Cille Bharra Isle of Barra Inverness-shire Scotland

Scope and Contents Custom of horse racing, gathering carrots and celebrations on the Isle of Barra [Barraigh] on saints days including that on La Fheill Barra [St Barr's Day] and St Michael's Day [La Fheill Mìcheil] men would race horses three times round the cemetery at Cille Bharra and at Borve [Borgh] respectively. The man would always have a woman sitting behind him. Also, after mass on the Sunday, girls would dig up wild carrots and collect them in the pockets of a while plaid with red stripes. The cloth...

Scope and Contents Fragment of a story in which a man from Cille bharra [Cille Bharra, Barraigh/Isle of Barra] has a vision of himself at Allasdal [Allasdale]. The text has been scored through as if transcribed elsewhere.

Scope and Contents Note about wells and duns on Isle of Barra [Barraigh]. Carmichael mentions that no one could pass Tobar nam Buadh without drinking from it for good luck; that there are stairs going down underground at Dùn Chnoc nan Ceann at Cille Bharra, between Ciolla [Chiall] and An Tuirc and that this area was known as 'Tir-Unga'. Also noted are the uses made of duns and their stones and a legend about a battle fought at Bogach na Fala, which is near Dùn an Dudaire. A battle was fought there and 'anoth[er]...

Scope and Contents Notes about Caibeal na Mealacha which is also known as Caibeal Colla Mac Speur [also Caibeal Cui-Chroise, Barraigh/Isle of Barra] that Colla Mac Speur [also Colla Mac Spéir] was a stranger who was buried at the chapel alone. The people wanted to make it a burial place but were not allowed and had to bury people at Cille-bharra. All the stones for Caibeal Colla Mac Speur were found at Cille-bharra.

Scope and Contents Song entitled 'Comhail Fhinn Eir Oscar' collected from Donul Mac a Phie [Donald MacPhee], smith, Breuvaig, Barrai[dh] [Brèibhig/Breivig, Barraigh/Isle of Barra] beginning 'A mhic mo mhic se thuirt an righ, Oscair a righ nan og flath.' The song is composed of eighteen lines. The accompanying note states that MacPhee heard this from 'Neal Mac Aonais [Neil Mac Innes] an Cille Bharra coitear. He was a capital reciter. This man's father was the best reciter and piper of his day.'

Scope and Contents Story about Caibeal Bharra [Cille-Bharra, Barraigh/Isle of Barra] that its stones were used by Colonel [Roderick] MacNeil to build roads and dykes in Eoligarry [Eòlaigearraidh], on the advice of a mason named [Peter] Dawson, and that the colonel never prospered after that. Carmichael describes the chapel as having been 'high & large. Full of skulls & bones taken up fr[om] the graves'. The story has been scored through lightly in pencil.