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Uamh nan Deargann (east)

SW of Bagh Gleann a' Mhaoil, SE corner of Scarba, Argyllshire.

Cave at the south end of Creagan nan Deargan, in the relict sea cliff.

Beside natural rock arch [Chris Scaife]

Stuart McHardy confirmed 14/8/2025, there is a cave on Scarba at 56 09 50 N 5 41 35 W that has clearly been occupied in the far past - a flat earthen floor, evidence of sea shell detritus and scorch marks from a fire - there is also an interesting shape in the roof - a piece of rock shaped like a human baby's skull, upside down.

Alternative Names: Cave of the Fleas, Cave of the Little Red One, Cave of the Fox

Notes: As spelt Uamh nan Deargann translates as the cave of the parasitic insects (Cave of the Fleas) but the name could also be Cave of the Red Stain (Uamh na Deargan). Creagan nan Deargan is usually translated as the Little Cliff of the Fleas (or Little Cliff of the little Red Stain) or more literally the Little Cliff of the Little Red One but the tale of Mac Iain Direach makes it clear the little red one is not a tic or a stain but a shape-shifting fox.

Length measured by Chris Scaife 2/6/24. Altitude based on OS contours.

Reference should be made to the tale of Mac Iain Direach (Mac Iain of Jura, son of Upright John) an episodic saga where the son of the king seeks to placate his wicked step-mother by bringing her a falcon. Failing to find the falcon, he meets at Creagan nam Deargan, An Gille Mairtean, the fox (a mythic beast able to transform into anything it wants). The fox directs him to the giant who owns the falcon and to so begins a series of tasks where each owner in return for the object desired by the last sets Mac Iain another task eventually leading him to retrieving the daughter of the King of France supposedly as a bride for the King of Eirinn (Ireland?). The young woman preferring to marry Mac Iain, he returns along the chain of owners where at each stage the fox transforms into the objects they desired only to bring them to disaster. Mac Iain eventually returns to his home with all the objects and a beautiful bride and free of the fear of his step-mother (she drops dead while trying to give him the evil eye). Offering a reward to the fox, he is told no thanks. The fox can get all he wants without bothering Mac Iain.

'The name Uamh nan Deargan translates as Cave of the little Red One. [Stuart McHardy] visited first in 2009 because in the tale of Mac Iain Direach in Campbell's Popular Tales of the West Highlands (1994 reprint) V2 p93 collected circa 1860. The action, supposedly set on Jura, starts at Creagan nan Deargan, the rock of the little red one, on Scarba. This anomaly intrigued [Stuart] and consulting the OS map (Pathfinder No 365) [he] noticed the cave there. Coming toward Baigh (bay) nan Deargan you walk through a natural stone arch in the outcrop known as Creagan nan Deargan and are immediately below the entrance to a cave.

The cave is not far from the Gulf of Corryvreckan, between Scarba and Jura, which contains the world's third biggest whirlpool associated with the Cailleach, a supernatural female, originally a goddess figure. A major fault line which cuts across the entire island runs through the roof of the cave and its name Uamh nan Deargan, the Cave of the Little Red One, may be related to the fact that the northern side of the cave is composed of red-streaked rock [see alternative translation of the cave name above, but this might also be a reference to the recurring character An Gille Mairtean, the fox]. The fact that the floor of the cave is flat and smooth is clear indication of human activity here, and initial investigation suggests at least as far back as the Neolithic. The evidence of human occupation is confirmed by scorch marks from a long term hearth fire on the northern wall. [there are no Canmore sites anywhere near - so the above may not refer to this cave]

Within the cave itself is a naturally-occurring outcrop of stone closely resembling an upside down human skull. It is approximately the right size for a new-born baby and is in the cleft of rock that forms the cave itself. The cave's name. the upside down skull shape and the red-streaked rock combined, lead to the speculative possibility of this having been some sort of birthing site. It's proximity to the Corryvreckan and association with a goddess figure perhaps reinforce this, especially as the Cailleach is presented as a dual figure whose other half is Bride, the Goddess of Summer and a striking symbol of fertility and rebirth. Bradley's ideas regarding the archaeology of natural places would suggest this is a site that would have evoked strong reactions in the early occupants.' [Stuart McHardy]

Hydrographic Feeds: None

Hydrographic Resurgences: None