North Uist Inverness-shire Scotland
Subject
Subject Source: Local sources
Found in 238 Collections and/or Records:
Story about a woman's trip to a wise woman for a snaile, 5 Aug 1870
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW116/105
Scope and Contents
Story collected from an unnamed woman Carmichael met on the road probably in Uibhist a Tuath/North Uist about her trip to a wise woman for a snaile. She had gone to the wise woman because she had a cow which was unwell and she did not know why. The wise woman or witch friend as Carmichael describes her, told the woman that it was probably because a number of people had 'put the eye' on the cow and gave her two snaile, 'which she kindly showed me each about 6 or 9 inches long and twisted of...
Dates:
5 Aug 1870
Story about Alasdair Mac Colla, October 1870
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW116/130
Scope and Contents
Story about Alasdair Mac Colla probably collected in Uibhist a Tuath/North Uist telling how he was staying in a Campbell lodging one night although his landlord did not know who he was. A young Campbell reluctantly sits with MacColla and on finding out that MacColla is a MacDonald states that the Campbells are in debt to the MacDonalds. On asking why, Campbell states that they owe the MacDonalds the canvas they used to hang them with. MacDonald’s response is that the debt has already been...
Dates:
October 1870
Story about Am Morair Ban visiting the temple at Cairinis, 23 March 1869
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW107/30
Scope and Contents
Story about the Morair Ban [Am Morair Bàn or Sir Alexander MacDonald], who when visiting North Uist [Uibhist a Tuath] asked an old, intelligent man called 'Gillean mac Gillean' to visit the temple at Cairinis [Carinish] with him. When he asked Gillean when the temple was built he replied that it was 476 years ago and looked in a red book in his pocket and confirmed it. The builder was the second wife of the MacDonalds of the day daughter of MacDugall of Lorn.
Dates:
23 March 1869
Story about an abduction by fairies, 23 March 1869
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW107/27
Scope and Contents
Story collected from tinkers by the name of Chisholm at Baileshear [Baile Sear/Baleshare, Uibhist a Tuath/North Uist] about Mrs Marwick Stuart, Torloisg, Mull [Torloisk, Muile] who was abducted by fairies while in child-bed. She met her children from school and told them she was not dead. She asked for her husband to come to her with her wedding chemise and put it on her back-to-front and she would be as well as ever. Her husband married another and the child went to see the mother that...
Dates:
23 March 1869
Story about an insult made at Teampull na Trionaid, 20 January 1871
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW116/164
Scope and Contents
Story collected from Alexander MacDonald, Cladach Chirceboist/Claddach Kirkibost, Uibhist a Tuath/North Uist telling how when MacDhonil Ghlais [MacDhòmhnaill Ghlais] came raiding at Carinish [Cairinis] they killed a cow and feasted on it in the Temple [Teampull na Trionaid/Temple of the Trinity]. One of the men took his first mouthful of beef saying 'Ichidh mi so eir tailcas na Trianaid' and subsequently choked on it. A woman struck him between the shouldders saying, 'A Thrianaid a Thrianaid...
Dates:
20 January 1871
Story about an old seal on Haisgeir [Heisker] and accompanying vocabulary note, c1875
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW112/43
Scope and Contents
Story about an old seal on Haisgeir [Theisgeir/Heisker/Monach Isles] collected from Doul Donnullach [Donald MacDonald], tailor, aged 75 years at Cladach-Chircebost, Uist a Chinne Tuath [Cladach Chirceboist/Claddach Kirkibost, Uibhist a Tuath/North Uist] on 6 July 1866. Donald went hunting on Heisker every year for seven years and his father had been every year for thirty years before that. There was one seal which was seen every yearfor forty years on Staca Mhic Iain Mhaoil and was never...
Dates:
c1875
Story about Blar nan cuigeal, January 1871
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW116/157
Scope and Contents
Story about Blar nan cuigeal [Blàr nan Cuigeal] which was fought by North Uist women with their distaffs near Lochmaddy [Loch nam Madadh, Uibhist a Tuath/North Uist]. The fight was led by Mor Donullach [Marion MacDonald] at Clachan Shannda [Sannda/Clachan Sanda] and [at] Fooghail na Comaraich [Faoghal na Comraich] and Sìg-nan-cuaran [possibly Eilean na Sìge-Cama].
Dates:
January 1871
Story about 'Bliadhna an t Sneac dhuibh' and vocabulary note, 1885
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW87/38
Scope and Contents
Story about 'Bliadhna an t Sneac dhuibh' also known as 'Bliadhna an t sneac bhuidhe'. In which 'The snow stayed so long on the ground that it became black -some say yellow and lasted until the summer'. The story also relates how all the cattle in North Uist [Uibhist a Tuath] died except for one red cow at Biorrabhal [Clachan Bhiurabhal] and that all the fires in the island were extinguished. A fire 'tein-eigin' was produced from the 'sail-dharach' whcih is at Cladh Sgealoir [Cladh...
Dates:
1885
Story about Coinneach Odhar [The Brahan Seer], 3 January 1872
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW90/9
Scope and Contents
Story collected at Gramsdall [Gramasdail/Gramsdale, Beinn na Faoghla/Benbecula] about Coinneach Odhar [The Brahan Seer] telling how following a dream he had, he got his powers of prophesy from a stone in a box he had found on the strand. Later he threw the stone into a loch near Loch Ness and it was said that when the stone is recovered all his prophesies will come true. The story also lists several of Coinneach Odhar's prophesies relating to Uist and Barra including the presence of grey...
Dates:
3 January 1872
Story about Donl Bhailerail [Donald MacDonald of Balranald], c1872
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW90/15
Scope and Contents
Story about Donl Bhailerail [Dòmhnall Dòmhnallach/Donald MacDonald of Balranald] stating that he used to visit a man who lived by the graveyard whose son 'was a sore tyrant' and who by their appearance - riding on black horses with white fronts, dressed in green - were fairies. Donald requested a meeting with him at Crao-mhor ['the stump of a thornbush'], Bhailerail [Baile Raghnill or Baile Raghnaill, Uibhist a Tuath/North Uist], and after that he was never seen again. 'The man told him that...
Dates:
c1872