The Story of Mary of Ollisdal
George Macpherson

George MacPherson tells an old Skye tale of how an old woman known to be kind to the fairies endures a terrible winter. Ollisdal is a glen in the Glendale area of Skye. The other placename mentioned in this story is Lomharsgil, which became Lower gill then Lorgill under the ordnance survey. According to George, the original old Gaelic meant ‘The Place of the Magic or Shining Art.’

This story is printed in George’s book Traditional Tales of North-West Skye (Luath Press, 1985, although out of print).