117368: Drowning of Neil Bethune of Berneray

This tale is as related to George Paterson of Canada, who visited Berneray in 1919 and spoke with elderly tradition bearers on the island: 

Neil Bàn was a ship builder and was married twice but we are unsure of the names of these two ladies. There were two sons from the first marriage and one was to be married so Neil Bàn and his two sons went to Loch Maddy to buy provisions for the wedding. They were late returning home and the weather changed. They struck a rock not that far from shore and those on shore could hear them call but could not reach them and all three died as did a woman from Loch Maddy who was returning home to Berneray with them. We were told that all four were buried at the same time on a bitterly cold day and that was the last time the bagpipes were played at a funeral in Berneray.