Traditions of John MacCodrum

Quite a few traditions concerning John MacCodrum (1693–1779), styled Iain mac Fhearchair ’ic Codruim, were collected by Calum Maclean from various storytellers. Here, for example, is one such story collected from the recitation of John MacPherson, styled Iain mac Chaluim Mhòir, who belonged to Lionacleit, Benbecula, but then staying in the remote isle of Rarnish. Given the biographical sketch given in Maclean’s entry of the day he met him, MacPherson seems to have been a rather remarkable character. The following item was recorded by Calum Maclean on the 4th of September 1949:

 

’S e bàr^sd ainimeil a bh’ ann gad nach eil cus dhen obair aige ann a sgrìobhadh. Chan e sgoilear a bh’ ann. Bha an taigh aige ann arn Peubail agus bhiodh e fhèin agus a nàbaidhean a’ deànamh an treabhaidh còmhladh. Cha robh iad a’ cumail ach each an duine. Ach chaill Iain mac Fhearachair an t-each an àm an treabhaidh agus chuala e an seo gun robh each sa Cheann a Deas, ann an àite ris an can iad Stadhlaigearraidh, agus na rachadh e a dh’ iarraidh an eich gu robh e col(t)ach gu leòr gu faigheadh e e. Dh’fhal^abh Iain MacCodrum agus chaidh e dhan Cheann a Deas gu ruige Stadhlaigearraidh agus cheannaich e an t-each agus thug e dhachaigh e. Rinn iad an treabhadh am pàir^st, agus nuair a bha an treabhadh seachad is grothaichean dhen t-seòrsa sin, tha a dh’fhasan ac(hc)a, tha e ac(hc)a gon an latha an-diugh, a bhith a’ leigeadh nan each mar sgaoil as a’ mhòintich gus an tig àm tarraing na mònadh. Leig Iain mac Fhearachair an t-each mar sgaoil còmh’ ri càch agus nuair a thànaig àm tarraing ri mònadh, dh’fhal^abh e ga iarraidh. ’S e Seumas a bh’ air an each, an t-ainⁱm a bh’ aige air. Agus nuair a ràinig Iain mac Fhearchair ’s ann a thionndaidh an t-each air agus thionndaidh an t-each gu dubh air agus ’s ann a rinn Iain mac Fhearachair òran dhà. 
 

And the translation goes something like this:
 

He was a famous bard although not much of his work appears in print. He wasn’t a scholar. He had a house in Paible and he and his neighbours used to plough together. They kept a horse only for one man. But John MacCodrum lost the horse at ploughing time and he heard that there was a horse in South Uist at a place they call Stilligarry and if he went to fetch the horse then he would probably get it. John MacCodrum set out and he went to Stilligarry in South Uist and he purchased the horse and brought it home. They each took a turn at ploughing and when the ploughing was finshed and other types of work like that it was the custom, and it remains to this day, to let the horses free to roam the hills until it was time to cut the peat. John MacCodrum let the horse free along with the others and when it came to peat-cutting time he went to fetch it. The horse was named James; that was the name he gave it. And when John MacCodrum reached the place where the horse it turned fiercely on him and so John MacCodrum composed a song for it.

 

Calum Maclean gives an interesting description of his visit to John MacPherson in Rarnish:

 

