The piper who went to meet the fairies

There was once a great piper who lived in Sandaig on the west end of Tiree. His music was said to be as great as that of the fairy folk and he was in great demand to play at the ceilidh.

One night after a few too many drams, the piper stood up from the small circle friends that were clutching instruments in one hand and a dram in the other and announced his intention to outplay the little folk dwelling at Uamh Mhòr (the big cave) on Kenavara. And off he went, followed by his friends.

They reached the mouth of the cave and without hesitation or a look back, the piper went in, playing a lively jig. No one dared to follow him in that deep dark cave, and as he went further and further in, his music became fainter. The friends waited but as the night went on without him coming back, they went home to their beds. The next morning, the great piper was still nowhere to be seen. They searched for him long and hard but to no avail. There was only one conclusion: the piper’s music was so good that the fairies kept him in the cave forever.

But everyone knows that when the wind blows in a certain direction, the sweet drone of pipes can be heard. It is the piper still trying to find his way out of the cave. And to this day islanders remain fearful of that particular cave on Kenavara.

More information on visiting the area can be found here.