The lost villages

Location: Hough            

Story:

The Tiree community has always suffered from the sand, blown up by the wind and covering crops, grass and even settlements. Hough village was completely buried in the sand in around 1815 – communities are drawn on Turnbull’s plan which have vanished by the 19th century Ordnance Survey maps - and most of the residents moved to Kilmoluaig. The sand blowing in from the sea was/is a continual threat to the settlements on the island. 

 Sources:

Argyll Papers: Instructions to Chamberlains; report on farms by Balincarie, 1748/9, ARG/4/3/65/10; Observations on Tiry [ Tiree ] by Doctor Walker. [c.1764], ARG/4/3/65/33; An Iodhlann: 2018.66.2 Report from School of Scottish Studies

Innundation by water

Location: the Reef

Story:

The perpetual threat of innundation by water with the stream between Baugh and Reef an estuary that has become closed by sand. Once the sea broke through Balephetrish wall and cut the island in two requiring a bridge, then the sand blew and silted up the river.

The ringing stone / Clach a’ Choire

Location: between Balephetrish and Vaul

Story:

A tale is told that if you hit the ringing stone too hard it may crack and TIree will then sink below the waves.

Anns a’ Ghàidhlig:

Air pìos aonranach den chladach eadar Baile Phèadrais agus Bhalla, tha clach mhòr ris an abrar Clach a’ Choire. Anns a’ chairt-dùthcha le Blaeu a nochd ann an 1662, ’s e Kory Finmachoul (Coire Fhinn mhic Cumhaill) a tha air an àite, agus sin a dh’adhbhraich an t-ainm.

Tha a’ chlach làn lagan le ‘cuachan’ a tha air a feadh, agus, mar a shaoilte, bidh annas aig luchd-turais a’ bualadh anns gach bad dhith feuch an cluinn iad gach pong eadar-dhealaichte a thig aiste. ’S e ‘The Ringing Stone’ a theirear rithe uaireannan. Tha daoine a’ creidsinn gun rachadh eilean Thiriodh fo thuinn gun sgeul tuilleadh air nan gluaiseadh no nam bristeadh duine a’ chlach seo!

 Tha Clach a’ Choire air a comharrachadh mar chloich iomrallaich à Eilean Ruma bho Aois na Deighe.

[Gaelic version from Mackinnon, Fiona E ‘Sgeulachdan a Tiriodh’ (1992)]

Sources:

the stone itself; sketch of the ringing stone by LAC, 1909; An Iodhlann An Iodhlann: 2017.35.10 photograph and arch reports of finds in the area; Associated with Finn MacCool

Croish a’ Chaolish

Location: Coales

Story:

‘There is a stone in Caolas called Clach na Stoirm (‘the Storm Stone’), almost entirely buried in the ground. If taken out of the ground, cleaned and set upright, it will cause a storm to arise’ 

Sources:

John Gregorson Campbell in Black 2018, 224; Croish-a-Chaolish (Reeves 1854, 232 and 243). Beveridge reported: ‘Directly opposite the former burying ground (see Cladh a’ Chaolais are two large stones imbedded in the soil, and between these the Cross of Caoles is said to have stood until taken away to serve in the erection of a house not far off. The tops of these two stones (the socket of the cross) are now nearly level with the adjacent soil, that to the south measuring about 30 by 12 inches upon its exposed end.

With this large imbedded stone (perhaps in order to prevent its sharing the fate of the cross itself) is associated a monitory [warning] tradition to the effect that, should it ever be removed, a hurricane will follow such as to shake the whole of the island. Upon more than one ground, may the truth of this prophecy never be tested!’ (Beveridge 1901, 156). 

Campbell developed this theme in a later passage: ‘Coming back from the [Gunna] sound the Minister who had driven the Coll Minister to the ferry overtook me and told me of a stone which is good for raising a storm. A woman told him that she tried the spell for her brother who was a smuggler and chased by a revenue cruiser. According to the Instructions she dug up the stone with the tongs and turned the side to the [blank] that was needed but there was not a breath of wind’

(Black 2008, 641). These stones were also known as G Clach na Gaoithe ‘the stone of the wind’ (Angus MacLean, pers. comm.). They have now been covered by the tarmac of a passing-place on the northern side of that stretch of the road to the east end known as G Bealach na Gaoithe ‘the trackway of the wind’ (John Archie MacLean, pers. comm.) and opposite a 1930s croft house known as Croish.

Fuadach Bhail’ a’ Phuill/Balephuil Fishing Disaster, 1856       

Location: Balephuil, specifically the monument  

 Story:

The Balephuil fishing fleet put out to sea on 7th July 1856 – seven boats with more than 30 men on board, sailing out to a bank near Skerryvore. Around noon the wind changed direction and scattered the fleet. One boat lost all its crew and the boat was washed ashore on Coll where the skipper, Donald Maclean was found (he had died of exposure). Two boats made it to Islay although two of the crew were washed overboard, the survivors were looked after by a woman whose uncle had been a factor of Tiree. Alasdair Mor MacDonald, a survivor, composed a lament about the disaster.

Archibald Campbell from Barrapol did not like the look of the rainbow in the sky that morning and advised against going fishing as he knew that a storm was coming.

Mary Campbell, nee McMillan/Bell, wife of John Cameron of Balephuil, and Isabella Black, wife of Archibald MacLean, were accused of raising the storm by witchcraft, their apparent motives being to kill their husbands (who both died). Another witch, Niceal Domhnaich lived in Earnal in the township of Gott but was from Balephuil originally – she was not accused of raising the storm, but arrived in Balephuil on the day and told the villagers who had died and who had survived.

