Second sight in the Highlands

Hone set out Dr Johnson’s account of the second sight, called taisch in Gaelic, which he looked into on his Hebridean tour. A seer at work or out with his cattle might suddenly see a far-off accident, a wedding or a funeral procession, and count and name the mourners before the event. Johnson found the Highlanders of every rank believed in it, except the ministers, and came away only willing to believe. The minister of Applecross in Ross wrote in 1792 that belief in the second sight was general among his people.