FTX-463 - THE MAGIC QUERN

STORIES FROM BARRA

Annie JOHNSTON tells two stories in English with an additional part in Gaelic. First, the story of Cortach, the little Highland girl, stolen away by fairies, including the Quern-stone grinding Song. The second,cumulative, is about 2 boys gathering nuts. Neil GILLIES, a local fisherman, tells some stories drawn from his own experience & Mary tells of her mother and her work at the tweed & she sings a Spinning Song.

Annie Johnston:-

1. CORTACH AND THE MAGIC QUERN - told in English with song - 6.25

2. TWO BOYS EATING NUTS - First part of story - told in Gaelic - 0.22

3. The complete story told in English - 7.50

Neil and Mary Gillies

4. FISHING STORY by Neil - 1.51

5. Neil talks about the fishing - 2.47

6. Mary talks about her mother making cloth and Spinning Song in Gaelic: ORAIN SNIOMMH - 4.36

7. Local Fisherman's Song in Gaelic (story told in English before) - 4.38

Recorded & edited by Peter Kennedy and first published on Folktrax cassette 1975.

ANNIE JOHNSTON gave a number of her songs and stories to Marjory Kennedy-Fraser which were published in SONGS OF THE HEBRIDES, mainly in Albums 2 and 3.

Other more recent books are O Lochlainn's DEOCH-SLAINTE NAN GILLEAN (1948), John Lorne Campbell's GAELIC SONGS FROM THE ISLAND OF BARRA (1950) and STORIES FROM SOUTH UIST (1961) and Francis Collinson's HEBRIDEAN FOLKSONGS (1969). Annie also contributed items of folklore interest, including some of her stories, bird- songs and riddles, to BEALOIDEAS (vols. 1, 4 & 6).

She can also be heard on FTX-191 SONGS OF THE HEBRIDES and on FTX-301, an album of MOUTH MUSIC FROM BRITAIN AND IRELAND. Neil Gillies can be heard singing a Rowing Song on FTX-191.