Maclean-Clephane manuscripts

Compiled in the early 19th century by the Mull sisters Anna-Jane and Margaret Maclean-Clephane. The manuscripts remain in the posession of Capt. A.C. Farquharson of Invercauld, with the exception of one (shelfmark not known to me) which was acquired by Trinity College Dublin in 1993. I have also heard of a volume of Gaelic song preserved in Northampton (Margaret married the Marquess of Northampton in 1815)

The National Library of Scotland holds a complete photocopy of 3 volumes, catalogued as NLS ms 14949 a, b and c. The School of Scottish Studies apparently holds photocopies of some other material.

One volume (a in the NLS catalogue) was compiled by Anna-Jane and Margaret around or before 1808. It contains a number of Gaelic airs of which some are titled as ancient harp tunes.

Another volume (b in the NLS catalogue) contains a collection of tunes copied in December 1816 by Anna-Jane from sources including a manuscript of Mr. MacDonald (possibly Patrick MacDonald). Its contents include a series of 10 ports given as single melody lines, and 36 tunes from the playing of Echlin O'Kane, with basses. This is the volume that is now in Dublin.

A facsimile of part of p7 of the 1808 volume, showing Failte Chlarsaich is given in Sanger & Kinnaird, Tree of Strings, Kinmor 1992, p189.

A facsimile of a page from the 1816 volume, showing Captain O Neill by Carolan is given in Ceol vol VI no. 1, April 1983.

Thanks to Keith Sanger for advising on some of these details.

Simon Chadwick