[A composite volume : containing The ballads and songs of Ayrshire ...

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THE FAIRY LADY OF DUNURE.
It is founded on a Carrick legend, and refers to times long gone by.
From the rocky nature of the Carrick coast—its numerous little bays,
caves, and indentations—it was held, in superstitious times, to be a
favourite haunt of the fairy genii. The coves of Culzean*—like the
cave on the Dusk, in Dairy parish—vp^ere regarded as " Elfame"
the home of the elves or fairies. Burns, in his well-known poem of
" Halloween," alludes to this popular belief, when he says
" Upon that nicht, when fairies licht
On Cassillis Downansl dance,
Or owre the lays, in splendid blaze,
On sprightly coursers prance
Or for Colean the rout is ta'en,
Beneath the moon's pale beams
There, up the Cove,:[: to stray an' rove,
Amang the rocks and streams
To sport that nicht."
In his " Tam o' Shanter," the Poet also refers to Carrick as a noted
resort of wtches.
Describing " Cutty Sark," he says
" But Tam kenn'd what was what fu' brawlie,
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There was ae winsome wench an' waulie,'
That nicht enlisted in the core,
(Lang after kenn'd on Carrick shore,
For mony a beast to dead she shot,
An' perish'd mony a bonnie boat.
An' shook baith nieikle corn an' bear,
An' kept the country-side in fear.")
In a note to the ballad, the author says, " Let those who are chronologically
critical, look for the time of this event [the marriage of Sir
Ewart de Gaire] in the reign previous to the invasion of Acho, king
of the Norwegians." In thus carrying back the era of the legend
Mr Lennox did well—because the possession of Dunure by the Kennedies,
ancestors of the Marquis of Ailsa, can be traced as far back
nearly as the battle of the Largs.
Indeed, the author of the " Historie
of the Kennedyis " assigns the origin of the family to that event.
According to his statement, the
stronghold of Dunure was then possessed
by the Danes.
After the battle of Largs, on Acho's retreating,
he was pursued by M'Kinnon of the Isles and his sons, who, finding
* Culzean was originally called the Coif, or Cove.
I Certain little, romantic, rocky, green hiUs, in the neighbourhood of the ancient
seat of the Earl of Cassillis.^—R. B. (They are in Kirkmichael parish,
near the banks of the Doon. On the highest of them are the remains of a
British fortlet.)
X A noted cavern near Colean—hence called the Cove of Colean: which, as
well as Cassillis Downans, is famed in country story for being a favourite haunt
of fairies.—R. B.
I 27
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