Hogha Gearraidh North Uist Inverness-shire Scotland
Isle of Barra Inverness-shire Scotland
North Uist Inverness-shire Scotland
St Kilda Inverness-shire Scotland
South Uist Inverness-shire Scotland
Biography
Language
Charms
Songs
Tales
Description
Notebook belonging to Alexander Carmichael containing field and transcribed material. The notebook is inscribed on the front inside cover with the following: 'Scrap Book MS No1 Alex[ander] Carmichael (of Lismore) Inland Revenue Lochmaddy N[orth] Uist] 1864'. On the recto side of the fly leaf is written 'Angus MacDonald Staoinebrig tale teller' and on the verso side of the fly leaf is written 'Bought at Drew's Saint columb Cornwall this 17 day of Nov[ember] 1864 A. A. Carmichael p2/3'.
The start of the notebook contains material on the Carmichael family copied from published sources and also taken down from Eoghan or Hugh Carmichael in An Apainn/Appin, Argyllshire. There are a number of songs including 'Am Bron Binn' [The Sweet Sorrow] and 'An Capullan Gearr Gorm' and Fenian ballads such as 'Lorg an Ogain', 'Laoidh Chaoilte' and 'Laoidh an Deirg ic Dreathain' from Uibhist/Uist and Barraigh/Isle of Barra. The bulk of the volume is taken up with the folktale entitled 'Bhalantaidh and Horsantaidh' which concerns two royal brothers separated at birth and reunited as young warriors. There are a number of accounts of historical or antiquarian interest such as 'Sgrios nam Piocach' [The Destruction of the Picts'] and 'Lamertine and Ossian' as well as stories relating to Clanranald and their hereditary bards the MacMhuirich. Interspersed through the second half of the notebook is a humorous dialogue between Dòmhnall Cuimineach and Alasdair Tàillear. The notebook also includes lists of vocbulary and brief notes concerning Carmichael's trip to Hiorta/St Kilda on 22 May 1865.
