Coll of my love, go by the Mull;
Gain the landing place, gain the landing place.”
This was a warning to “avoid the strait,” and hasten to secure a landing place in the shelter of the Mull of Kintyre.
“Coll of my love, avoid the castle,
Avoid the castle, avoid the castle;
Coll of my love, avoid the castle;
We are in their hands, we are in their hands.”
That is one version of the story. There are several others, all more or less similar. The tune is connected by tradition with two or three places in the Highlands, notably with two castles in Argyllshire—Duntroon, near Crinan (destroyed by fire in June, 1899), and, as already stated, with Dunivaig, in Islay. In 1647, another version of the story goes: Campbell of Calder was commissioned by Argyll to proceed against Mac Donald (Coll Kitto) and expel him from Islay, where he had taken up his residence with some followers. Mac Donald, it seems, was a sort of thorn in the flesh to Argyll, and continually troubled him. In this case Calder, assisted by several troops of Campbells and others, razed the Castle of Dunad, where Coll was, to the ground, but Mac Donald himself escaped to Dunivaig, where he was again besieged. Finding his forces too weak, he took boat by night to procure assistance from Kintyre or Ireland, leaving the castle in charge of his mother. Calder having discovered this, determined to increase his own strength, and retired for that purpose, leaving his troops under the lady of Dunstaffnage, a bold, masculine woman. While the male leaders were absent, the wooden pipe conveying water to the castle was discovered, and the supply cut off, with the result that Coll’s garrison surrendered. The night after, the piper, whose profession ensured respect, recognised his master’s boat coming back, and that he might apprise him of danger, he asked leave to play a piece of music he had composed on the misfortunes of the party. The request was granted, and he played:—
“Coll, O my dear, dinna come near,
Dinna come near, dinna come near,