History of the cairn on Beinn Bhàn

With its commanding stance on the top of Beinn Bhàn stands Càrn nan Òighre which commemorates the death of the young Arran chief Angus MacDonald who was mortally wounded in the Battle of Loch Gruinart in 1598. Young Angus and his supporters had sailed to Islay to give added strength to the army of Sir James MacDonald of the Isles in his fight against the MacLeans of Duart in Mull who were led by their giant chief Sir Lachlan Mor. Both inter-related families had been at loggerheads for years over the rights to ownership of the Rhinns peninsula. This led to the battle which saw the MacLeans cruelly routed and their clan chief dead at the hands of the skilled archer the Dubh Sith, a dwarf-like figure named Shaw from the neighbouring isle of Jura.

Tradition tells that when the battle was over MacDonald of Arran spotted a fine ring on the finger of the dead MacLean chief. He tried to remove it but it was too tightly wedged and he was forced to cut off MacLean’s finger to obtain the jewel. This despicable act was spotted by a wounded Muileach who was so incensed by the action that he managed to fatally wound MacDonald. As his followers carried their dying chief from the battle field he gave orders that his body should not be laid down until it was in sight of his beloved Arran. Continue reading....

As the bier carriers made the 20 mile trek to the east coast of the island, they ascended Beinn Bhàn and from its summit they could see the distant hills of Arran in the warm autumn sunshine. In accordance with their chief’s wish they laid the bier down, rested, built a cairn on the spot and continued on their way.

Islay bard Duncan Johnston commemorates this event in his well-know song;
‘Càrn air a’ Mhonadh’.
‘Togaibh an t-Arannach ‘s fagamaid Ile,
Togaibh o’n talamh e, Aonghas, mo ghràdhsa,
Togaibh an t-Arannach, ‘s leighibh a sios e,
Arainn ‘s an t-sealladh dhuinn;
togaibh an càrn!
Togaibh an carragh, gach caraid is dìleas,
Togaibh an carragh air mullach
Bheinn Bhàin,
Togaibh an carragh air talamh nan Ileach
Arainn ‘s an t-sealladh dhuinn;
togaibh an càrn!

Lift up the Arranman; let us from Ile,
Lift ye the Arranman, Angus my darling.
Lift ye the Arranman; let us not ease him,
Arran is beckoning, raise ye the cairn.
Raise ye the cairn, each clansman
and freeman,
Rear ye the cairn up on lofty Ben Bhàn,
Raise ye the cairn where kinsmen may see it.
Arran is beckoning, raise ye the cairn!
And still proudly stands ‘Càrn Aonghais Arannaich’ or ‘Càrn nan Òighre’ as a fitting reminder of ‘far off things and battles long ago’.

Hugh Smith, the Ileach Newspaper