Books by Andrew Wiseman
Scottish Tradition Series, 2015
Detailed liner notes, containing introductory and contextual information, from the two-CD set Cr... more Detailed liner notes, containing introductory and contextual information, from the two-CD set Cruinneachadh Chaluim: Field Recordings of Gaelic Music and Song from the Highlands and Islands by Calum Maclean. The CD, issued by Greentrax in the Scottish Traditions series, was launched in 2015 to celebrate the one-hundredth anniversary of the birth of Calum Iain Maclean in Raasay. The first CD focusses on songs, including a variety of genres from mouth music to ballads, and the second one offers instrumental music, including tunes on the pipes and fiddle as well as ceilidh dance bands. Included in the notes are transcriptions and translations of song or narrative items from a variety of outstanding performers from throughout the Highlands and Islands as recorded by Calum Maclean during his work as a fieldwork collector, initially employed by the Irish Folklore Commission and then by the School of Scottish Studies, established at the University of Edinburgh in 1951.
The aim of this study is to give as broad a prospectus as possible of the Gaelic oral tradition o... more The aim of this study is to give as broad a prospectus as possible of the Gaelic oral tradition of Brae Lochaber. No one exemplifies the Gaelic tradition of the Braes better than John MacDonald who belonged to Highbridge. Our purpose here, then, is not simply to delineate John MacDonald as a story-teller but rather to analyse the representative content of his repertoire. By far the greater part of this corpus consists of historical traditions and supernatural tales. For that reason this study has attempted to give these aspects greater prominence and has included examples from other local tradition bearers and accounts from the literature, and thus John MacDonald is not exclusively foregrounded in the chapters dealing with historical legends and supernatural tales. Also, in order to reflect the content of John MacDonald’s repertoire these particular tales are the ones studied in greatest depth. John MacDonald can be described as the last Lochaber seanchaidh as he was the last person of a long line who not only composed over a hundred songs but had a vast knowledge of Lochaber traditions, passed on from his father, James MacDonald. Somewhat unusually John only learnt these traditional tales later in life, shortly before his father died.
Hunting inspired some of the greatest songs and stories of Gaelic literature and tradition—a them... more Hunting inspired some of the greatest songs and stories of Gaelic literature and tradition—a theme which runs from the earliest Old Irish sources down to the literature of Modern Scottish Gaelic. This thesis examines the cultural history of hunting in the Scottish Highlands stemming from the late-medieval period through to the early modern. The three main areas covered are the iconography, literature and tradition of the chase.
Many hunting topoi appear upon late-medieval west Highland sculptures, remarkably similar to those on earlier Pictish sculpture, which are complimented by the Gaelic literature and lore of hunting contained within Fenian ballads and narrative stories. The apogee of Gaelic hunting motifs are contained within panegyric poetry and verse of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, sustained in the main by a late manifestation of an heroic age. Such imagery reinforced and perpetuated the identity of the chief as the paragon of pre-modern Gaelic society, who was always seen as a hunter-warrior. Hunting themes and motifs are also prevalent within Gaelic folksong tradition. Although this overlaps in terms of content with the bardic imagery of professional poets, the vernacular folksongs offer a more emotive and direct response to moments of crisis or celebration. The scale of these great hunts in the Highlands, borne out by the literary evidence, from the medieval period onwards, reflects a complex matrix of power, patronage, politics and ultimately propaganda. As well as being a surrogate for war the tinchel, in Gaelic terms, was a seasonal mobilising of the sluagh, or host, who followed the fine, the Gaelic nobility. This enhanced their status while reinforcing clan solidarity in a shared symbol of sporting endeavour, by chasing the noble quarry of the deer. Notable, also, is illegal, or covert hunting which masked a complex deer-culture, and marked the familiar tension of exploiting natural resources by the many against the privileged few who tried to implement their inherited rights to hunt. Inevitably, superstition pervades much of the traditions of the hunt, as it would in any given belief system centred upon age-old customs.
Hunting was an integral part of European culture, and it was a theme reflected in Gaelic literature, song, and tradition more evidently than in many other European cultures of a comparable period. This was because it reinforced strongly and perpetuated the idealised image of a warrior-hunter, the archetypal leader engendered within Gaelic cultural identity.
