Tales

Story about the wrecking of the ship 'Racoon' which was sailing to Aberdeen with a cargo of slate but which drifted off course. The captain was Isaac Jones from Caernarfon, Wales. The six crew took to a small boat and were given help by people in Dunvegan North as they had 'no food nor wat[er] nor cloth[in]g' and were 'Drenched to the skin'.

Story about the youngest Macintire [MacIntyre] son at Smearclat [Smeircleit/Smerclate, Uibhist a Deas/South Uist] being turned into an excellent piper by the fairies. The young man's father and brother were celebrated pipers but this son had never played the pipes before. Following his encounter with the fairies, visitors to the house made him play and when he played so well they remarked 'If this be the worst piper of the family what must the others be'.

Story about three women who are turned to stone by Cuiralainn's [Curalan/St Cyril] servant, who was chasing them for stealing from Cuiralainn. Curalan is said to have given the servant his own wand, with which the servant struck each woman.

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.

Story about trawling for mullet in Uibhist a Tuath/North Uist. Carmichael describes how the mud was 'tenacious' and it was easy to sink down into it and an episode in which 'the gaffer' got stuck in the mud and after an hour and fifteen minutes was dragged out using heather.

Story collected from Roderick MacNeil, Miùghlaigh/Mingulay which tells how a Long Lochlannach [Viking ship] was broken on a rock called Mollacag at Airghrian [possibly Àird Ghrèin] about '120 or 60 years ago' [c1750 or c1810 or c1710, if 160 years ago is meant]. The gullies filled up with the bodies. The females were drowned, their gold taken away and they were refused permission 'to build in the sea'. The text has been scored through in ink as if transcribed elsewhere.

Story about whales and sharks probably collected on Ìle/Islay describing the whales a leaping twenty feet high and continuing to jump a long way from Glass Light up to Loch Bhrollam [Eilean Glas, Na Hearadh/Isle of Harris and Loch Bhrollauim, Eilean Leòdhais/Isle of Lewis]. Also makes notes about squid and describes the teeth, fins and blood of shark-like creatures. Text has been scored through as if transcribed elsewhere.

Story about a village in Tiree [Tiriodh, Earra-Ghàidheal/Argyllshire] which never hears a cock crow because Calum Cille [St Columba] thought he would pass through the place before the cock crowed but the cock crowed as he was passing through so he made a curse that a cock would never crow there again. According to the story a cock has never crowed there since. The text has been scored through as if transcribed elsewhere.

Story about why the cock does not crow in Ireland, describing how Christ had said that he was not going until the cock crowed and so in Connaught [Connacht] people placed their cockerels under pots so that they would not crow and they have not crowed since. It is noted that 'They were not so cursed in our Highlands and islands as all that'. The text has been scored through as if transcribed elsewhere.