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— distance to see his lady-love, beginning as follows : Do ghlùincan air lùghadh, A' direadh a' bhruthaich, 'S gur fada bhuait Ruaig Le turraman niin, Tha oidhche a' tighinn 'S mise leam flùn. Another excellent one he composed to a man named Neil MacMillan and a lad named Mac- Fadyen, of 120 lines, 10 lines in each verse. It relates to a cart accident that occurred Avhen they were returning home from the mill. It seems that MacMillan was standing in the cart when the horse shied, and both were thrown out. When the bard saw that MacMillan was in danger, and being troubled about him, he sang as follows :— Tha fleasgach 's na bailtean, 'Tha tuilleadh is sgairtell, Theid ainm air mach do Dhuneideann, Bho'n glac thu 'n lair Shas'nach 'S a chaidh thu g' a marcachd, Gu'n d' spealg thu a chairt anns na speuraibh Gur ghrianail thu' gearan, Dh' fhalbh m' aobharrach geurain A dheanadh dhonih 'n fearann a reubadh ; Cha'n e 'tha mi 'g àireamh, Ach thusa Mhie-Fàidein Bhi 'n cunnart a' bhàis le do chreuchdan, &e. Some of his other songs are, " Oran do dh' Eòghan Mac Gilleain, Ceannard dii-fhear-dheug's an treas reisimeid de Mhilisi Earraghaidheal," song to Hector MacLean of the .3rd Regiment of Argyllshire Militia. Fonn (chorus), " Gur h-i bean mo ghaoil an Spàinnteach ;" " Oran do (ihilleasbuig Mac Neil Fear na pacaide ann am Muile" (song to Archibald MacNeil of the steam packet. Mull). Fonn (chorus), " 'Si deoch-sliiinte 'n rigii a"s feàrr leinn ;" " Cumha do Niall Mac-Gilleain am Maor Ban ann Tiritheadh, achaidh a bhathadh 's e 'tighinn a He 's a' bhliadhna 1S09." (Lament for Neil Mac- Lean the fair-haired ground-officer who was drowned coming from Islay in 1809), Fonn (chorus), " Gaoir nam ban Muileach." The song on the death of Hector MacMillan's horse extends to 80 lines ; Niall Mac Eoghain's, totheairof " JohnCampbell of the Bank," 176 lines of 16 lines in each verse ; and " 'Se Mo Laochan an Tàillear " (My hero is the tailor), 74 lines of 12 lines in each verse. In this song the bard pretends to praise the tailor for his skill in tailoring, but in his usual style he is applying his scathing wit and sarcasm throughout. "Am Bi\ta Riomhach " (The beautiful boat), Fonn "A chomuinn rioghail riinaich," consisting of 80 lines and composed to Allan son of Angus, who was at the fishing in Tiree, and fell out of the boat into the sea. — " Clih Ailein " (Allan's praise), a mocking song to Allan MacDonald when his fairy sweetheart was troubling him. It extends to 72 lines, 12 lines in each verse. It seems an able song, or luinneag, and is set to the air of one of Màiri Nighean Alasdair Ruaidh's famous songs, viz. : I h-urabh o, i h-orin o, I h-urabh o, i ho ro h-o, I h-urabh o, i h-orin o, H-i ri ri ri o h-i og o. "Cumha A' Ghamhna" (The lament for the stirk), is a long poem of 120 lines consisting of a dialogue between the bard, his wife, and Charles Mac Ailein, over the following circumstance : Charles Mac Allan, who lived near the bard, threw an old mare over the rocks, and a great number of birds collected to feast on the carcase. Shortly after, the bard lost a stirk in the same place, and the birds collected in a similar manner to have a further feast, but the bard anticipated them by taking the stirk home. Catherine, the bard's wife, blamed Charles Mac Allan very much for having assembled the birds. Her concern at the occurrence is well exemplified in the following stanza : " Tearlach Mac Ailein a Mùidart, Gur h-e 'rinn an diùbhail oirnne, 'Nuair a chruinnich e na biastan Air an t-sliabh 'tha 'n taobh so 'n mhòintich ; Fitheach is feannag is biatach, Bu chonninn gun riaghailt dhòmhs' iad."* It is a great j3Ìty that such an excellent comic poet should have experienced the pinch of poverty in his old age, and the marvel is that so many of his compositions have been preserved. He left his native island and went to live in Barra, where he died in very straitened circumstances in 1835, and my informant, the Rev. Donald MacLean, Duirinish, Skye, himself a native of Tiree, significantly adds, "the slothful shall be under tribute!" DOM HNALLACH NA TOISEACH. (MACDONALD, FERINTOSH.) The Rev. John MacDonald, D.D., was born in the parish of Reay, Caithness, in 1779. He became minister of the Celtic Church in Edinluirgh, in 1807, and of Ferintosh in 1813. He was a man possessed of talents of a high order, and was a very eminent preacher. He composed a number of spiritual songs, and died in 1849. A few stanzas of ' An Aiseiridh " will convey an idea of his powers as a composer. * From Rev. A. MacLean Sinclair's " Gaelic Bards. —
Och, aluchd-àiteacluiidli iia h-uaigh' ! O'n dh' flmll)li -a. h àillca.lul 'nis is snuadli, 'S anil oirbh a Ìai-h an lusdachd bliuan ; ! c'uin a ghluaisear idir sibh 'i Caidlidh an durrag anns an iiir. Is gabhaidh 'chuileag fois "an cùil, Ri doininn gheamliraidh 's gaillinn dhlùth, Ach diiisgear leis an earrach iad. Ach c'uin 'thig earrach 'thogas suas, Luchd-còmhnuidh thosdach, chiuin na h-uaigh', O ! c'uin a dhiusgeas iad o'n suain ? Is làidir buan an cadal e. Thig duilleach fhathast air a' ghcig, Ged tha i lorn an diugh gun sgeimh, 'Tha seargt', is pillidh 'ghrian air ais do'n speur, An deigh 'dhol as an t-sealladh uainn. His " Marbhrann do Mhaighstir Caldair " ele
Page 2 and 3:
O^ ^^l
Page 5: MACDONALD BARDS MEDIEVAL TIMES. KEI
Page 8 and 9: INDEX. Page. Alexander MacDonald, B
Page 10 and 11: Donald Donn p. 12, see also p. 95.
