Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...
Maighstir Ailein, An t-Athair Ailean Dòmhnallach) (25 October 1859, Fort William, Scotland – 8 October 1905,
Eriskay
Eriskay ( gd, Èirisgeigh), from the Old Norse for "Eric's Isle", is an island and community council area of the Outer Hebrides in northern Scotland with a population of 143, as of the 2011 census. It lies between South Uist and Barra and is ...
) was a
Roman Catholic priest
The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...
, radically innovative poet in the
Scottish Gaelic language
Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...
,
folklorist
Folklore studies, less often known as folkloristics, and occasionally tradition studies or folk life studies in the United Kingdom, is the branch of anthropology devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currenc ...
free elections
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative ...
, and against
religious discrimination
Religious discrimination is treating a person or group differently because of the particular beliefs which they hold about a religion. This includes instances when adherents of different religions, denominations or non-religions are treated u ...
in the
Gàidhealtachd
The (; English: ''Gaeldom'') usually refers to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland and especially the Scottish Gaelic-speaking culture of the area. The similar Irish language word refers, however, solely to Irish-speaking areas.
The term ...
.
Decades after his death in 1905, Fr. MacDonald's poetry was tracked down and published for the first time by
John Lorne Campbell
Dr John Lorne Campbell FRSE LLD OBE ( gd, Iain Latharna Caimbeul) (1906–1996) was a Scottish historian, farmer, environmentalist and folklorist, and recognized scholar of Scottish Gaelic literature.
Early life
According to his biographer, Ray ...
. Also, the sources of every
hymn
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
in the priest-poet's 1893 Gaelic
hymnal
A hymnal or hymnary is a collection of hymns, usually in the form of a book, called a hymnbook (or hymn book). Hymnals are used in congregational singing. A hymnal may contain only hymn texts (normal for most hymnals for most centuries of Chri ...
and the degree to which Fr. MacDonald's
folklore
Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...
and folksong research was plagiarized by other writers was also meticulously documented by John Lorne Campbell. Furthermore,
literary scholar
Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. T ...
Ronald Black praised Fr. MacDonald in 2002 as, "a huge literary talent", and as the founder of
modernist poetry
Modernist poetry refers to poetry written between 1890 and 1950 in the tradition of modernist literature, but the dates of the term depend upon a number of factors, including the nation of origin, the particular school in question, and the biases ...
in Scottish Gaelic. Black has also written that Fr. MacDonald's prophetic poem ''Ceum nam Mìltean'' ("The March of Thousands") deserves to be, "first in any anthology of the poetry of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
", and, "would not have been in any way out of place, with regard to style or substance", in Sorley MacLean's groundbreaking 1943
Symbolist
Symbolism was a late 19th-century art movement of French and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts seeking to represent absolute truths symbolically through language and metaphorical images, mainly as a reaction against naturalism and realis ...
poetry collection ''
Dàin do Eimhir
''Dàin do Eimhir'' () is a sequence of sixty poems written in Scottish Gaelic by Sorley MacLean. Considered MacLean's masterpiece, the poems deal with intertwining themes of romantic love, landscape, history, and the Spanish Civil War, and are ...
''. Black concluded by commenting that had Fr. Allan MacDonald not died prematurely at the age of only 45, "then the map of
Gaelic literature
Gaelic literature ( ga, Litríocht na Gaeilge; gd, Litreachas na Gàidhlig) is literature in the vernacular Gaelic languages of Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man.
Gaelic literature is recognised as the third oldest literature tradition of Eu ...
in the twentieth century might have looked very different."
Ancestry
Although born in humble circumstances, the future poet, similarly to
Iain Lom
John MacDonald, known as Iain Lom (c. 1624–c. 1710) was a Scottish Gaelic poet.
Biography
Iain Lom's family were of the MacDonalds of Keppoch. In Gaelic society, since there might often be a number of men with the same first names in any giv ...
,
Sìleas na Ceapaich
Ni Mhic Raonuill’s lament (the Keppoch murder), composed 1660s
Sìleas na Ceapaich (also known as Cicely Macdonald of Keppoch, Silis of Keppoch, Sìleas MacDonnell or Sìleas Nic Dhòmhnail na Ceapaich) was a Scottish poet. She lived between c. ...
