rish of the period by the Macvurichs,
hereditary bards to the Clanranald chiefs. The _Red Book_ was obtained
by Macpherson in 1760 from Neil Macvurich, nephew of the last great
bard, and it figured largely in the Ossianic controversy. In addition to
poems in Irish by Neil Macvurich, who died at a great age some time
after 1715, and other bardic matter, the MSS. now contain only three
Ossianic poems, and these are in Irish. During the Ossianic controversy
the _Red Book of Clanranald_ was supposed to contain the originals of
much of Macpherson's famous work; but, on the book coming into the hands
of the enthusiastic Gaels of the closing years of the 18th century, and
on its contents being examined and found wanting, the MS. was tampered
with.

Mary Macleod.

Mackenzie's _Beauties of Gaelic Poetry_ contains poems written by a
number of writers who flourished towards the end of the 17th century and
at the beginning of the 18th. These are Mary Macleod, John Macdonald
(Iain Lom), Archibald Macdonald, Dorothy Brown, Cicely Macdonald, Iain
Dubh Iain 'Ic. Ailein (b. c. 1665), the Aosdan Matheson (one of his
poems was rendered in English by Sir Walter Scott under the title of
"Farewell to Mackenzie, High Chief of Kintail"), Hector Maclean (also
known through a translation by Scott called "War-song of Lachlan, High
Chief of Maclean"), Lachlan Mackinnon, Roderick Morrison (an Clarsair
Dall), and John Mackay of Gairloch, but we can here only notice the
first two. The famous Mary Macleod, better known as Mairi Nighean
Alastair Ruaidh (c. 1588-1693), was family bard to Sir Norman Macleod
of Bernera, and later to John "Breac" Macleod of Macleod, in honour of
whom most of her poems were composed. Like very many of the Highland
poets Mary had little or no education, and it would seem that none of
the poems which have come down to us were composed before 1660. Her
pieces are composed in the modern Irish metres with the characteristic
vowel rhymes of the accented syllables. As might perhaps be expected it
was only the Macvurichs (the professional bards of the Clanranald) who
went on practising the classical _debide_ metre. This they still
continued to do during the first quarter of the 18th century. Mary
Macleod's best-known pieces comprise a dirge on the drowning of Iain
Garbh (Mac'Ille Chalum) in the Minch, a song "An Talla 'm bu ghnath le
MacLeoid," and an ode to Sir Norman Macleod of Bernera, produced during
her exile in Mull, wh