Tales from Barra: Told by The Coddy

by John Macpherson, Compton Mackenzie (Foreword), John Lorne Campbell (Introduction)

John MacPherson, also known as ’The Coddy’, was one of the most renowned storytellers and characters of the Western Isles at the turn of the nineteenth into the twentieth century and beyond, and was the inspiration for Compton MacKenzie’s Whisky Galore. His warmth and personality shine through these stories, which are a wonderful mix of myth, tradition and anecdote. This edition includes a large number of traditional tales told in the inimitable style of The Coddy, grouped in a number of themed sections: Tales of the Macneils of Barra and Other Lairds - The MacLeods of Dunvegan - The Laird of Boisdale - Stories of Olden Times - Ecclesiastical Traditions - Place-names - Tales of Treasure - Tales of Local Characters - Stories of the Politician - Stories of Sea Monsters - Fairies, Second Sight and Ghost Stories - Witchcraft. For any student of folklore, for anyone interested in the traditions and history of the islands, or for anyone who simply likes a tale well told, The Coddy is essential reading. This edition is enhanced with a plate section consisting of period photographs of the Western Isles and informative notes on The Coddy and his stories.

Genres: Scotland, History

162 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1992

Reviews

[Raido D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable collection of folk tales from Barra with a broad selection ranging from clan legends to tales of witches and second sight. The tales are told in true seannachie fashion which may not appeal to all. The edition I have has an introduction by John Lorne Campbell and includes three stories in Gaelic at the end, with some invaluable vocabulary. While I greatly enjoyed the book, the first half of it (and J.L. Campbell's introduction in particular) was riddled with spelling errors - the newer editions will certainly have remedied this, however.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

An eclectic collection of folk tales from Barra and its surrounding small islands, recorded in the 1950s by the Gàidhlig folklorist John Lorne Campbell from local storyteller Iain MacPherson - "Coddy". The stories range across oral histories of incidents and people from the island's past; mythological stories of fairy folk, witches, ghosts and the like (few of which have happy endings); comic tales about the S.S.Politician (the real life incident that inspired the film "Whisky Galore"); and more sombre stories of the 1840s potato blight and the brutal evictions and forced emigration that accompanied it. The stories are very variable in quality and I think this book would mainly be of interest to people who have visited Barra or who may have had ancestors from there.

[theresa dobey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book about a great life.