Hitherto the writings of Calum I. Maclean have been scattered amongst some obscure and not so obs... more Hitherto the writings of Calum I. Maclean have been scattered amongst some obscure and not so obscure journals and newspapers as well as languishing in manuscript. The aim of this book is to gather together a selection of his various writings as well as republishing a fourth edition of his classic The Highlands which first saw the light of day in 1959, a year before his untimely death. Without doubt Maclean was one of the most successful and accomplished Scottish collectors of oral traditions in the twentieth century. Born and brought up on the isle of Raasay, Maclean was one of five boys and two girls from an extraordinary family, all of whom went onto fulfilling careers either in medicine or education. Collecting initially for the Irish Folklore Commission and then latterly being the first Research Fellow and Fieldwork Collector for the newly-established School of Scottish Studies at the University of Edinburgh, Maclean amassed a great deal of mainly Gaelic oral traditions during his short-lived but highly productive career from 1946 until his death in 1960. During this period, Maclean also managed to find time to not only write the well-received aforementioned monograph but also penned various academic and popular articles printed in various publications ranging from Scottish Studies to Scotland’s S.M.T. Magazine and from Gairm to ARV: The Journal of Scandinavian Studies. Together with previously unpublished manuscripts material such as his diaries, this book proposes to gather together a selection of Maclean’s writings which will offer unique and timely perspectives of a Gaelic-speaking scholar, ethnologist, collector and writer on his native tradition, history, culture, music and language.
Academic Papers by Andrew Wiseman
Cànan is Cultar / Language & Culture, Rannsachadh na Gàidhlig 9 (Sabhal Mòr Ostaig: Clò Ostaig, 2019), 307–20
In the light of a two-volume glossary, focusing upon musical terminology in particular and aesthe... more In the light of a two-volume glossary, focusing upon musical terminology in particular and aesthetics in general, compiled by Angus Fraser (1800–1870), this article offers a brief lexicographical overview of the Gaelic word port, a term most commonly used for a tune in Scottish Gaelic. A brief overview of his military and musical career places Fraser’s fieldwork, publishing and collecting in its historical milieu. A Glossary of Ancient and Modern Terms and Expressions Associated with the Music, Poetry, Dancing & Oratory of the Gaeil contains upwards of 2,200 entries (along with additions) arranged by Fraser more or less alphabetically, three pages of which are dedicated to port. Many of the entries (and others besides) for port appear to be unique and thus are unavailable elsewhere, whilst others are derived from references, mainly culled from Gaelic printed literature. Although the glossary is extensive and contains a diverse, and probably unparalleled, resource for Scottish Gaelic aesthetic terms, questions of authenticity remain. It may justifiably asked how reliable or, indeed, how current were these terms. By discussing these port entries, a more nuanced understanding of the strengths and inherent weaknesses of this glossary are revealed and where also suggestions are offered to deal methodologically with unpicking this unique glossary and thus to establish where further work needs to be done.
This papers focuses upon the life and literary works of a renowned nineteenth-century Gaelic scho... more This papers focuses upon the life and literary works of a renowned nineteenth-century Gaelic scholar who hailed from Bohuntine, Brae Lochaber, and who was the author/editor of the acclaimed Gaelic poetry and song collection entitled An Duanaire.
Additional notices of the Taghairm, a divinatory method of roasting a live cat so that prognostic... more Additional notices of the Taghairm, a divinatory method of roasting a live cat so that prognostications could be made of future events usually to the benefit of the person who was willing or who had courage enough to carry out such a dreadful rite.
Explores the fieldwork undertaken by Calum I. Maclean whilst collecting on the Isle of Barra from... more Explores the fieldwork undertaken by Calum I. Maclean whilst collecting on the Isle of Barra from the later summer of 1946 for a five-month period.
