Breabadair an Staca.
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1970.34.A1
Original Tape ID
Summary
The Stack Weaver.
An unknown man came off the packet-steamer in North Uist. He walked from there to South Boisdale in South Uist. Night was falling and he arrived at a house where a husband, wife and two daughters lived. He spent the night there and left the next morning, going as far as the Sound of Eriskay. He found a dinghy and arrived at a place called Stack Island, at the south end of Eriskay.
He built a house on the island. He went back to the house in Uist where he had spent the night and married one of the daughters. They went back Stack Island, where both were weavers. He thus became known as Breabadair an Staca [The Stack Weaver].
They had three sons. When they were older they bore holes in boats that came to anchor and would take the cargo when they had sunk. Two of the sons were fishing with their father when they noticed a strange boat near the shore. The boat chased them, and all three were killed.
The youngest son and his mother were left to survive on their own. When the boy was older he went to his grandfather's house in Uist and from there to North Uist, where he got the packet-steamer to Dunvegan. He discovered that the skipper was his father's killer and took revenge, killing him.
He arrived at an inn, whose owner had a fruit tree that was always being spoiled. He was asked to guard it and a fool stayed with him. He became thirsty and so the fool gave him an apple, which made him sleepy. While he was asleep a woman appeared at midnight and asked the fool to wake him, but he couldn't be aroused. She wrote on his gun and left. He was to meet her at the same time the next night, but the same happened again. He killed the fool and went in search of the woman, whom he married. His mother returned to her relatives in Uist.
Item Location
County - Inverness-shire
Language
Gaelic
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Good