From a piece by Dave Roberts for Uig News. At the north end of Mealisval there is a valley called Tealasdale. The floor of the valley is a chaos of enormous boulders. Beneath some of the gigantic rocks are crevices and hollows into which a person could crawl. Blocking the gaps and holes around some [...]
Read more →From Rev William Matheson (Mac Gille Chaluim), Families of Lewis (1959) in the Stornoway Gazette. Rev Matheson begins by explaining how he reckons the Smiths of Earshader (from whom are descended the Smiths of Strome, Valtos, Laxay and Keose) were Morrisons sometimes known as Mackinnons, before they acquired the surname Smith in English. He continues: If we [...]
Read more →We have audio! Dan Finlayson, Ardroil, in conversation with Dolligan’s uncle (?) relating a story about an old cure (in Gaelic). Click the arrow to play. [Audio clip: view full post to listen] Peter (Padruig Mor, 7 Aird, born 1803) had terrible rheumatism, but the fishermen had culled a lot of large seals, so Peter was [...]
Read more →A ceilidh house entertainment in circulation in Uig in years long past retells an ancient Fenian story, recorded by both Dolly Doctor and Rev Col AJ Mackenzie. One day Fionn and fourteen of the Feinne sat down to feast with a neighbouring chief, Dubhan, and fourteen of his men. A quarrel arose that could only [...]
Read more →From Donald Macdonald, Tales and Traditions of the Lews: Around 1840 there were four families living on Pabbay, and prominent among them was one of the old soldiers of Uig, the Sergeant Mòr, a son of Tormod Mòr Maciver of Beirghe (Reef). These old soldiers used to be given a small sum to act as [...]
Read more →Dolly Doctor, in Tales and Traditions, tells of the wreck of a ship at Carnish in 1775. In the picture Sgeir an Iaruinn is the small island in the middle of the picture, with Shielibhig in the distance on the far left. All night the people round Uig Bay had listened to the cries of woe [...]
Read more →Mac an t-Sronaich “kept to the Uig hills” while trying to evade capture in the early 19th century – this apparently is one of his hideouts, at Cleite Mileavat between Loch Grunavat and Suainevat. The story is here. He was captured and sent to the gallows in 1836.
Read more →Mac an t-Sronaich was a notorious and shadowy murderer and robber of Lewis legend who was active in Uig in the early 19th century. He lived in a cave behind Keose in Lochs that is still known as Uamh Mac an t-Sronaich and he was reputedly the first cousin of Lilly Macaulay Linshader, the wife of Rev Robert Finlayson, [...]
Read more →I am informed that this is not the real Clach Aonghais Bhig, and the real one is situated up the valley, perched on the south rim… has anyone got a picture? It is certainly true that you don’t get much of a view of Brenish from the top of this one. Some maintain that Angus Beag lived [...]
Read more →Years ago a dead whale was spotted drifting offshore by some of the Islivig bodachs. It was just a bit south of the Islivig/Brenish boundary and was drifting further south. They launched a boat and managed to attach a rope and then proceeded to tow the carcase to Camus Islivig. The Brenish bodachs [...]
Read more →A tale from Donald Macdonald’s Tales and Traditions of the Lews: Dòmhnall Càm and the big smith went one summer to the Flannan Isles, and the Morrisons of Ness, hearing the Macaulays were from home, came and drove the cows from the moor, for they met with no opposition. When Dòmhnall and his party returned the womenfolk [...]
Read more →Tradition in Uig tells of a “footprint stone”, a regularly-shaped block about 18″ square with a footprint depression, of the type associated with a saint and used for the crowning of local kings. The provenance and significance of the stone have been lost to local knowledge (unless someone can enlighten us) but it was highly [...]
Read more →John Macaulay (Iain Ruadh) was the eldest son of Murdo and Elizabeth nee Macpherson, Valtos, and a grandson of Angus Beag. He is remembered in legend for his ability as a hunter and as a poet. William Macpherson (Mac Gille Chaluim) relates the following in his History of the Macaulays: On one occasion he wounded a [...]
Read more →As told by Rev Donald Macaulay. English text follows the Gaelic. Photo of Brenish by Chris Murray. Bha an cogadh a dol bliadhnaichean agus am màrbhadh eadar Clann ‘ic Leòid, Clann Choinnich agus na Moireasdanaich agus an deidh dha Clann Choinnich an t-eilean fhaiginn mu dheireadh dhaibh b’fhèin agus thàinig siothladh de shìth anns [...]
Read more →Letter to the Stornoway Gazette, 31 May 1929 Sir – It may interest some of your readers to know how the Red River, Ardroil, Uig, derived its name. The story runs that the Macaulays disputed the Norse authorities’ right to collect taxes in Uig: no doubt they treated the Norse Colony as ferry [...]
Read more →The spirit of one of the murdered men from Mealista came to the bedside of his sweetheart and he sang to her the verses of this song – trying to explain to her what a cruel fate had overtaken them. ‘Se nighean mo ghaoil An nighean donn òg, Nam bithinn ri taobh Cha bhithinn fo leòn. [...]
Read more →Excerpt from Tales and Traditions of the Lews, by Donald Macdonald In the long, long ago, there was a boat, manned by Mealista men, that went for a load of timber to the woods in the neighbourhood of Gairloch, and no doubt they had permission to do so, for was not friendship cemented by the [...]
Read more →A Fenian (and Ossianic) tale, adapted here from WC Mackenzie’s Traditions of the Western Isles. Cuoch (or Cuithich) Mac Nuadharan was a giant who lived at Dun Boranais in the river at the edge of Uig Sands. He had three giant, broch-dwelling brothers: Glom, at Ballyglom; Tid, at Tidberry, Kirkibost (both Bernera); and Dearge at Dun [...]
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