THALAS GAIR
Skye is as wild as the old Celtic myths is inspired. This is the land
of fingal, the mythical deer drover who directed his hunting from
Fingal's Seat above the island's capital, Portree. Christianity
arrived with St. Columba, and hot on his heals came the Vikings.
The Norse heritage is all over the island, especially in Skye's
craggy place names, such as Talisker House. Traditionally the seat
of the eldest son of the MacLeod clan, it was named after the
mountain called the Sloping Rock, in Norse, 'Thalas Gair'.
Viking power was eventually broken by Somerled, the warrior king
whose MacDonald descendents established the Lordship of the Isles
over much of the Western Isles. Later still, 'over the sea to Skye'
came Bonnie Prince Charlie. The immortal story of how Flora
MacDonald dressed the fugitive Prince as her Irish maid is beloved
by all true romantics. Despite the enormous bounty on the Prince's
head the islanders refused to turn him in. The people of the
Hebrides are a close knit lot.
The islanders have a story of how one day Flora and the disguised Prince were accosted by soldiers, and pretended to be digging peat.
One of the soldiers wasn't fooled - he came from nearby Lewis.
Using Gaelic to confuse his English officer he called to Flora, 'Bha
latha eile aig fear buain na mona'. (There was to the man cutting
the peats a better day).
The Misty Isle has attracted other distinguished visitors. Turner
and Ruskin arrived to paint the island's wild beauty. Sir Walter
Scott stayed at Talisker House, as did Boswell and Dr. Johnson
during their Highland Tour in 1773. They settled in for two days
of jovial company amid the ringing of glasses.
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