Born in Islay in 1822 John Francis Campbell, also known as Young John of Islay was a renowned Scottish author and scholar who specialised in Celtic studies. Campbell was known as an authority on Celtic folklore and of the Gaelic peoples in particular.
His most famous published work is the Popular Tales of the West Highlands (4 vols., 1860–62), The Celtic Dragon Myth, and separate Gaelic texts.
He was proficient in Gaelic, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Lapp, Italian, Spanish and German. In 1874 he started on a world tour which lasted a year and took him to America, Japan, China, Java, Ceylon and India. Campbell never married, later in his life he embarked on a journey in Europe and is buried under a replica of Islay’s treasured Kildalton Cross in a cemetery in Cannes(Died- February 17, 1885).
