Heisker North Uist Inverness-shire Scotland
Subject
Subject Source: Local sources
Found in 21 Collections and/or Records:
Story about a lamb dropped by an eagle, 1869 to 1875
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW107/34
Scope and Contents
Story about the great grandfather of Don[ui]l Bhoradhai [Donald Bhorogaigh] who saw an eagle flying overhead carrying a lamb and using a horse-halter caused the eagle to drop the lamb. The lamb went on to be the progenitor of a flock of sheep. A note written diagonally across it states the eagle was 'Probably making for Eaval Borodhay [Bhorogaigh, Uibhist a Tuath/North Uist] being on the line between Heisgeir [Theisgeir/Heisker] and Eaval' [Eabhal, Uibhist a Tuath/North Uist]. Text has been...
Dates:
1869 to 1875
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 Mac Uistean under the heading 'Roin', c1875
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW112/23
Scope and Contents
Story about Mac Uistean under the heading 'Roin' and how when he was very old he could no longer go seal hunting on Haisgeir [Theisgeir/Heisker/Monach Isles]. Michaelmas Day, when seals were the key part of the feast, was very stomy and no one could go to Heisker seal hunting so MacUistean was agitated because there would be no slanruith to hang above the fire. That night, however after a ball in Griminnis [Griminis/Griminish, Uibhist a Tuath/North Uist] it got warm and the men went hunting...
Dates:
c1875
Story about seal hunting on Heisker including a weather incantation, 1869
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW107/36
Scope and Contents
Story in which Mac Uistean was too old to go seal hunting on Haisgeir [Theisgeir/Heisker] and in the stormy weather walked around the house repeating 'Slainri gun fheum an taobh taigh Mhic Uist[ean] an nochd Slanri & noc'. Also, a band of tinkers accustomed to seal-hunting had not had success for several seasons but after a ball on St Michael's Night they left and got 80 seals that night.
Dates:
1869
Story about tinkers and seal hunting on Hasgeir [Heisker], c1875
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW112/24
Scope and Contents
Story about tinkers and seal hunting on Hasgeir [Theisgeir/Heisker/Monach Isles] describing how once tinkers came from Leothas [Eilean Leodhais/Isle of Lewis] and stayed on Heisker for the summer. As long as they were there there were no seals but as soon as they went the seals returned.
Dates:
c1875
Story entitled 'An t Each Uisge', 28 February 1861
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW109/24
Scope and Contents
Story entitled 'An t Each Uisge' ['The Water-Horse'] collected from Manus Mac Neacail [Magnus Nicolson], Carbost [Càrabost, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach/Isle of Skye]. The story tells how a woman in Uisgegeir or Aoidhsgeir [possibly Theisgeir/Heisker] had a prophesy in which a calf born in Uibhist/Uist would save the island from a water-horse. Two MacKenzies would be sitting on a hill and would see two crows, one of which would drop a bone, which would hit one of them on the head and they would...
Dates:
28 February 1861
Story entitled 'Ron', 29 January 1875 and 7 October 1875
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW106/125
Scope and Contents
Story entitled 'Ron' [Ròn or Seal] probably collected from John MacInnes, aged 70 years, Stadhlaigearraidh/Stilligarry, Uibhist a Deas/South Uist. The story tells how a farmer noticed that someone was eating bread from his kiln. He hid in the kiln waiting to see who the culprit was and discovered it was a big seal and a large seal. The seals are eating when the little one says that it can hear a noise but the big seal dismisses it as as the sound of a mouse. However, the noise was the man...
Dates:
29 January 1875 and 7 October 1875
Story under the heading 'Roin' about Mac Uistean and the Lochlannach robber, c1875
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW112/20
Scope and Contents
Story under the heading 'Roin' about Mac Uistean and Odar, the Lochlannach [Viking] robber. The story tells how Odar was a ferocious robber and that Ma'g'Onuil Nan Eileanann [MacDonald of the Isles] put up money for whoever would kill Odar. Mac Uistean Ghrimininis, a friend of MacDonald's eventually caught Odar and chopped off his head. As a reward, MacDonald of the Isles gave MacUistean Griminis and rights to Haisgeir [Theisgeir/Heisker/Monach Isles] seals. Odar's head was buried in...
Dates:
c1875
Story under the heading 'Roin' about Odar and an archaeological dig, c1875
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW112/27
Scope and Contents
Story under the heading 'Roin' about Odar and an archaeological dig collected from Niell MacCuiein [Neil MacQuien or MacQueen], crofter and tailor, Middlequarter, North Uist [Ceathramh Meadhanach, Uibhist a Tuath]. The story tells how Odar requested that half of the Haisgeir [Theisgeir/Heisker/Monach Isles] seals should be buried with his head and the other half divided amongst the eight pennylands in Scolpeig and Chill a Pheadair [Scolpaig, Cille Pheadair/Kilpheder] noting that some of the...
Dates:
c1875
Superstition and story under the heading 'Roin' about seals and accompanying song beginning 'Ach an ighean Aoidh ic Eoin', c1875
Item
Identifier: Coll-97/CW112/26
Scope and Contents
Superstition and story under the heading 'Roin'. The superstition states that seals are enchanted people who travel around trying to find a way out of the enchantment. Seals have a sweet voice and if one seal is killed you can hear the others mourn it. Once on Teisgeir [Theisgeir/Heisker/Monach Isles] many seals were killed and a old man, who was sat on a rock fishing, saw a seal out at sea keening its dead partner with a song beginning, 'Ach an ighean Aoidh ic Eoin, Gu'm b eolach mu na...
Dates:
c1875