Carmina Gadelica

Lore & Background

Alexander Carmichael, an exciseman and folklorist, gathered material for Carmina Gadelica in the Gàidhealtachd regions of Scotland between 1860 and 1909. The origins of the collection trace to his appendix 'Grazing and Agrestic Customs of the Outer Hebrides', contributed to the Report of the Napier Commission in 1883, which included traditional rhymes, prayers, blessings, and songs. The popularity of that appendix and a subsequent paper he delivered on 24 December 1888 to the Gaelic Society of Glasgow on 'Uist Hymns' (also known as 'Old Hymns of Uist') encouraged him to embark on a more comprehensive work.

The collection was first offered in 1891 to the Clarendon Press as Idylls of the Isles, then to Archibald Sinclair's Gaelic publishing company, but both offers were withdrawn due to Carmichael's dissatisfaction with the publishers' plans. Final editing was carried out after his retirement from the Inland Revenue in December 1897, with assistance from his daughter Ella Carmichael, George Henderson (who gave the work its title), and Kenneth MacLeod. The initial letters were illustrated by Carmichael's wife Mary Frances Macbean. The first two volumes were published in October 1900 under Walter Biggar Blaikie in a limited edition of 300 copies.

Reader's Guide

Carmina Gadelica was initially welcomed by reviewers as a monumental achievement in folklore and a lasting testament to its creator. However, other Gaelic folklore collectors such as Father Allan McDonald, the Rev. John Gregorson Campbell, and Alexander Macbain were uneasy with Carmichael's treatment of material. In 1976, Hamish Robertson's article 'Studies in Carmichael's Carmina Gadelica' accused Carmichael of meddling with, altering, and polishing original texts, stating that 'hardly one had not been touched up in some way, sometimes quite drastically'. John Lorne Campbell rebuffed this but conceded that much of the first three volumes must be taken as a literary rather than literal presentation of Gaelic folklore.

The work remains controversial, but as Gaelic scholar Dr John MacInnes noted, it is 'not a monumental exercise in literary fabrication nor, on the other hand, is it a transcript of ancient poems and spells reproduced exactly in the form in which they survived in oral tradition.' Despite its flaws, Carmina Gadelica is an indispensable source for the popular culture, customs, beliefs, and way of life of Scottish Gaels in the nineteenth century. The publication of Carmichael's original field notebooks online under the Carmichael Watson Project now allows proper assessment of the editing processes involved.

Did You Know?

• Carmina Gadelica was published in six volumes between 1900 and 1971, with later volumes edited by Carmichael's descendants and other scholars.
• The work was originally offered to publishers as 'Idylls of the Isles' before being titled 'Carmina Gadelica' by George Henderson.
• The first two volumes were published in a limited edition of 300 copies, costing 3 guineas each.
• Carmichael's editing methods were challenged in 1976 by Hamish Robertson, who accused him of altering original texts.