Scope and Contents

Custom for 'La-Fheil-Bride' [La Feille Bhride, St Bridget's Day] in which a person was sent to the strand to bring home a partan [crab] which was then placed in the middle of the house. If the crab went towards the upper end of the house, the family would remain in the house but if it went towards the door, it indicated that they would have to leave.

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

Custom on La Fheill Brìde [St Bride's Day] that people went to the beach and brought back a crab [partan] which was placed in the middle of the floor. If the crab 'went to uac[hd]ar an tai[gh]' [the top of the house] 'the man re[mained] on the lar am bliana, if he went to the door he left'. Carmichael notes that hte custom is 'Not now done.'

Scope and Contents

Custom relating to fires lit in the south of Ireland on 29 June, which is the eve of the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, as mentioned by C. H. Hucheson.

Scope and Contents

Custom relating to La Fheill Brìde [St Bride's Day] describing how Mrs Major MacLeod also known as 'Major Ann', the daughter of Flora MacDonald, removed the stocking from her foot and pounded a piece of peat on the doorstep while reciting a verse beginning 'An diu[gh] la [Fhe]ill Bride, Thig nigh[ean] Imhair as an toll'. Text has been scored through in ink perhaps to indicate it has been transcribed elsewhere.

Scope and Contents Customs relating to girls and marriage including 'goid a chail', which takes place on Là Samhna [All Hallows' Day], and in which a girl puts 'cal' under her pillow and if she sees her lover taking the cal from under her pillow she is to be married to him that year. Also, a girl is blindfolded and made to choose a plate from three which contain earth, water and salt respectively. The earth plate means death, the salt bitterness and the water marriage. Lastly the girls throw their belts...

Scope and Contents

Customs relating to La Fheill Mìcheil [Là Fhèill Mhìcheil or St Michael's Day/Michaelmas] including that 'glac churran' [load of carrots] was given to the lad who gave the 'culag' [piggy-back]; that wives were not allowed at the [horse] race; and that 'Struan Mìcheil' was made of 'glas[s] of whisky black carrowy yolk of egg'.

Scope and Contents

Field notebook belonging to Alexander Carmichael containing an essay entitled 'Bards and Bardism of the Highlands'; some notes on archaeology in Barra [Barraigh], Vatersay [Bhatarsaigh] and Sandray [Sanndraigh]; Fenian songs and poems; songs and poems relating to the MacDonalds; and a story entitled 'Prince Charlie's Pipe' mostly collected from South Uist [Uibhist a Deas] and Benbecula [Beinn na Faoghla].

Scope and Contents

Fragment of a story about a man ploughing on La Brianan [St Brendan's Day]. The little text that there is here is unclear.

Scope and Contents

Fragment of a verse collected from an unnamed informant probably in Tolstadh Bho Thuath [Eilean Leòdhais/Isle of Lewis], beginning 'La [Fhe]ill[e] Mhic[heil] thig an riogh as an toll, Mar buinn mise dhan riogh.' There are five lines to the verse.