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SiW- us. ^r^ i^^^.^-t^'*'*-^ / rVr^" : Sltlinn-a-fihairii: THE GLENBARD COLLECTION OF GAELIC POETRY. BY THE REV. A. MACLEAN SINCLAIR. Ctarlottetaton HASZARD & MOORE. William Drysdale & Co., Montreal. James Thin, Edinburgh. O. 12 5 q PREFACE. (^OHN Maclean, the Poet, was born in Tyree, 4l Argyleshire, in 1787, and came to Nova Glenbard in (^ Scotia in 18 19. He lived in the county of Antigonish. He died in 1848. Whilst in Scotland he made a large collection of Gaelic poetry. He also came into possession of a valuable collection made in Mull by Dr. Hector Maclean, about the year 1768. He brought both collections with him to this country. Christy, the eldest of his family, was married to John Sinclair from the Parish of Reay in Caithness. I am their son. Owing to the influence of my mother, and indeed of all my surroundings, I have been led from my youth to take an interest in the poetry, legends, traditions, and history of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. I have now in my possession John Maclean's manuscript collection, Dr. Maclean's manuscript collection, and the Gaelic manuscripts of the Rev. James Macgregor, D. D. , author of Dain a Chomh- nadh Crabhuidh. During the last twenty-one V'^ars, M'henever I met a person who had old Gaelic poems by heart, poems not in any book, I have been in the habit of getting him to recite ihem, and writing them down. I have in this way collected quite a number of valuable poems. I know that if I do not publish the poems in my possession no one else will. I know also that unless I publish them, they are likely to perish ; and Gaelic literature is not of so extensive a character that this should be allowed to happen. Besides, I feel that it would be utterly unbecom- ing on my part not to publish at least the manu- scripts brought to this country by my grandfather. Influenced by these reasons I have resolved to publish all the poems that I have. Some of the poems in this work have been taken from old collections that are now out of print, such as Ranald Macdonald's collection, Gillies's collection, A. and D. Stewart's collection, and Turner's collection. It may be a compara- tively easy matter to procure one or two of these collections in the old country ; in this country it is impossible to obtain any of them. The few poetical works brought with them by the early immigrants were borrowed, handled, and used until they became reduced to tattered fragments. Of what use, it may asked, are the old poems in this work ? In the first place, some of them are useful merely as poems, whilst others are not. I am very far from thinking that all the poetry in this work is of a high order ; some of it is very poor. In the second place, all the old poems in this work are useful as Gaelic compositions. Those who composed them understood the language in which they thought and sung. If we want to learn Gaelic correctly we must study the works of the Gaelic bards, J. F. Campbell's Sgeulachd- an Gaidhealach, and Norman McLeod's Cuairtear nan Gleann. In the third place, the old poems in this work are exceedingly useful from a historic point of view. They throw much light upon the thoughts, feelings, aims, habits and actions of the old Highlanders. We can learn the external his- tory of the Highlands from Skene's works, but if we wish to learn the inner history of the High- landers, the real history of the people, we must study the works left us by the Gaelic bards. We find the history of a people in their poetry far more than in their chronicles. It may be said that this book would sell much better if I had omitted some of the old poems and inserted modern and popular songs. I have no doubt that it would. But my aim has not been either to make a collection that would sell readily or a collection of popular songs. This collection with all its defects will serve my chief purpose. It will help to give, to such as may take an interest in them, the old poems in the manuscripts in my possession. The manuscripts may perish, but prob- ably some copies of this work will be preserved. " I have published only two hundred copies of this work, and I have had it printed in as cheap a manner as possible. The greater part of it was published in newspapers, and struck off from the