Early Gaelic Harp Info: Lays: recordings

The field recordings I am aware of date mainly from the 1940s and 1950s, and were performed by elderly people for folklore collectors. Now that the archives of John Lorne Campbell on Canna, and the School of Scottish Studdies in Edinburgh, have been made available online through the Tobar and Dualchais / Kist o’ Riches project, you can listen to a number of them here. There are also a few in the Gaelstream online archive of Cape Breton recordings in Canada.

This incomplete catalogue lists all of the sung lays I know of available online to listen to, plus some that have been released on record or tape, plus some others I know of or have seen reference to. There are more out there than these. There are a number of lays that were recited without a tune, and there are also prose tales.

Standard Title	Title	Date	Singer	Place	Country	Tape / track	Recording	Transcription	Translation	Score	Notes
Duan na Muilgheartaich (song of the sea hag)
Duan na Muilgheartaich	Duan na Muilgheartaich	1950	Duncan MacDonald		Scotland	Canna CW0044A.202	http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/24521/1
Duan na Muilgheartaich	Duan na Muilgheartaich	1953	Penny Morrison	Lochdar, South Uist	Scotland			2 stanzas, Frances Collinson, The Traditional and National Music of Scotland, 1966, p.43-44	2 stanzas, Frances Collinson, The Traditional and National Music of Scotland, 1966, p.43-44	2 stanzas, Frances Collinson, The Traditional and National Music of Scotland, 1966, p.43-44
Duan na Muilgheartaich	Duan na Muildheartaich	1958	Penny Morrison	Lochdar, South Uist	Scotland	Canna CannaTape.0035 / CannaOT.3	http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/45830/1	Scéalamhráin Cheilteacha, 1985
Duan na Muilgheartaich	Duan na Muilgheartaich	1962	Neil Gillies		Scotland	SA1962.05.B4	http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/10087/1				Recited
Duan na Muilgheartaich	Duan na Muilgheartaich	1959	Marion Campbell	Lochainort, South Uist	Scotland	SA1959.57.B3	http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/41016/1
Laoidh Chaoilte (lay of Caoilte)
Laoidh Chaoilte	Caoilte agus am Famhair	1952	James C. M. Campbell		Scotland	SA1952.88.B5a; B5b	http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/5711/1				Non-native singing style
Laoidh Chaoilte	Caoilte agus Fuamhaire nan Còig Cinn	1956	Marion Campbell	Lochainort, South Uist	Scotland	SA1955.178.A4	http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/22298/1
Laoidh Chaoilte	Latha Dhan Fhín am Beinn Ioghnaidh	1958	Marion Campbell	Lochainort, South Uist	Scotland	SA1958.28.4	http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/en/fullrecord/32357/1
Laoidh Chaoilte	Laoidh Chaoilte	1960	Marion Campbell	Lochainort, South Uist	Scotland	CannaTape.0039 / CannaOT.7	http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/47673/1
Laoidh Chaoilte	Laoidh Caoilte	1965	Kate MacDonald (Mrs Archie McDonald / Bean Eairdsidh Raghaill)	South Uist	Scotland	SA1965/88.A1	Scottish Tradition Vol 2 - Music from the Western Isles CDTRAX9002 (truncated)	Tocher 27, Winter 1977-8 Scottish Tradition Vol 2 - Music from the Western Isles CDTRAX9002 (truncated)	Tocher 27, Winter 1977-8 Scottish Tradition Vol 2 - Music from the Western Isles CDTRAX9002 (truncated)	Tocher 27, Winter 1977-8
Duan na Ceàrdaich (lay of the smithy)
