Luran and the Mermaid

Luran was a farmer and a fisherman. He had cattle, sheep, and horses, and a good boat, too. But one thing was bothering him: the fairies kept coming every night and stealing his animals. He didn't know what to do. One day when he was out fishing, a mermaid came to his boat...

This is one of the favourite tales of Mickey MacNeil, a Gaelic tradition bearer from Jamesville, Victoria County, Cape Breton. His people came from the Isle of Barra in Scotland generations ago. This is one of the stories that Mickey was told as a boy-and one he never forgot.