Anns a’ Ghàidhlig:

Bha Baile Phuill, coltach ri iomadh àite eile an cois na mara, ainmeil airson na bha ann de bhàtaichean-iasgaich. Tràth sa mhadainn air an 8mh latha den Iuchar 1856 bha an latha soilleir brèagha, le faileas bogha-froise san àird an iar.

Cha do chòrd coltas a’ bhogha-fhroise ri fear à Goirtean Dòmhnaill air an robh Gilleasbaig Caimbeul, no ‘Am Bòidheach’. Chomhairlich esan gun a dhol a-mach a dh’iasgach a’ mhadainn ud idir. Carson nach rachadh, chaidh fharraid dheth. ‘Seall ris a’ bhogha-fhroise sin san adhar,’ fhreagair e. ‘ ’S e droch chomharra a tha sin, agus bidh stoirm ann mus tuit an oidhche.’

A dh’aindeoin seo, chaidh na bàtaichean-iasgaich gu muir. Dh’fhàg seachd dhiubh am Port Mòr is an Cùiltean, le còrr air deich duine fichead air bòrd, is sheòl iad a-mach mu aon mhìle deug gu banca faisg air Taigh-solais na Sgeire Mòire.

Mu mheadhan-latha dh’atharraich a’ ghaoth chun an iar-thuath agus, ag èirigh gu h-obann, sgap i na bàtaichean-iasgaich do na ceithir àirdean. Chaill aon bhàta an sgioba gu leir. Bhuineadh i seo do Dhòmhnaill MacGillEathain, a bha na sgiobair oirre. B’ iad an sgioba Alasdair MacDhòmhnaill, Cailean MacDhòmhnaill, Niall agus Eoghainn Ceanadach (An Rubha) agus Iain MacFhionghain (Sliabh). Thàinig am bàta air tìr air eilean Cholla, far an d’fhuaradh corp Dhòmhnaill MhicGillEathain. Bha e air a radh gun do bhàsaich e leis an fhuachd.

Chaidh aig dà bhàta air eilean Ìle a ruighinn, ach chaidh dithis a sguabadh asta – Calum MacArtair agus Iain Caimbeul. Ach ged a bha iad gun chrann, gun sheòl, gun ràimh, thàinig am bàta agus an còrr den sgioba air tìr faisg air taigh mòr. Bhuineadh an taigh do chaillich agus thug ise a-steach iad. Air dhi cluintinn mun staid san robh iad agus mar a chaidh an glacadh gu h-obann anns an stoirm, dh’fharraid a’ chailleach am b’ aithne dhaibh àite ann an Tiriodh ris an abradh iad Port Mòr. B’ e bràthair a h-athar an seumarlan a bh’ ann an Tiriodh agus bha an taigh aige os cionn a’ Phuirt Mòir ann am Baile Phuill. An uair a chuala i gun do dh’fhalbh iad bhon dearbh àite seo, rinn a’ chailleach cinnteach gun d’fhuair iad sealltainn as an dèidh gu math gus an do sheòl iad air ais a Thiriodh seachdain as dèidh sin.

Dh’fhàg an tubaist seo, neo Fuadach Bhaile Phuill mar a theirear rithe, mòran bhantraichean is dhìlleachdan, agus chuir e sgàil dhorcha thairis air a’ bhaile (air an robh ‘Baile nam Bàrd’). Fhuair Alasdair Mòr MacDhòmhnaill as beò bhon turas-mhara mhi-fhortanach seo, agus rinn esan cumha mun tubaist, ged nach eil ach beagan rannan dheth air fhàgail.

[Gaelic version from Mackinnon, Fiona E ‘Sgeulachdan a Tiriodh’ (1992)]

Sources:
An Iodhlann 2004.139.3  Photocopied handwritten account of the Balephuil fishing disaster in 1856 by Alexander MacKinnonLiveArgyll Archives Procurator Fiscal records, TPF/1856/18; The lament in Na Baird Thirisdeach p.126; An Iodhlann 1999.294.2: The Loss of the Fishing Boats (Balephuil fishing disaster of 1856), No. 18, pg 58; An Iodhlann 2017.22.1: Printed information about the family of Bata Am Marsanta from the censuses of 1851-1901. Bata Am Marsanta was one of the boats belonging to Archibald MacKinnon ‘Am Marsanta Ban’ (1796-1880) caught up in the Balephuil fishing disaster of 1856; An Iodhlann 2015-63.1: Extract from book The Tiree Bards / Na Baird Tirisdeach about the Balephuil fishing disaster of 1856. One boat belonged to Donald MacLean of Cheann-na-Creige at the south end of Traigh Bhi, Balephuil, where The Studio now stands. Plus some information about Ceit Chalein (Katie Dubh) of Am Bail’ Ur who helped Donald MacLean while his house was being built; An Iodhlann 2014.122.1: Notes and information about the Balephuil fishing disaster of 1856 (and more); School of Scottish Studies Collection of five booklets of ‘Tocher – Tales, Songs and Traditions’, 1978-1991, containing Tiree material: The Loss of the Fishing Boats (Balephuil fishing disaster of 1856), No. 18, pg 58; Oran an Fhuadaich / Song of the Storm (Balephuil fishing disaster of 1856), No. 18, pg 60; Latha Bathadh Bhaile Phuill / The Balephuil Disaster (1856), No. 32, pg 90