Skye Gaelic poetry and song collections: Kenneth Morrison

Gaelic Literature of the Isle of Skye: an annotated bibliography

Traditional poetry and song: collectors and collections

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MORRISON, Kenneth (19^th Century)

A native of Trithion, Minginish, Skye. Between 1860 and 1862 he gave much old lore, as well as poetry, to Alexander Carmichael. Of him Carmichael writes: “Kenneth Morrison was then blind and old, but he remembered many beautiful and rare old poems with more or less completeness. These he heard when a

boy at the ceilidh, of which he gave many graphic descriptions.” (Carmichael 1900:270; 1928:281).

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‘Duaran agus Goll’

i Leabhar na Feinne. Vol. 1. Edited by J. F. Campbell. London: Spottiswoode and Co., 1872, p. 212.

ii Carmina Gadelica. Vol. 2. Edited by Alexander Carmichael. Edinburgh: T and A Constable, 1900, pp. 269-270.

2nd ed. Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd, 1928, pp. 280-281.

The first version was taken down from Kenneth Morrison in 1862 and is preceded by his account of the ballad’s story and of the man from whom he learnt it, Iain mac Iain ‘ic Eòghainn of Talisker. There are three four-line stanzas, beginning with ‘Thug an dis an ainnir gaol’. J. F. Campbell appends a note to the effect that this is a fragment of a lost poem which includes part of the story of Goll.

The second version was taken down from Kenneth in 1860 and also has three stanzas, beginning with ‘Thug an dithis dh’ an ainnir gaol’, but the third stanza has an extra line. There are several other textual variations between the two

versions. I suspect that these may be due to Alexander Carmichael’s having edited the second version.

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‘Laoidh Fhraoich’

i Journal of the Folk-Song Society, 16 (1911) [The Frances Tolmie Collection], 246-247.

ii Carmina Gadelica. Edited by Alexander Carmichael. Vol. 2. Edinburgh: T. and A. Constable, 1900, p. 276.

2nd edition. Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd, 1928, p. 289.

The first version has four four-line stanzas, beginning with ‘Thàinig easlainte throm, throm’, with an English translation and the tune in staff notation. Frances Tolmie got this version in 1870 from Margaret MacLeod of Portree. The second version has only one stanza, beginning with ‘B’ fhaide do shleagh na slat shiùil’. It was taken down in 1861 from Kenneth Morrison