The witch of Ballachly
There are two villages in Caithness
called Ballachly – the township of
the cemetery. There is a Ballachly
near Dunbeath. There is another
Ballachly between Dunbeath and
Watten. It’s from that wee settlement
that the story comes this week. Here
is the story – “The Witch of
Ballachly”.
There was once a woman. Her
nickname was The Raven. The
people had a bad opinion of the
woman. They said she was a witch.
She lived in a wee bothy near
Ballachly. Things weren’t going too
well. Some of the farmers did not
have much milk or cheese. They
were thinking that the witch was
responsible.
One day, on the day of Beltane,
a woman came to visit the witch. She
was wanting to get advice. She
found The Raven beside a burn. She
was raking the grass with a heather
rope. There was heather tied to the
rope. The Raven was involved in
witchcraft.
People were seeing a hare
amongst the cattle. Dogs couldn’t
catch the hare. A man set a snare. He used a peg of rowan wood. You’ll know that the rowan tree works against witchcraft.
A hare was caught in the snare. But when the man reached it, there was not a hare there. There was a woman. From that day onwards, the man had bad luck. He was drowned in the Thurso River.
The story has a strange ending. There were two large standing stones. The Raven went to the first stone. She ran around it seven times sunwise. Then she ran around it seven times anti-sunwise.
Two days after that, she was walking south. She stopped at a high point. And the high point is called Rock of the Raven. Then she continued. She left Caithness and nobody knows what happened to her.
Bana-bhuidseach Bhaile a’ Chlaidh
Tha dà bhaile ann an Gallaibh air a
bheil Baile a’ Chlaidh – the township
of the cemetery. Tha Baile a’ Chlaidh
faisg air Dùn Bheithe. Tha Baile a’
Chlaidh eile eadar Dùn Bheithe agus
Bhatan. ’S ann bhon bhaile bheag sin a
tha an stòiridh a’ tighinn an t-seachdain seo. Seo an stòiridh – “Bana-
bhuidseach Bhaile a’ Chlaidh”.
Bha boireannach ann uaireigin.
’S e Am Fitheach am far-ainm a bha
oirre. Bha droch bheachd aig daoine
air a’ bhoireannach. Bha iad ag ràdh
gur e bana-bhuidseach a bha innte.
Bha i a’ fuireach ann am bothag
faisg air Baile a’ Chlaidh. Cha robh
cùisean a’ dol gu math. Cha robh
mòran bainne no càise aig cuid de na
tuathanaich. Bha iad a’ smaoineachadh
gur e a’ bhana-bhuidseach a rinn sin.
Latha a bha seo, air Latha na
Bealltainne, thàinig boireannach a
chèilidh air a’ bhana-bhuidsich. Bha i
ag iarraidh comhairle fhaighinn. Lorg i
am Fitheach ri taobh allt. Bha i a’
ràcadh an fheòir le sìoman. Bha fraoch
ceangailte ris an t-sìoman. Bha am
Fitheach ri buidseachd.
Bha daoine a’ faicinn geàrr am
measg a’ chruidh. Cha b’ urrainn do
choin a’ gheàrr a ghlacadh. Chuir fear ribe sìos. Chleachd e cnagan de dh’fhiodh caorainn. Bidh fios agaibh gu bheil a’ chraobh-chaorainn ag obair an aghaidh buidseachd.
Bha geàrr air a glacadh anns an ribe. Nuair a ràinig an duine i, ge-tà, cha robh geàrr ann. Bha boireannach ann. Am Fitheach. Bhon latha sin a-mach, bha droch fhortan aig an duine. Chaidh a bhàthadh ann an Uisge Theòrsa.
Tha crìoch neònach air an stòiridh. Bha dà thursa mhòr ann. Chaidh am Fitheach don chiad tursa. Ruith i timcheall air seachd uairean deiseil. An uair sin ruith i timcheall air seachd uairean tuathail.
Dà latha às dèidh sin, bha i a’ coiseachd don cheann a deas. Stad i air àirde. Agus ’s e an t-ainm air an àirde Creag an Fhithich. An uair sin, lean i oirre. Chaidh i a-mach à Gallaibh agus chan eil fhios dè thachair dhi.
