THESE lines were obtained in Tiree from a woman known as 'Nic ’aldomhnuich, the daughter of Maoldomhnuich, rendered 'Ludovic.' This woman had known many such runes, but was forgetting them.
MaolDomhnuich is one of the many personal names originating in the Celtic Church, now rare elsewhere, but still current in the Western Isles. Some of these names with their meanings are interesting. MaolDomhnuich means 'the tonsured of the Lord,' MaolCiaran 'the tonsured of Ciaran,' MaolPadruig 'the tonsured of Patrick,' MaolCalum 'the tonsured of Columba,' MaolMicheil 'the tonsured of Michael,' MaolBride 'the tonsured of Bride,' MaolMoire 'the tonsured of Mary.' MaolIosa, 'the tonsured of Jesus,' is the Malise and Malsie of Sir p. 75 Walter Scott, and the Malisu of the Earls of Strathearn. A precipitous island near the east entrance to Macneilltown, Barra, is called 'Maoldomhnuich' from an anchorite of the name who lived there and whose cell is still to be seen. The island is also called 'Eilean nam fiadh,' isle of the deer, from the ancient Macneills of Barra having had deer there.
There is hardly an island however remote, or an ocean-girt rock however precipitous, throughout the stormy Hebrid seas, that does not show touching traces of the courage and devotion of these self-denying anchorites.
The writer often took pleasure in visiting these almost inaccessible rocks and tracing their cells.
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GE be co rinn duit an tnu, |
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WHOSO made to thee the envy, |