Climbing the round red hill of Ruaival to see where he was, Torranan was sore with thirst, since he had had no water since leaving Ireland. He prayed, and the red rock in front of him split and a clear cold rill ran out. He drank his seven satiations and named the rill 'Gamhnach', the farrow cow, and asked that it might never go dry. Pilgrims afterwards drank from it and left a green leaf for the farrow cow.
He wished to build his prayer house on Cnoc Feannaig, the knoll of the hooded crow, but the stones he gathered during the day were moved by the spirits at night to an island in the adjoining loch. After a time he gave up the contest, saying it was not for him to set his will against God's as shown by his angels, and built on the little island instead. Carmichael adds that Torranan is remembered in Taransay in the west and that the tradition 'is current in Uist'. He gives the name of Ruaival as the red hill, 409 feet high, the only hill in Benbecula.
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