Matheson Collection > Popular tales of the west Highlands > Volume 4

202 GAELIC POETRY OF KNOWN AND UNKNOWN BARDS,
sublime efforts of Raphael or Michael Angelo. As to
the question whether these are Irish or Scotch, I can-
not give a definite answer. After some reflection,
however, my opinion preponderates to the latter, for
though there are some words and phrases which to me
were unintelligible until the reciters explained them,
and which they considered Irish, still I would not be
justified in calling such ballads as contain them Irish,
on the slender ground of this mere "ipse dixit," for
they may have retained that much of the language
in which they were originally composed, and which
may have been the dialect common in Scotland at that
time. They are apparently very old, and it is possible
at the time they were composed the language of both
countries was the same, considering they had one common
origin. By whom they were composed, or at what time
they were composed, cannot, with any decree of certainty
be determined. They stretch back into a period of whose
history I know very little, and, consequently I am
precluded from adding more. — Meanwhile, I remain,
yours very faithfully,
D. K. Torrie.
J". F. Campbell, Esq., etc., etc.
To this let me add the opinion of a Highlander, who
had had much to do with the publication of Gaelic
books, and lives in a city.
62 Argyle Street, Glasgow,
November, 9, 1861.
My Dear Sir, — In compliance with your request,
I will now proceed briefly to give you my opinion of
the poems attributed to Ossian and other ancient Celtic
bards. Although a doubt never crossed my mind re-