Weather forecasting by signs in the sky and sea.
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1970.107
Original Tape ID
Summary
Weather forecasting by signs in the sky and sea.
The old people in Tiree could forecast the weather by the clouds and the stars and the moon. They could also tell by the sound of the sea what weather was approaching. They were accustomed to listening to the sea, and could tell if rain or gales were approaching depending on the sound of it. Donald Sinclair's uncle would sometimes not go out fishing if the sea looked a certain way in the morning. This knowledge was passed down the generations.
Donald Sinclair's uncle was out fishing in a new boat and it was surrounded by fog. They couldn't see the shore, and one of the crew was from Barrapoll. He looked at the water and told the steersman that they were near Craignish, and he could tell by the current in the water. They changed course and when the fog lifted it was shown that he was right. The Gaelic word for a current was 'sruth', and the noise of the waves on the shore was "fuaim nan tonn air cladach rèidh" - the noise of the waves on the smooth shore. The word 'glaodhadh' - roaring - would be used for the waves at night, and if the waves were roaring on the shore it meant there would be a gale. There was a saying that the old men had that if the dog was coming in front of its master, it meant that the sound of the waves on the shore was telling them that there was going to be a storm - "thig an cù ron mhaighstir, tha stoirm ann a-nochd".
There was a saying about the wind when it fell which was "sgaoil a' ghaoth a cridhe" – the wind split her heart. This meant that the storm was over. This weather forecasting was a thing of the past, as was the use of Gaelic in the island.
Item Location
County - Argyllshire
Island - Tiree
Parish - Tiree
Language
English
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Good