Blair Collection > Popular tales of the West Highlands > Volume 2

CONALL. 167
Tlie story, translated into English, loses part of its merit,
which consists of the rapid utterance of a succession of words
which convey, by their sound and rhythm alone, the idea of the
fight which they describe ; the sounds —
" Da cheead djeeag Langash-gach
Da cheead djeeag Loogash-gach
Da cheead djeeag Tràin-gàsh-gàch
Gan cà'lchg-àg on sgee-an
Gam full agus gam feo-il
Ans an eear-mailt."
By the constant repetition of the sounds djee, gash, gacJi, suggest
the singing, creaking, clashing, and hacking of blades and armour,
and the rhythm, which varies continually, and must be heard to be
understood, does the same.
The narrator heard it from his father and other old men in his
youth. I have heard similar passages frequently from others,
since the beginning of this year, and I remember to have heard
something of the kind as a child.
One of the names, or one like it, occurs in a MS., said to be
of the twelfth century, in a tale called "The Story of Art Mac-
Cuinn, King of Ireland, and the Battle of Magh Muckruime,"
which'extends to forty-three pages. Art MacCon wins a battle
and becomes king of Ireland. All I know of the story is from an
abstract ; it is said to be mixed with poetry. The tales about
Conall are all over the Highlands, and those who repeat them
are generally old men. I have several versions written which
differ materially from this.