Tobar an Dualchais: Ulaidh Nàisteanta / Kist o Riches: A National Treasure, ed. by Chris Wright (Skye: Tobar an Dualchais, 2014), 36–47, 2014
Oral Tradition, vol. 28, no 2 (2013), pp. 355-62, Aug 22, 2014
This essay describes an online, digital corpus of Gaelic folklore collected by the late Calum Mac... more This essay describes an online, digital corpus of Gaelic folklore collected by the late Calum Maclean (1915-1960), Scotland’s most prolific ethnology fieldworker. The collection consists of over 13,000 transcribed items recorded primarily in Gaelic with English summaries provided. Technical aspects of the resource, along with its uses in ethnological research are summarized. The project was carried out with funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (United Kingdom).
Uploads
Books by Andrew Wiseman
Many hunting topoi appear upon late-medieval west Highland sculptures, remarkably similar to those on earlier Pictish sculpture, which are complimented by the Gaelic literature and lore of hunting contained within Fenian ballads and narrative stories. The apogee of Gaelic hunting motifs are contained within panegyric poetry and verse of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, sustained in the main by a late manifestation of an heroic age. Such imagery reinforced and perpetuated the identity of the chief as the paragon of pre-modern Gaelic society, who was always seen as a hunter-warrior. Hunting themes and motifs are also prevalent within Gaelic folksong tradition. Although this overlaps in terms of content with the bardic imagery of professional poets, the vernacular folksongs offer a more emotive and direct response to moments of crisis or celebration. The scale of these great hunts in the Highlands, borne out by the literary evidence, from the medieval period onwards, reflects a complex matrix of power, patronage, politics and ultimately propaganda. As well as being a surrogate for war the tinchel, in Gaelic terms, was a seasonal mobilising of the sluagh, or host, who followed the fine, the Gaelic nobility. This enhanced their status while reinforcing clan solidarity in a shared symbol of sporting endeavour, by chasing the noble quarry of the deer. Notable, also, is illegal, or covert hunting which masked a complex deer-culture, and marked the familiar tension of exploiting natural resources by the many against the privileged few who tried to implement their inherited rights to hunt. Inevitably, superstition pervades much of the traditions of the hunt, as it would in any given belief system centred upon age-old customs.
Hunting was an integral part of European culture, and it was a theme reflected in Gaelic literature, song, and tradition more evidently than in many other European cultures of a comparable period. This was because it reinforced strongly and perpetuated the idealised image of a warrior-hunter, the archetypal leader engendered within Gaelic cultural identity.
Academic Papers by Andrew Wiseman
Many hunting topoi appear upon late-medieval west Highland sculptures, remarkably similar to those on earlier Pictish sculpture, which are complimented by the Gaelic literature and lore of hunting contained within Fenian ballads and narrative stories. The apogee of Gaelic hunting motifs are contained within panegyric poetry and verse of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, sustained in the main by a late manifestation of an heroic age. Such imagery reinforced and perpetuated the identity of the chief as the paragon of pre-modern Gaelic society, who was always seen as a hunter-warrior. Hunting themes and motifs are also prevalent within Gaelic folksong tradition. Although this overlaps in terms of content with the bardic imagery of professional poets, the vernacular folksongs offer a more emotive and direct response to moments of crisis or celebration. The scale of these great hunts in the Highlands, borne out by the literary evidence, from the medieval period onwards, reflects a complex matrix of power, patronage, politics and ultimately propaganda. As well as being a surrogate for war the tinchel, in Gaelic terms, was a seasonal mobilising of the sluagh, or host, who followed the fine, the Gaelic nobility. This enhanced their status while reinforcing clan solidarity in a shared symbol of sporting endeavour, by chasing the noble quarry of the deer. Notable, also, is illegal, or covert hunting which masked a complex deer-culture, and marked the familiar tension of exploiting natural resources by the many against the privileged few who tried to implement their inherited rights to hunt. Inevitably, superstition pervades much of the traditions of the hunt, as it would in any given belief system centred upon age-old customs.
Hunting was an integral part of European culture, and it was a theme reflected in Gaelic literature, song, and tradition more evidently than in many other European cultures of a comparable period. This was because it reinforced strongly and perpetuated the idealised image of a warrior-hunter, the archetypal leader engendered within Gaelic cultural identity.