Page 13 and 14: MacDonald Bards from Mediaeval Time
Page 15 and 16: which stood the chapel and palace o
Page 17 and 18: Ann I was ever since I was born, In
Page 19 and 20: ander and Ronald. Alexander—Alasd
Page 21 and 22: ilaughter of the Earl of Gowrie. He
Page 23 and 24: nighean donn." poem, " 'S truagh, a
Page 25 and 26: GILLEASBUIG NA CEAPAICH. (ARCHIBALD
Page 27 and 28: Fonn (Chorus). 0, 'chruinneag, e 'c
Page 29 and 30: — 'S daingeann a bhuail iad às g
Page 31 and 32: Some of our minor Scotch poets take
Page 33 and 34: — ! — Bha Iain gun teagaibh Gu
Page 35 and 36: — went down with her and took awa
Page 37 and 38: 'S mairg a mhol a' Mhòrthir robach
Page 39 and 40: — The late Thomas Pattison of Isl
Page 41 and 42: so is " Tearlach Mac Sheumais " (Ch
Page 43 and 44: Ma chaidh thu nunn thar linntichean
Page 45 and 46: — Mhac Mhic Alastair," and said t
Page 47 and 48: Latin Verses. Verses written by Sir
Page 49 and 50: — after bidding farewell to the R
Page 51 and 52: Translation by Mr L. MacBean of som
Page 53 and 54: The Alex. MacDonald above referred
Page 55: t Mrs Grant translates the verse as
Page 59 and 60: He ultimately married a young girl
Page 61 and 62: Here the merry lark ascends on dewy
Page 63 and 64: 'Mhuintir dh' an suaicheantas fraoc
Page 65 and 66: KAONAILD NIUHEAN MHIC NEIL. (RACHEL
Page 67 and 68: Yet 'mid the drift, wert thou but n
Page 69 and 70: Donald swept onward, spreading havo
Page 71 and 72: MAIRI NIGHEAN IAIN BHAIN (MARY, DAU
Page 73 and 74: Tha ùrnuigh nam bochdan, Do 'n a n
Page 75 and 76: Loch Moidart, Loch-nan-uanih, Loch
Page 77 and 78: His pibroch is a long one, and, I t
Page 79 and 80: Bhagair ar eascaird eitidh borb, Ma
Page 81 and 82: Another fine hymn of tMenty-nine ve
Page 83 and 84: Oir thàinig oirnn naigheachd 'bha
Page 85 and 86: Dòmhnuill," 1896 (a poem); (2) " T
Page 87 and 88: Lo ])rasgan de Ghaidheil, Làn àrd
Page 89 and 90: IAIN DOMHNALLACH AN BALL, OBAN. (BL
Page 91 and 92: who was a grand-danghter of Charlot
Page 93 and 94: all subsequent documents the name a
Page 95 and 96: Maidens ! softly touch the clàrsac
Page 97 and 98: Let, the free-born sons of the moun
Page 99 and 100: — fought with his brother Donald
Page 101 and 102: Ach gu'n caisg an Righ Mor e, Hi ha
Page 103 and 104: 'Nuair a thàinig e as a colainn, '
Page 105 and 106: — NIGHEAN MHIC AONGHUIS OIG. Besi
Page 107 and 108:
Nach co-ion da 'blii 'caig rium Is
Page 109 and 110:
In this elegy there are 13 verses,
Page 111 and 112:
Gur a binn leam 'bhi leughadh Mu'n
Page 113 and 114:
Latha Sliabh-an-t-siona, Bu churaid
Page 115 and 116:
the silver-hilted sword—the windo
Page 117 and 118:
and imprisoned. His papers were car
Page 119 and 120:
On what she did, now many look, Won
Page 121 and 122:
IAIN DOMHNULLACH (John MacDonald).
Page 123 and 124:
10. " Spaidsearachd Dlionuill Ghrua
Page 125 and 126:
personal danger ; certainly not, fo
Page 127 and 128:
Another beautiful poem by " Fear Gh
Page 129 and 130:
De Chlann DòmhnuiU tlo-rireaclli,
Page 131 and 132:
9.—Because the great majority of
Page 133 and 134:
tional form, and as those who cheri
Page 135 and 136:
landers were accustomed to sing at
Page 137:
-^/
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