type of the newspapers for publication in book form. From page i to the end of page 128 ap- peared in the "Island Reporter," Baddeck, Cape Breton ; from page 129 to the end of page 220, and also from page 261 to the end of page 322, in the same paper, after it had been transferred to Sydney, Cape Breton. The forty pages between page 220 and page 261 appeared in the "Pictou News. The typographical errors are very numerous, but this is not to be wondered at. The printers did not understand a word of Gaelic. The proofs had to be sent me by mail. It was inconvenient to send proofs to me more than once. A few of the proofs I never saw. I have given a full list of corrections, so that any one who desires to read the poems can do so wdthout any difficulty. I have arranged the poems, as far as practicable, in chronological order in the Index. With regard to a few of them, I do not know when, where, or by whom they were composed. A. Maclean Sinclair. Belfast, Prince Edward Island, October 28th, 1890. AN CLAR-INNSE. TAOBH-DUILLEIG. 1. Domhnall O' Connachair, 265 2. Murchadh Mor Mac-Coinnich, 1643, 266 3. Mari nigh'n Alastair Ruaidh, 268 4. An Ciaran Mabach, 1678, 158 5. Iain Lorn, i Breith luath, lochdach, 6 'Righ, gur mor mo chuid mulaid, 1640, 6 A Dhomhnaill nan dun, 8 Gu ma slan 's gu ma h-eibhinn, 1645, ^2 'Mhoire 's muladach' tha mi, 1647 328 Lamh Dhe leinn, a dhaoine, 1649, 15 Ged is fada mu thuath mi, 1651, 18 Mur bhi 'n abhinn air fas oirnn, 20 'S mi 'am shuidh' air bruaich terrain, 1663, 25 Biodh an uidhim so 'triall, 139 'S e mo chion an t-og meanmnach, 26 Gur a fad' 'tha mi 'm thamh, 1678, 148 Moch Di-Satliuirn', mo bheud ! 1682, 151 Cha b'e bas mo cheann-cinnidh, 1682, 33 'S beag an t-ionghnadh mi 'liathadh, 1682, 33 'S cian 's gur fada mi 'm thamh, 1695, 269 'S mithich dhuinn marsadh as an tir, 1689, 152 Ge b' e 'thogas an lasair, 1707, 35 6. Brian agus Iain Lorn, 22 7. Iain Lorn agus Muireachan, 156 8. Domhnall Gruamach agus Iain Lorn, 39 9. Rann le Domhnall Gruamach, 157 10. Alastair Mac Aonghuis, 1709, 135 11. Gilleasbic na Ceapich, 330 12. Mac-Ithich, 1685, 161 13. Alastair Bhoth-Fhiunntainn 275 14. Domhnall Donn, Mac Fhir Bhoth-Fhiunn- tain, 274 15. Alastair Odhar, 276 16. Nighean Fhir Sgalpa, 292 17. lain Mac Ailain, 53 Beir fios leat bhuam do Chearnalxirg, 55 Nam faicinn gum h'f hior, 57 Nan digeadh, nan digeadh, 59 An sgeula so 'th' aca, 62 Thoir fios bhuam gu Anndra, 66 'Shil Olaghair gun ainnis, 70 O marbhaisg ort, a shaoghail, 72 Eachdraidh Thuatha De Danann, 74 Fogradh Thuatha De Danann, 79 Cath Alphuirt, " 81 Tha bith ur an tir na Dreallainn, 89 Beir fios bhuam 'dh-ionnsaidh Thearlaich, 93 Tha mi 'g innseadh do gach duine, 95 Bha tri leumannan Mhic-Leig, 97 '8 beag m' f haoilt an diugh 'tighinn, 97 Thoir an t-soridh so bhuamsa, 98 Gabhaidh mi sgeula de m' shagairt, 99 Tha gach cnocan orm 'na_ chuith, 100 Failt air taigh mor nan seachd uinneag, loi Is coir dhuinn failt' 'chur air an leann, loi Nach innis sibh dhomhs', a chairdean, 102 Failte do bhur n-imrich Luain, 103 l8i Iain Dubh Mac Iain Mhic Ailain, 42 Aonghuis oig Mhic Sheumais, 43 Hei ho, tha mulad air m'inntinn, 1715, 46 An deicheamh la de thus a Mhairt 49 19. Mairearad nigh'n Lachinn, Chunnic mise thu, Ailain, 1722, 105 Gur h-e mis' 'th'air mo leonadh, no Dh' f halbh mo chadal a smaointinn, 112 Ged is stochd mi 'n deidh crionadh, 114 Mo run an t-Ailain, marcaich' allail, 115 Gur h-e mheudich mo chradh, 278 20. Iain Camaran, an Taillear Mac Alastair, 'S e 'mheudich m' airtneal gu geur, 1746, I2I A chiad latha 'n bhliadhn' uir, 1749, 124 21. Dughall Ruadh Camaran, 1746 126 22. Alastair Og, Mac Fear Aird-na-Bidhe, 283 23. Mari Nic-Phail, II7 24. Domhnall Mac-Gillemhoire, Aithris bhuamsa gu soilleir, 119 Gur a trom learn mo shail, 286 25. Iain Mac-Aoidh, 289 26. Eoghan Mac-Gilleain am Barra, 295 27. Domhnall Ban a Bhocain, 297 Laoidh Le Domhnall Ban, 302 28. Mr Iain Mor Mac-Dhughaill, 171 29. Gilleasbic Mac-Neill, 304 30. Seumas Buchanan, 1774, 3^7 31. Bean Chaluim Mhic-Faidain, 310 32. Eoghan Mac-Gilleain, 313 33. Aonghus Mac-Laomuinn, 315 34. Donnachadh Gobha, 1800, 221 35. Domhnall Gobha, 226 ^ Na seachd ciad 's an ceith'r fichead ann, 1782, 227 Mile bliadhna gu beachd, 1789, 229 Bha mi og ann an Strathghlais, 180 1, 231 36.

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