Duan na Ceàrdaich	Duanag na Ceardaich		Mrs Archie McDonald	South Uist	Scotland	SA???	Songs and Pipes of the Hebrides, Folkways FE4430	2 stanzas, Frances Collinson, The Traditional and National Music of Scotland, 1966, p.42	2 stanzas, Frances Collinson, The Traditional and National Music of Scotland, 1966, p.42	2 stanzas, Frances Collinson, The Traditional and National Music of Scotland, 1966, p.42
Duan na Ceàrdaich	Duan na Ceàrdaich	1953	Kate MacDonald	South Uist	Scotland	SA1953.48.2	http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/4472/1
Duan na Ceàrdaich	Duanag na Ceardaich		Marion Campbell	Lochainort, South Uist	Scotland		Musique Celtique - Iles Hebrides, Ocora 45
Duan na Ceàrdaich	Duan na Ceàrdaich	1964	Marion Campbell	Lochainort, South Uist	Scotland	SA1964.44.A1	http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/86293/1
Duan na Ceàrdaich	Duan na Ceardaich	1978	Joe Allan MacLean	Christmas Island, Cape Breton	Canada	Cape Breton Gaelic Folklore Collection: Tape No: 56, Item On Tape: A 02	http://gaelstream.stfx.ca/gsdl/cgi-bin/library.exe?a=q&r=1&hs=1&e=q-11000-00---off-0capebret--00-1--0-10-0---0---0prompt-10-DC--4-------0-1l--11-en-50---20-about-Duanag+na+Ceardaich--00-3-1-01-0-0-11-1-0utfZz-8-00&fqf=DC&t=0&q=Duan+na+Ceardaich
Duan na Ceàrdaich	Duan na Ceàrdaich	1957	Penny Morrison	Lochdar, South Uist	Scotland	Canna CW0199	http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/50824/1	2 stanzas, Frances Collinson, The Traditional and National Music of Scotland, 1966, p.41	2 stanzas, Frances Collinson, The Traditional and National Music of Scotland, 1966, p.41	2 stanzas, Frances Collinson, The Traditional and National Music of Scotland, 1966, p.41
Duan na Ceàrdaich	Duan na Ceàrdaich	1965	Penny Morrison	Lochdar, South Uist	Scotland	SA1965.81.B2	http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/90099/1
Duan na Ceàrdaich	Duan na Ceàrdaich	1965	Penny Morrison	Lochdar, South Uist	Scotland	SA1965.81.B3	http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/90101/1
Duan na Ceàrdaich	Duan na Ceàrdaich	1950	Duncan MacDonald		Scotland	Canna CW0044A.201	http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/24519/1
Laoi na Mna Móire (lay of the big woman)
Laoi na Mna Móire	Laoi na Mná Móire	1949? or 1946? pre 1950	Micheál Ó hIghne	Glencolmcille, Co. Donegal	Ireland	Irish Folklore Commission		Breathnach p.26 (one verse)	Breathnach p.26 (one verse)	Breathnach p.26 (notation is a composite version, assembled from non-sequential fragments of the recording)	Vallely p.211
Laoi na Mna Móire	Laoi na Mna Móire	1945	Séamas Ó hIghne	Glencolmcille, Co. Donegal	Ireland	Irish Folklore Commission	Scéalamhráin Cheilteacha, 1985	Scéalamhráin Cheilteacha, 1985
Laoidh Dhiarmaid (Lay of Diarmuid)
Laoidh Dhiarmaid	Laoidh Dhiarmaid (2 stanzas)	1966	Calum Johnston	Eoligarry, Barra	Scotland			Terence P. McCaughey, The Performing of Dán, Eriu XXXV, 1984, p.53
Laoidh Dhiarmaid	Laoidh Dhiarmaid	1950	Duncan MacDonald		Scotland	Canna CW0044B.207	http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/24531/1
Laoidh Dhiarmaid	Laoidh Dhiarmaid	1950	Duncan MacDonald		Scotland	Canna CW0089A	http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/49252/1
Bàs Dhiarmaid	Bàs Dhiarmaid	1952	James C. M. Campbell		Scotland	SA1952.88.B4	http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/5709/1				Non-native singing style
Teanntachd Mhor na Feinne (Greatest achievement of the Fianna)
Teanntachd Mhor na Feinne	Teanntachd Mhor na Feinne	1953	Angus MacIsaac	Antigonish, Cape Breton	Canada		???	Songs Remembered in Exile	Songs Remembered in Exile	Songs Remembered in Exile
Laoidh an Fhir Mhòir (lay of the big man)
