A story about misunderstandings and harshness towards Travel...
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1972.242.A2
Original Tape ID
Summary
A story about misunderstandings and harshness towards Travellers turning to camaraderie, oiled by whisky.
Description of how a caird [Traveller] and his son erected a tent. The Traveller begged Ruaridh, the gamekeeper, for a sheaf for the horse ['each' in Gaelic]. Ruaridh refused, saying the Traveller had been stealing his peats. George Campbell sings a few bars of a tune the boy played. The caird's wife sent them to find better peats and they also took a fishing gaff. The keeper's wife had been making puddings with the help of the shepherd and his wife. The keeper was drinking whisky when the Traveller's wife came to the house. He regretted his earlier harshness and gave her a basinful of black puddings, but avoided telling his wife. His wife accused the woman of stealing them. When she discovered the truth, she sent the keeper to the camp with whisky and straw. The Traveller and his son had to hide a salmon they had poached. The keeper drank and danced with the Travellers. The others arrived and they all ended up dancing. The keeper pretended not to have noticed the fish scales on the peats. But when the wife mentioned that she would give them milk and oatmeal in the morning, he dismissed them as 'craturs' [literally creatures].
George Campbell made up the story, but it is the kind of thing that could have happened 40 or 50 years ago when Travellers used to come round.
Language
English
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Poor