Sheep 215 



In Folk-lore for March 1902, it is stated that sheep, among other 

 animals, were thought, in the Hebrides, to have once had the gift 

 of speech, and been in Paradise, which, when it had to leave, 

 enabled it to say as its last words, " Na loisg mo chnamhan," do 

 not burn my bones ; hence no sheep bones should ever be burnt 

 in or on a fire, or ever even thrown thereon. 



A reverence, approaching to superstition, took possession of 

 the ancient Roman Catholic Celt, as is evidenced by his sayings, 

 etc., in prose and verse, as used or applied to sheep and cattle, 

 etc., which he apparently believed the Deity and the Sain!s took 

 as peculiar and exclusive an interest in as he did himself. A saying 

 as to sheep is : — 



Dirdaoin, la 'lUe Chaluim chaoimh, Thursday, gentle Saint Columba's day, 

 Latha chuir chaorach an sealbh. The day to put sheep to pasture (lit. 



possession). (See proverbs.) 



Gentleness is associated with Saint Columba and sheep, and it 

 has been remarked as somewhat singular that the drum, which 

 roused and rouses men to martial daring, next to the pipes the 

 bag of which is also of sheep-skin, is formed from the skin of the 

 most peaceful of animals. As to our pipes, in the well-known 

 piobaireachd "Thug mi pog do lamh an Righ," I gave a kiss to 

 the king's hand, the sheep-skin is referred to as follows : — 



'S cha d'chuir gaoth an craicionn Wind in skin of sheep there blew not 



caorach One who got that boon but me. 



Fear a fhuair an fhaoilt ach mi. 



The sad wail of the pipes over the conflict of Glenfruin has been 

 poetically referred to, and strange to say the alleged cause of the 

 conflict itself was a black wedder, which had "allowed " itself to 

 be stolen by an individual of one of the clans from the other, and 

 which subsequently formed the basis of a proverb among the 

 MacGregors of " Gonadh air an uair a rugadh mult dubh an 

 earbuill ghil," or am breaman ghil. Cursed be the hour that the 

 black wedder with the white tail was lambed. 



A sheep-fold is also called " Cata " as in the Badenoch song, 

 " Thainig meirleach gu na cata, 's thug e leis a chaora chruim " ; 

 other names are Banair, bannrach, banrach, which mean the 

 enclosure where the sheep are milked, where such is practised. 

 Another term for a sheep-cot or fold is " Lias, lios, or les-chaorach." 

 A sheep exacted from sub-tenants at Hallowmass is called " caora- 

 charaidh," while a " good digestive " is said to be ewe-milk cheese. 

 (^Antiquary.') A Gaelic rhyme, used in the game of " Falach 

 lead " is : — 



Gliocan, glacan, mo chuid chaorach, Citchin', catching my own sheep, 

 Thig am madadh ruadh 'maireach The fox will come to-morrow, 



'S bheir e leis 'n caor'is fhearr 'th'agara And take with him the best sheep I 

 Ach caora dhubh fir an tighe have, 



'S caora glas an t-searbhanta. Except the master's black sheep 



And the servant's grey one. 



