seen...
Dates:
30 January 1895
Story entitled 'Meteor', 1895
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW1/85
Scope and Contents
Story written down by John Ewen MacRury, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula entitled 'Meteor' describing the first time he saw a meteor. He states that it was in October 1872, and that the meteor 'came down at a very slow rate in a spirally sort of way and leaving a train of faint fire behind it. It was about two miles distant from where I was it fell. Others saw it also and predicted a death within a few days and strange to say a woman died very near the place it fell a few days afterwards.' He...
Dates:
1895