Didòmhnaich, 4 An Sultain 1949

Chaidh mi dhan Aifreann sa mhadainn agus an uair a fhuair mi air ais is a fhuair mi mo dhinnear rinn mi deiseil airson a dhol a-mach gu Ràrnais air taobh an iar an eilein. Chuala mi o chionn fhada gun robh sgeulaiche mach a-muigh an sin, Iain mac Chaluim Mhòir. Cha chuala mi e ag innseadh sgeulachdan roimhe ach chuala mi gun robh na sgeulachdan aige. Cha robh mi ach air ùr-thighinn a Bheinne na Faoghla nuair a chuala mi ma dheidhinn an toiseach. Ach bha an t-àite anns a bheil e glè dhuilich fhaighinn a-mach ga ionnsaigh. Chan eil rathad idir a’ dol a-mach gu Ràrnais. Feumar a dhol ann le bàta. Co-dhiù, thàinig car gam iarraidh mu dhà uair feasgar agus thugadh sìos gu cidhe Ghramasdail mi. Bha bàta ri thighinn aig leth-uair an dèidh dhà, ach b’ fheudar dhomh fuireach air cidhe Ghramasdail gus an robh e ceithir uairean feasgar. Bhrist inneal a’ bhàta agus chum sin air ais iad. Bha astar còrr is trì mile againn ri dhèanamh mun d’fhuair sinn a-mach Ràrnais. Bha mac le Iain mac Chaluim Mhòir a’ dol a-mach còmhla ri fear a’ bhàta. Chunnaic mi sealladh math air eilean Ghrimiosaigh air an taobh a tuath. Tha sluagh mòr dhaoine a’ fuireach ann. Cha robh mi riamh thall ann fhathast. Tha Iain Mac a’ Phearsain a’ fuireach ann an taigh beag iarainn air bruaich a’ chladaich. Ri taobh an taighe aige tha ballachan de thiugh mòr cloiche a bha e fhèin a’ togail. Cha do chuir e crìoch air fhathast. Tha e fhèin air aon t-sùil agus tha e gu bhith dall. Cha mhòr gum faic e dad idir. Tha e gu bhith ceithir fichead bliadhna a-niste. Tha a bhean marbh agus chan eil còmhla ris a-staigh ach dithis mhac. Bha nighean phòsda leis aig an taigh cuideachd còmhla ris an duine aice agus dithis chloinne. Cha robh Gàidhlig aig an duine idir. Rugadh Iain Mac a’ Phearsain ann an Lìonaclait am Beinne na Faoghla. Bha trì duine deug anns an teaghlach. Chaidh e gu muir nuair a bha e glè òg. B’ ann air soitheach seòlaidh a chaidh e an toiseach a-mach gu San Francisco. Thug iad 112 latha air an turas. Bha e a’ seòladh gu New Zealand agus Australia as dèidh sin. Bha e ag obair greis an Australia. Bha e cuideachd anns na Solomon Islands, ann am French Guinea agus bha e a-staigh ann am meadhan Àfrica mu dheas. Nuair a thàinig an aois air thill e dhachaigh gu Beinne na Foghla. Bha e a’ fuireach greis ann an Grìminis agus thàinig e an uair sin a-mach gu Ràrnais. ’S e ban-Shasannach a bha pòsda aige ach a dh’ aindeoin sin tha Gàidhlig aig na mic agus an nighean. ’S e sgeulaiche math a th’ ann. Nuair a bha a na ghille òg ann an Lìonaclait bha dithis bhoireannach ann aig an robh sgeulachdan, Màiri nighean Mhìcheil agus Caitrìona nighean Mhìcheil. ’S ann aca-san a chuala mac Chaluim Mhòir na sgeulachdan. Cha robh sinn fada ann gus an do thòisich sinn air na sgeulachdan. Thug e dhomh an toiseach an sgeulachd, Uilleam Dèan Suidhe. Bha innseadh math dhith aige. Thug e dhomh cuideachd an sgeulachd, Bireachan Beag agus Bireachan Mòr. Bha i seo aige gu math cuideachd. An uair sin thug e dhomh na sgeulachdan mun triùir bhraithrean a dh’fhalbh leis a’ bhonnach mòr is am mollachd, dithis dhiubh, agus am bonnach beag is am beannachd aig an fhear a b’ òige. Chaidh leis an fhear òg gu math. Cha chuala mi an sgeulachd seo roimhe ach tha i coltach ri grunn math dhe na sgeulachdan eadar-nàiseanta. Fhuair mi òrain bhuaithe cuideachd agus seanchas mu Dhonnchadh Bàn agus Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair. Bha e mu ochd uairean as t-oidhche nuair a b’ fheudar dhomh tilleadh a chionn chan fhaigheadh am bàta a-staigh gu cidhe Ghramasdail mura biodh an làn freagarrach. Bha droch oidhche againn a’ tilleadh dhachaigh. Dh’fhalbh an stiùir dhen bhàta nuair a bha sinn mu choinneamh Ghriomasaigh agus b’ fheudar dhuinn tilleadh agus am faighinn. Bha oidhche fhluich ann nuair a fhuair mi dhachaidh.

 

Sunday, 4 September 1949

I attended Mass in the morning and when I got back I got my dinner and made ready to go out to Rarnish on the west side of the island. I heard a long while back that there was a good storyteller out there called Iain mac Chaluim Mhòir (John MacPherson). I’ve never heard him telling stories before but I heard that he has stories. I had only recently arrived in Benbecula when I heard about him at first. But the place in which he stays is very difficult to get to. There is no road going out to Rarnish at all. It has to be reached by boat. Anyway, a car came to fetch me around two o’clock in the afternoon and I was taken down to Gramasdale pier. The boat was to arrive at half-past two but I had to wait at Gramasdale pier until four o’clock in the afternoon. The boat’s engine broke and that kept them back. There was a distance of more than three miles to travel before we reached Rarnish. John MacPherson’s son came out with the boatman. I got a good view of Grimisay towards the north. A great many folk stay on it. I’ve never been there before. John MacPherson stays in a small iron shack on the shore side. Besides his house there are large, thick stonewalls that he was building. He hasn’t completed it yet. He has only one eye and he’s going blind. He can scarcely see anything at all. He’s nearly eighty years old now. His wife is dead and he has only his two sons who stay with him. He also has a daughter married in the house along with her are her husband and their two children. Her husband doesn’t speak Gaelic at all. John MacPherson was born in Lionacleit in Benbecula. He was one of thirteen of a family. He went to sea when he was very young. He went at first on a sailing ship out to San Francisco. He spent 112 days on the journey. He sailed to New Zealand and Australia after that. He worked for a while in Australia. He was also in the Solomon Islands, in French Guinea and was in the middle of South Africa. When he grew old he returned home to Benbecula. He stayed for a while in Griminish and then he came out to Rarnish. He was married to an English woman but despite that his sons and daughter speak Gaelic. He’s a good storyteller. When he was a young lad in Lionacleit there were two women who were storytellers: Màiri nighean Mhìcheil agus Caitrìona nighean Mhìcheil. It was from them that John MacPherson heard his stories. It wasn’t long before we began on the stories. He gave me to begin with the story, Uilleam Dèan Suidhe (Willie Sit Down). He had a good version of it. He also gave me the story Bireachan Beag agus Bireachan Mòr (Wee Bireachan and Big Bireachan). He also told this well. Then he gave me the stories about the three brothers who left with the big bannock with a curse, two of them, and the little bannock with a blessing for the youngest one. The young man faired well. I’ve never heard this story before but it appears to be like a good lot of the international tales. I also got songs from him and an anecdote about Duncan Bàn Macintyre and Alexander MacDonald. It was around eight o’clock at night when I had to return for the boat wouldn’t be able to berth at Gramasdale pier if the tide wasn’t suitable. We had a bad night of it returning home. The rudder broke off when we were opposite Grimisay and we had to go back to get it. It was a wet night by the time I got home.

 

References:

William Matheson (ed.), The Songs of John MacCodrum: Bard to Sir James MacDonald of Sleat (Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd, 1938)

NFC 1301: 72–77

NFC 1179: 312–13

 

Image:

North Uist / Uibhist a Tuath