The Highland monthly - National Library of Scotland

752
The Ui^-hland Monthly.
There are in Kilmuir several lively Strathspey tunes on a
peculiar musical mode, some of which ^were composed by
the subject of Macnab's lament, and others by a young
woman who was dairymaid in the Duntulm family, and to
whom young Martin formed a romantic attachment which
terminated only with his death. These tunes, I think, have
not hitherto been published. They are known here as
" Puirt Beathaig " (Beathag was the dairymaid's name) ;
and our local fiddlers always raise the third and fourth
strings of the fiddle a whole tone before commencing to
play them. I am sorry I cannot take down music else I
would " fix " them and send them to some competent
authority to see if they are really original."
Neil Macnab was born at Bayhead, Waternish, about
1740. When he grew up he entered the service of Fear-a-
Bhaighe, and became his manager. Master and man, how-
ever, quarrelled about a woman, and Macnab left that part
of the country altogether, and went to Kilmuir, a part of
Macdonald's estates. When Macnab was leaving his native
place, or rather shortly after arriving at Kilmuir, he com-
posed a song, still popular in Skye, and of which the follow-
ing is one verse and the chorus :
—
Mo chridhe trom 's duilich leam
'S muladach a tha mi
Bho 'n chuir mo leannan culthaobh rium
Te ur cha teid na h-aite.
Marbhphaisg air a ghoraiche,
Gur fhada beo gun bhas i ;
Gun shaoileam rinn mi teicheadh bhuaith
Nuair ghabh mi m' chead 'sa Bhagh dhith.
Mo chridhe, &c., &c.
With all his goraiclie he seems to have fallen on his feet in
Kilmuir, for shortly after his arri\al there, he was befriended
by Martin Martin, chamberlain of the ne\\ly created Lord
Macdonald. He enjoyed Martin's patronage, till the death
of the latter, in the prime of life, plunged the whole country-
side into mourning, and called forth from Macnab the