Somerled
Somerled (died 1164), known in Middle Irish as Somairle, Somhairle, and Somhairlidh, and in Old Norse as Sumarliði , was a mid-12th-century Norse-Gaelic lord who, through marital alliance and military conquest, rose in prominence to create the ...
, King
Robert the Bruce
Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventual ...
Chief
Chief may refer to:
Title or rank
Military and law enforcement
* Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force
* Chief of police, the head of a police department
* Chief of the boa ...
( gd, Mac Mhic Raonuill) of
Clan MacDonald of Keppoch
Clan MacDonald of Keppoch ( gd, Clann Dòmhnaill na Ceapaich ), also known as Clan Ranald of Lochaber or Clan MacDonell of Keppoch'','' is a Highland Scottish clan and a branch of Clan Donald. The progenitor of the clan is Alistair Carrach Mac ...
( gd, Clann Dòmhnaill na Ceapaich).
Raghnall Mòr (d. 1547) the 7th Chief of Keppoch, fathered an
illegitimate
Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...
son by an unnamed weaver woman of
Clan Cameron
Clan Cameron is a West Highland Scottish clan, with one main branch Lochiel, and numerous cadet branches. The Clan Cameron lands are in Lochaber and within their lands lies Ben Nevis which is the highest mountain in the British Isles. The Chief ...
Bohuntine
Bohuntine ( gd, Both Fhionndain) is a settlement located close to Roybridge, in Lochaber, within the Scottish Highlands, and is in the Highland Council area.
History
The first tacksman of Bohuntine, Iain Dubh MacDhòmhnaill, was born illegitim ...
). Their son became the first Keppoch
tacksman
A tacksman ( gd, Fear-Taic, meaning "supporting man"; most common Scots spelling: ''takisman'') was a landholder of intermediate legal and social status in Scottish Highland society.
Tenant and landlord
Although a tacksman generally paid a year ...
( gd, Fear-Taic) of Bohuntine ( gd, Both Fhionndain) and the poet's ancestor.
During the
Battle of Boloyne
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
against Clan Cameron ( gd, Clann Camsron) in 1554, Alexander MacDonald, 8th of Keppoch, was wounded in the fray. In response, the Chief's half-brother, Iain Dubh MacDhòmhnaill of Bohuntine, took de facto command of the Keppoch forces and oversaw the defeat of the Camerons and the death and dismemberment of their
Chief
Chief may refer to:
Title or rank
Military and law enforcement
* Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force
* Chief of police, the head of a police department
* Chief of the boa ...
( gd, Loch Iall) upon the battlefield.
Fr. Allan's close kinsman and fellow Gaelic poet Allan The Ridge MacDonald famously celebrated this event and much of the subsequent proud warrior history of the MacDonalds of Bohuntine in the
Canadian Gaelic
Canadian Gaelic or Cape Breton Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig Chanada, or ), often known in Canadian English simply as Gaelic, is a collective term for the dialects of Scottish Gaelic spoken in Atlantic Canada.
Scottish Gaels were settled in Nova Scot ...
song-poem ''Sliochd an Taighe'' ("The Family of the Household"), which was composed on a
homestead
Homestead may refer to:
*Homestead (buildings), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses
*Homestead (unit), a unit of measurement equal to 160 acres
*Homestead principle, a legal concept th ...
near
Mabou
Mabou is an unincorporated settlement in the Municipality of the County of Inverness on the west coast of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. The population in 2011 was 1,207 residents. It is the site of The Red Shoe pub, the An Drochaid Mu ...
,
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
and set to the air ''Mìos deireannach an Fhoghair''.
In commenting on their shared lineage, literary historian Effie Rankin has argued that Fr. Allan MacDonald and Ailean a' Ridse MacDhòmhnaill, "may rightfully be regarded as the foremost Keppoch bards of the nineteenth century."
The poet's father, John MacDonald ( gd, Iain Ailein Òg) (1821–1873), was born into a family of carters near
Grantown-on-Spey
Grantown-on-Spey ( gd, Baile nan Granndach) is a town in the Highland Council Area, Counties of Scotland, historically within the county of Moray. It is located on a low plateau at Freuchie beside the river Spey at the northern edge of the Cairng ...
