The Highland monthly - National Library of Scotland

686 The Highland Monthly.
HUMAN
SKYE BARDS.i
BY MAGNUS MACLEAN, M.A., F.R.S.E.
aspirations have always at first taken the form
of poetry. Even in Jewish history, as delineated in
the Holy Bible, we find song the first and only medium by
which to praise the Almighty, or record the heroic deeds of
And so it has been with all nations—the
the Jewish heroes. .
Celtic nation forming no exception. Hence, from the very
beginning of the historical Celtic era, we find the people
steeped in songs, and rhymes, and lore of all kind, transmitted
from father to son by oral traditions for many
generations. It is not my intention to deal with this float-
ing poetry and heroic ballads, but to give you, in chronological
order, the names of the poets and the poetesses who
existed in Skye, and specimens of their songs—short
specimens if the songs are already published, well known,
and easily accessible.
It would be folly to attempt in one paper any critical
dissertation of their life and songs, as I find there are at
least fifty who have an undoubted claim to be styled bards
or poets. I have come across many other names that I
have not included in my lists. Indeed, every village or
hamlet produces half-a-dozen rhymsters per generation.
These, though of local reputation, can hardly claim to be
styled bards. Many of those here included are little
known, though the character and the variety of their com-
positions entitle them to a very high place among the
Gaelic bards. I hope I may be able, at some future time,
to take up one or more of those bards and show by refer-
ences to their own works and published songs, that they
thought deeply and composed well. For convenience of
reference I may divide them into the following classes :
^ Paper rea(1 before the Gaelic Society of Glasgow on 20th December, 1892.
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