Tobar an Dualchais - Kist O Riches

Title - Tuathanach a' tabhann do Dhòmhnall Èireannach, a chuir roimh...
Contributors - Angus John MacLellan
Reporters - Dr Alasdair MacLean
Item Person - Dòmhnall Èireannach

Summary - Donald, who had decided to leave his job and return home, was offered his wages or three counsels.

Donald left Gerinish to look for work. A farmer near Glasgow gave him a job. After three years, Donald decided to go home. The farmer asked him if he wanted his wages or three pieces of advice. Donald chose the advice. He was advised never to take a short cut. Secondly, never to stay in a hotel run by an old man with a young wife, and thirdly to think three times before he did anything. The farmer's wife gave him a bannock. It was not to be eaten until he reached home.

He met two packmen on the road. They knew a short cut, but Donald decided to go the long way. The packmen arrived first and got rooms in a hotel. Donald had to sleep in the stable. During the night he overheard two men talking. He was suspicious and cut a piece from the coat of one of them. The next day, the hotel keeper was found murdered. The packmen were arrested. At the trial, Donald recognised the sheriff as the man whose coat he had cut and he handed the piece of cloth over as evidence. The sheriff was arrested and the packmen were freed.

When Donald arrived home, there was a young man in bed with his wife. He was about to attack him with a knife when he remembered the farmer's third counsel. He later heard the young man tell how he had a dream that his father was standing over him with a knife. When Donald broke the bannock the farmer's wife had given him, he found it contained his three years' wages. The next day, Donald's son found a wallet with £5 in it. It belonged to Chisholm of Gerinish. Chisholm knew Donald was home when his son returned the money to him.

Track Duration (h:m:s) - 00:13:19
Date Recorded - 1954.01.03
Language - Gaelic
Genre - Story
Collection - School of Scottish Studies

Track ID - 13365
Original Tape ID - SA1953.272
Original Track ID - SA1953.272.A1
Audio Quality - Good
Audio Format - R2R

Classification - AT910B;


Item Location:
  County - Inverness-shire
  Parish - South Uist
  Island - South Uist
  Village - Gerinish

Item Notes - See:
'More West Highland Tales' vol. 1 (J. F. Campbell) p. 74

Permanent Link - http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/13365/1


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