Tales from Barra

by John Lorne Campbell

  Bha feadhainn aca deònach, ’s bha feadhainn nach robh, ach co dhiù mu dheireadh, smaointich iad air fad gu fuasgailte an dala snaoidhm, agus ma dh’fhuasgail, cha robh iad buileach uile gu léir toilichte; bha i falbh math gu leòr mar a bha i an toiseach. Thànaig iad seachad air Maol Dòmhnaich’s thànaig iad a staigh air bial Bàgh a’ Chaisteil, agus ca robh iad a’ dol a thighinn gu tir ach air taobh a deas a’ Chaisteil air Lamaraig na Mònadh,’s e an t-ainm a th’air. Thuirt Dòmhnall ris fhéin “A nist” ars esan “o’n a tha sinn air tìr tuilleadh, agus nach robh an còrr eagail dhuinn faisg air co dhiù, fuasglaidh mi an treas fear.” Bha sin a’ bristeadh air riaghailtean na caillich Chollaich. Agus dh’fhuasgail Dòmhnall an snaoidhm; agus ma dh’fhuasgail, thànaig beithir as an iarthuath, agus shrad e air tìr an sgoth ’na monasg, agus fhuair Domhnall air éiginn a bheò aiste.

  Agus nuair a fhuair e a mach,’s a chuir e nàdur do dhòigh air na rudan a shàbhail e, thug e aghaidh air an taigh. Agus air a’ [Leitheig] chunnaig e chailleach, agus ghabh i a nall ‘’na choinneamh gu stàtail, agus thuirt i ris “Do bheath’ an dùthaich, a Dhòmhnaill, nach mi tha duilich fhad ’sa bha sibh ri port!”

  “Bheil thu duilich?” arsa Dòmhnall.

  “Tha” ars ise.

  “Ma thà” ars esan “cha ruig thu leas a bhith duilich tuilleadh.

  Togaidh tu leat bó ghlas an fhir mhóir as m’fhianais agus na faiceamsa t’aghaidh no t’aodann a’ tighinn a dh’iarraidh feòir ormsa as do chùl fosgailte air uachdar an t-saoghail.”

  Cha dànaig a’ chailleach a dh’iarraidh fiar air Dòmhnall tuilleadh,’s ged a thigeadh cha doireadh!

  (2/1/50)

  ________

  1 Sic

  Bibliography

  BORGSTRÖM, PROFESSOR CARL HJ. The Dialect of Barra in the Outer Hebrides. Norsk Tidsskrift for Sprogvidenskap, Vol. VIII.

  BUCHANAN, DR DONALD. Reflections on the Isle of Barra. London, 1942.

  CAMPBELL, J. L., MISS ANNIE JOHNSTON, and JOHN MACLEAN, M. A. Gaelic Folksongs from the Isle of Barra. Text, translation and five 12-inch discs, from recordings made on the Isle of Barra. Linguaphone Institute, 1950.d

  CAMPBELL, J. L. The MacNeils of Barra and the Irish Franciscans. Innes Review, Vol. V, p. 33.

  CAMPBELL, J. L., and CONSTANCE EASTWICK. The MacNeils of Barra in the Forty-Five. Article printed in the Casket of Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

  CAMPBELL, J. L. More Notes on the MacNeils of Barra. The Scottish Genealogist, January 1960.

  MACKENZIE, SIR COMPTON, J. L. CAMPBELL, and PROFESSOR CARL HJ. BORGSTRÖM. The Book of Barra. London, 1936.

  MACLEAN SINCLAIR, REV. A. The MacNeils of Barra. Celtic Review, Vol. III, pp. 216–223.

  MACLEAN SINCLAIR, REV. A. Clann Nèill Bharra. Mac Talla, Vol. II, No. 45, and Vol. III, No. 20.

  MACNEIL, JOHN. Dunnchadh Cìobair an Ceann Bharraidh. Gairm, Vol. II, p. 271.

  MACNEIL, MICHAEL, and MICHAEL BUCHANAN. The MacNeils of Barra. Oban Weekly News, 24th April, 1907.

  MACNEIL, R. L. The Clan MacNeil. New York, 1923.

  MARTIN, MARTIN. A description of the Western Islands of Scotland. Edited by Donald J. Macleod. Stirling, 1934. (Description of Barra and adjacent islands, of Kismul Castle and the gocman, etc. pp. 156–164.)

  Minutes of Evidence of the Crofters’ Commission (Barra witnesses, Vol. I, pp. 643–698; South Uist witnesses, Vol. I, pp. 698–749.) Edinburgh, 1884.

  O’LOCHLAINN, COLM. Deoch Slàinte nan Gillean, Dòrnan òran a Barraidh. Dublin, 1948.

  WILSON, JAMES. A Voyage round the Coasts of Scotland and the Isles. Edinburgh, 1842. (Description of Barra, pp. 459–486.)

  ADDITIONAL PUBLICATIONS

  CAMPBELL, J. L., and COLLINSON, F. Hebridean Folksongs, Oxford, 1969.

  CAMPBELL, J. L., and HALL, TREVOR H., Strange Things. The Enquiry by the Society for Psychical Research into Second Sight in the Scottish Highlands, the story of Ada Goodrich Freer, the Ballechin House ghost hunt, and the stories and folklore collected by Fr Allan McDonald of Eriskay. London, 1968.

  CAMPBELL, J. L., Songs remembered in Exile, Traditional Gaelic Songs from Nova Scotia recorded in Cape Breton and Antigonish in 1937, with an account of the causes of Hebridean Emigration, 1770–1835.

  GIBSON, JOHN S. Ships of the ’45. London, 1967.

  MACNEIL, R. L. Castle in the Sea. London, 1964.

  MURRAY, W. H. The Hebrides. London, 1966.

  After the second edition of this book was published, the late Robert Lister MacNeil, who restored Kismul Castle, was granted the undifferenced arms of the MacNeils of Barra by the Lord Lyon in 1963.

  A grant of £100 by the McCaig Trust towards the cost of producing the third edition of this book is acknowledged with much gratitude.

  MS SOURCES

  Justiciary Records: Books of Adjournal, June 3rd, 1678 and July 4th, 1682. John MacLeod of Dunvegan v Rorie Mcneill of Bara, James Mcneill his brother and Donald Gair.

  Public Records of Scotland: Register of Tailzies, Book 60, Folio 47. Petition by Ewen Cameron McNeil and others for the recording in the Record of Tailzies of the Deed of Entail executed by Roderick McNeil of Barra on the tenth of February 1806.

  Public Records of Scotland: Extract of Deed of Settlement by Roderick McNeil Esq., of Barra in favour of Trustees. Registered 7th May 1822.

  Scots College, Rome. Letters written by the Rev. John Chisholm, Bornish, South Uist, the Rev. Neil McDonald, Barra, and Hugh MacNeil of Vatersay, to the Rev. Angus MacDonald, Rector of the Scots College at Rome, between 4th February 1827 and 4th March 1831.