( gd, Baile nan Granndach) and was employed for many years by the
General Post Office
The General Post Office (GPO) was the state postal system and telecommunications carrier of the United Kingdom until 1969. Before the Acts of Union 1707, it was the postal system of the Kingdom of England, established by Charles II in 1660. ...
as a heavily armed guard dressed in maroon and gold livery, whose orders were to defend the "Marquess of Breadalbane" Royal Mail Coach from
highwaymen
A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to fo ...
along the route between Fort William, Glencoe, Blackmount, and
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
.
In a 27 October 1933 letter to the ''
Stornoway Gazette
The ''Stornoway Gazette'' is a local newspaper reporting on local issues in the Western Isles of Scotland, specifically Stornoway and the Outer Hebrides.
In 2004, nine months of head-to-head competition with a rival title ended with ''The Hebri ...
'',
Skye
The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated b ...
-born Seanchaidh John N. MacLeod (1880–1954), who was fully versed in the
oral tradition
Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas and cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another. Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (1985 ...
s of
Lochaber
Lochaber ( ; gd, Loch Abar) is a name applied to a part of the Scottish Highlands. Historically, it was a provincial lordship consisting of the parishes of Kilmallie and Kilmonivaig, as they were before being reduced in extent by the creation ...
, explained about Iain Ailein Òg, ( gd, "Bha e mion eolach gach neach a bhiodh a' tachairt ris air an rathad fhada dhuilich a bhiodh anns na criochan sin aig an latha ud, agus 's iomadh neach a fhuair seanchas agus sgiala uaithe a bha deanamh an turuis aoibhneach dhoibh.")
"He was closely aquainted with everyone whom he would meet along the long and difficult road that used to wend its way through those bounds at that time, and many a person was regaled by him with old lore and tales that lightened their journey for them."
After marrying Margaret MacPherson, a
Strathspey Strathspey may refer to one of the following:
* Strathspey, Scotland, an area in the Highlands of Scotland
* Strathspey Camanachd
Strathspey Camanachd is a shinty club based in Grantown-on-Spey, Strathspey, Scotland, currently competing in the ...
shepherd's daughter and descendant of
Clan MacPherson
Clan Macpherson (, ) is a Highland Scottish clan and a member of the Chattan Confederation.
History
Origins
The Scottish Gaelic surname for Macpherson is ''Mac a' Phearsain'' which means ''son of the parson''. The Celtic church allowed pries ...
( gd, Clann Mac a' Phearsain), in Fort William on 21 November 1852, John MacDonald saved enough money to buy an inn and a
pub
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
at 179 High Street in Fort William ( gd, An Gearasdan), formerly ( gd, Baile Mairi),
Lochaber
Lochaber ( ; gd, Loch Abar) is a name applied to a part of the Scottish Highlands. Historically, it was a provincial lordship consisting of the parishes of Kilmallie and Kilmonivaig, as they were before being reduced in extent by the creation ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
.
Early life
Fr. Allan MacDonald, the third surviving child of his parents, was born in an upper room of his father's inn on 25 October 1859. He was named after his recently deceased paternal grandfather, Allan MacDonald ( gd, Ailein Òg) (1782–1859).
Fr. MacDonald later recalled how, during his early life, both the town of Fort William and the surrounding countryside had undergone a
language shift
Language shift, also known as language transfer or language replacement or language assimilation, is the process whereby a speech community shifts to a different language, usually over an extended period of time. Often, languages that are perceiv ...
from Gaelic to
Highland English
Highland English ( sco, Hieland Inglis) is the variety of Scottish English spoken by many in the Scottish Highlands and the Hebrides. It is more strongly influenced by Gaelic than are other forms of Scottish English.
Phonology
*The '' svarabhak ...
. He accordingly described the Fort William of his childhood as, "half Lowland and half Highland."