Laoidh an Fhir Mhòir	Laoidh an Fhir Mhòir	1958	Marion Campbell	Lochainort, South Uist	Scotland	CannaTape.0034 / CannaOT.2	http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/45580/1
Laoidh Mhanuis (lay of Manus)
Laoidh Mhanuis	Laoidh Mhanuis	1968	Donald Sinclair		Scotland	SA1968.26.B9		1 stanza, John Purser, Scotlands Music, 1992, p.73	1 stanza, John Purser, Scotlands Music, 1992, p.73
Laoidh a’ Choin Duibh (lay of the black dog)
Laoidh a’ Choin Duibh	Laoidh a’ Choin Duibh	1950	Duncan MacDonald	South Uist	Scotland	Canna CW0044B.208	http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/24539/1
Laoidh a’ Choin Duibh	Laoidh a’ Choin Duibh	1951	Duncan MacDonald	South Uist	Scotland	SA1951/6.B2		Tocher 25, Spring 1977, p.22-25	Tocher 25, Spring 1977, p.22-25	Tocher 25, Spring 1977, p.22-25	With spoken English introduction
Laoidh a’ Choin Duibh	Laoidh a’ Choin Duibh	1953	Duncan MacDonald	South Uist	Scotland	SA1953/34.A3	http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/23056/1				Different, more syllabic tune, perhaps borrowed from Laoidh Fhraoich (ref. Tocher 25, Spring 1977, p.25)
Laoidh a’ Choin Duibh	Laoidh a’ Choin Duibh	1963	Marion Campbell (?)	Baile a' Mhuilinn, South Uist	Scotland	SA1963013 A2	http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/90018/1	Terence P. McCaughey, The Performing of Dán, Eriu XXXV, 1984, p. 47-48
Laoidh a’ Choin Duibh	Laoidh a’ Choin Duibh	1958	Marion Campbell	Lochainort, South Uist	Scotland	SA1958.28.3	http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/32355/1
Laoi Chlainne Uisnigh (Lay of Clan Uisnigh)
Laoi Chlainne Uisnigh	Laoi Chlainne Uisnigh	1985	Máirtín Ó Conaire	Rath Cairn, Co. Meath	Ireland	National Folklore Collection, UCD, NFC JS0039	???				Mostly spoken, only a little singing
Laoidh Fhraoich (Lay of Fraoch)
Laoidh Fhraoich	Laoidh Fhraoich	1953	Dugald MacCormick		Scotland	SA1953.141.A3	http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/46105/1
Laoidh Fhraoich	Laoidh Fhraoich	1950	Duncan MacDonald		Scotland	Canna CW0055.236	http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/24959/1
Laoi an Amadáin Mhóir (lay of the big fool)
Laoi an Amadáin Mhóir	Laoi an Amadáin Mhóir	1970s?	Seán Bán MacGrianna		Ireland						Vallely p.211. There is an excerpt of the audio recording and transcription in Scéalta agus amhráin, Coiscéim 2010, spoken word only.
Am Bròn Binn (the sweet sorrow)
Am Bròn Binn	Am Bròn Binn (version O)		Kate McCormick		Scotland			Linda Gowans, Am Bròn Binn (partial)	Linda Gowans, Am Bròn Binn (partial)	Linda Gowans, Am Bròn Binn
Am Bròn Binn	Am Bròn Binn (version O)	2009	Catriona Garbutt	Benbecula	Scotland		http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh0Dnknfep0
Am Bròn Binn	Am Bròn Binn (version O)	2009	Margaret Callan	Benbecula	Scotland		http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7jcEtYu-O0
Am Bròn Binn	Am Bròn Binn (version V)		Penny Morrison	Lochdar, South Uist	Scotland		FTX-192 - THE BROWN GIRL SONGS OF THE HEBRIDES - 2
Am Bròn Binn	Am Bròn Binn (version V)	2009	Catriona Garbutt	Benbecula	Scotland		http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEsqd5C_X5g
Am Bròn Binn	Am Bròn Binn (version V)	1950	Duncan MacDonald		Scotland	Canna CW0081.325	http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/33071/1
Am Bròn Binn	Am Bròn Binn (version Z)	1957	Alec Stewart			SA1957.38.A1	http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/32521/1	Linda Gowans, Am Bròn Binn (partial)	Linda Gowans, Am Bròn Binn (partial)	Linda Gowans, Am Bròn Binn

References.

Simon Chadwick