The Norwegians In South Uist
The Norwegians In South Uist
Maoilein, son of the King of Norway, was living at Aird Mhaoile in Bornish; this is why it was called Aird Mhaoile. Mpr, daughter of the King of Norway, was drowned and found on the shore; she was the first woman buried at To-Mor (Howmore); this is why is was called To-Mor; i.e. Taigh Moire - Mor's House, is its right name. The daughter of the King of Norway was the first woman buried there.
It was the Norwegians who first made submerged stepping stones to the islands in the lochs here; there is not an island in a loch throughout Uist that has not got submerged stepping stones going to it. That is what the Norwegians undertook, making these stepping stones in the lochs to protect themselves. It was they too who built the barps on the hill ground over there. I think there were graves under the barps, under the stones, because there is not one of them that hasn't got a place made under it like a culvert; that is what the old men used to call tung where the Norwegians used to be buried; put in a tung, with stonework above them, put in without a coffin at all.
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