Hello Philipa!

Dont get much of a chance to get on here these days! but anyway!

Aird a Mhachair is in the north end of South Uist in the parish of Iochdar. The village sits on a headland of machair between the atlantic on the west and the wide Loch Bee of the swans to the east. Its the end of the road type of place. Althouth there are the long atlantic beaches on either side the headland does have some rocks around it. Its interesting to note that that area came in to the news a few weeks ago when a family were tragicly killed when the rising tide and flood waters swept the parents, children and grandfarther out to sea. The land around there is very flat, and to get from there to Iochdar you have to pass over a low bridge over the very narrow mouth of Loch Bee.

As for the song A'Bhean Eudach, I was told that the bad lass was the poor victims sister, who was jealous of her. The song is the drowning womans lamment for her husband and child, whom she was leaving behind. It is also said that the Husband heard the song in a waking dream as his wife was drowning, a very South Uist twist I may add. The Bad sister was found out when He heard her sinning it to his son.

One last thing you may find interesting, Before the latter half of the 20c there was a lot of movement between Skye and South Uist, A ferry sailed from Dunvegan in Skye to Loch Sgioport on Uist. And a lot of people from Skye came out to Uist in the 19th C, including my mothers grandmothers family, who had been running the farm at Glen Brittle for MacLoad of Talisker. The trend died a bit when the ferry moved to Uig (Skye) to Loch Maddy (North Uist)

Hope you find this interesting.

Aodh.