LS 14881
Miscellaneous poetry.
© Catalogue record by National Library of Scotland
45 ff. , single sheets and bifolia of various sizes, containing poetry of Allan Stewart of Innerhadden and some miscellaneous material, mostly Gaelic, collected by the Rev. Dr. Alexander Irvine, minister of Little Dunkeld (1773-1824). In a variety of hands, mostly not Irvine's own.
Bought, 2009.
The Gaelic items are as follows:
f. 10 Stewart, Allan, 2nd of Innerhadden, Rannoch (1716-1776)
Poem, unheaded, beg. A Channannich ro cheilidh ort ta bhuaidh. Undated, but probably addressed to Dugald Buchanan. In draft form, 16 lines including two different versions for lines 9–10. Written on the draft of a letter, undated, of Stewart, addressed to 'Umphrey Harrison, doer to his Grace the Duke of Atholl', concerning timber deliveries. The surrounding material in the folder, ff. 1-9 and 11-17, contains an account of Stewart's life (ff. 16-17) and occasional poems in English and one in Latin, written on single sheets, sometimes on the backs of draft letters, in Stewart's own hand, mostly in draft form and often with corrections. Published with discussion in D.E. Meek (ed.), Laoidhean Spioradail Dhùghaill Bhochanain, Scottish Gaelic Texts Society, 2015, pp. 312-317.
ff. 23 - 26 Ossianic
Verses headed "Rann na 'h Inghin", beg. Ach Oissain uasil mhic Finn / 'S tu 'd shuidh air an tulaich eibhinn. Cf. Leabhar na Feinne, p. 136. In the hand of an unknown scribe, ca. 1800; annotated by Irvine.
ff. 27 - 28 Anonymous
Song headed "Oran do Bhantighearn Dhubhairt, dom b' ainm Elizab. Chambail, piuthar do Ghilleasbuig Iarla Earraghail sa bhliadhna 1517, leis a bhard Mhuilach. No reir ughadarar eile 1520'. Beg. 'S cianail, gruamach,coimhach, fuarach. 11 stt. of 8 lines. Cf. C. Ó Baoill & D. MacAulay,Scottish Gaelic Vernacular Verse to 1730: a Checklist, rev. ed. Aberdeen 2001, no. 390.
In Irvine's hand, followed by a translation by him (ff. 29-30) of 10 stt. into English verse. Another copy, copied by a clerk, with notes and accompanying letter, was sent by Irvine to Sir John Sinclair at the Highland Society of Scotland in January 1810 (Adv.MS.73.2.14, ff. 147–148.)
f. 31 MacLeod, Rev. Donald, minister of Duirinish (d. 1759)
Song headed "Beannachidh Baird by a Minr", beg. Mile' failt dhut led-bhreid fad' rè, gu ro u Slaun. By the Rev. Donald MacLeod, minister of Duirinish, d. 1759, on the occasion of his marriage, 1728. Cf. C. Ó Baoill & D. MacAulay,Scottish Gaelic Vernacular Verse to 1730: a Checklist, rev. ed. Aberdeen 2001, no. 267.
Paper dated 1807. In the hand of the Rev. Norman MacLeod the elder, minister of Morven, and sent by him to Irvine with an explanatory endnote in 1819.
ff. 32 - 33 Macrae, Iain mac Mhurchaidh, Kintail (d. 1780s)
Song headed "Luineagh le Ian Mc Mhurcha' – chaidh air Sal' do' America bho' Chintail' 1776". Beg.Aisig a'm botal a' nall / S biodh e lan gu ruig a chean; 5 stt. of 4 lines with a refrain of four lines, Ho' cha neil mulad oirn / Car son a bhiodh mulad oirn / Mulad chaneil oirn na gruaim / S' fada' bhuain a ghabhadh e. Paper dated 1803. Not in Irvine's hand. With a note at the end by the unidentified scribe, who says that it is only a fragment. f. 33 blank.
f. 34 Anonymous
Poem, unheaded, of 16 ll, beg. Bha mi 'n Eaglais Dunchailm / 'S chunaic mi clach Alastair Mhoir. On visiting the tomb of Alexander Stewart, the Wolf of Badenoch, in Dunkeld Cathedral. With a translation into English. Not in Irvine's hand; scribe unidentified. Undated; ca. 1800.
ff. 35 - 36 Anonymous [Rev. Dr. Alexander Irvine?]
Song headed "Oran do'n cheud chath-bhuidhin Rioghail Ghaelach aitach Shiorruchd Pheirt fo 'n Ceannard Raibard Stuart Fonchaistal, air fonn 's coma leam fhin no co dhiu sin, &c, Le Shile ni Mhic Raonuil". Beg. Se so 'n tam dhuibh chlanna Gael, / Bhi fonmhor, feumail treunta dana. 15 stt. of 4 lines, with a four-line chorus beg. S coma leam fhin no co dhiu sin / Francaich iargalt bhiorin a maoidh. In Irvine's hand, and possibly composed by him. Docket title on the back: "Oran Gaelach 8 June 1810".
ff. 37 - 38 Anonymous [Rev. Dr. Alexander Irvine?]
Another version of the foregoing, headed "Oran do'n cheud chath bhuidhin Rioghail Ghaelach, ait ghledhach Shiorruchd Pheirt. Iar [sic] fonn 'S coma leam fhin na co dhiu sin &c." Beg. of verse and chorus as in preceding, but some textual differences. In Irvine's hand, with annotations.
ff. 39 - 40 Anonymous
Elegy, untitled apart from a note "Seann oran" in the margin next to the first stanza. Beg. O smise tha bronach / Ged tha ceol ann am bheul. On the death of Robert Stewart of Garth, 1821. 15 stt. of 8 lines, with note at the end: "freagridh am fonn so ri Chuir mi mhusgaid air alachaig". A song beg. Chuir mi musgaid air alachaig, which would fit metrically, was composed by Robert Stewart of Moulin and published in his Orain Ghaelach, agus Bheurla-Ghaelach (Edinburgh 1802), pp. 104-108. Paper dated 1817; scribe not identified.