He later told Amy Murray that he considered his loss, in having grown up without the
oral literature
Oral literature, orature or folk literature is a genre of literature that is spoken or sung as opposed to that which is written, though much oral literature has been transcribed. There is no standard definition, as anthropologists have used vary ...
and bardic poetry taught in the Ceilidh houses of the
Gàidhealtachd
The (; English: ''Gaeldom'') usually refers to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland and especially the Scottish Gaelic-speaking culture of the area. The similar Irish language word refers, however, solely to Irish-speaking areas.
The term ...
, to be irreparable. Despite being repeatedly told otherwise, he considered himself to be permanently crippled as both a seanchaidh and a
traditional singer
A traditional singer, also known as a source singer, is someone who has learned folk songs in the oral tradition, usually from older people within their community.
From around the beginning of the twentieth century, song collectors such as Cecil ...
. He concluded, "I would give anything if I had been born fifteen miles to the westward."
According to Roger Hutchinson, Fr. MacDonald's later statements about the complete
Anglicisation
Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...
of Fort William during his childhood were an exaggeration. Census records from the era reveal that 70% of Fort William's population reported the ability to speak both the English and Gaelic languages. At the same time, however, English was the language of commerce and was seen as a means of future advancement. For these reasons, John and Margaret MacDonald, being innkeepers, had made a choice to teach only English to their children.
At the same time, Fr. Allan's lifelong fascination with the
Scottish folklore
Scottish folklore (Scottish Gaelic: ''Beul-aithris na h-Alba'') encompasses the folklore of the Scottish people from their earliest records until today. Folklorists, both academic and amateur, have published a variety of works focused specifically ...
of the
Highlands and Islands
The Highlands and Islands is an area of Scotland broadly covering the Scottish Highlands, plus Orkney, Shetland and Outer Hebrides (Western Isles).
The Highlands and Islands are sometimes defined as the area to which the Crofters' Act of 1886 ...
, an interest his father also shared, began as a child in Fort William. He later told Amy Murray about how deeply he believed as a child in local stories about the
each-uisge
The each-uisge (, literally "water horse") is a water spirit in Scottish folklore, known as the each-uisce (anglicized as ''aughisky'' or ''ech-ushkya'') in Ireland and cabyll-ushtey on the Isle of Man. It usually takes the form of a horse, and ...
, or "water horse", of nearby
Loch Linnhe
Loch Linnhe () is a sea loch on the west coast of Scotland. The part upstream of Corran is known in Gaelic as (the black pool, originally known as Loch Abar), and downstream as (the salty pool). The name ''Linnhe'' is derived from the Gaelic w ...
, whose back could magically expand in order to accommodate all the children who wished to ride him. But then, the water-horse would gallop off into the nearest lake to drown and eat the children on his back. Fr. Allan later recalled, "Many's the horse I wouldn't get on as a child for fear it would be the ''each-uisge''."
Seminary studies
Blair's College
On 15 August 1871, 12-year old Allan MacDonald entered the
minor seminary
A minor seminary or high school seminary is a secondary day or boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming Catholic priests. They are generally Catholic institutions, and ...
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
, which had been founded in 1829 to rebuild the
Catholic Church in Scotland
The Catholic Church in Scotland overseen by the Scottish Bishops' Conference, is part of the worldwide Catholic Church headed by the Pope. After being firmly established in Scotland for nearly a millennium, the Catholic Church was outlawed fo ...
after
Catholic Emancipation
Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland, and later the combined United Kingdom in the late 18th century and early 19th century, that involved reducing and removing many of the restricti ...
ended centuries of
religious persecution
Religious persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or a group of individuals as a response to their religion, religious beliefs or affiliations or their irreligion, lack thereof. The tendency of societies or groups within soc ...
. At the time he arrived, the future Gaelic poet and scholar spoke only English.
According to the 1871 national census, which was taken only a few months before Allan MacDonald's arrival, Blair's College consisted of 49 seminarians, a
Rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
, a Procurator, three professors, a housekeeper, a cook, and twelve maids recruited from nearby villages.
According to
John Lorne Campbell
Dr John Lorne Campbell FRSE LLD OBE ( gd, Iain Latharna Caimbeul) (1906–1996) was a Scottish historian, farmer, environmentalist and folklorist, and recognized scholar of Scottish Gaelic literature.
Early life
According to his biographer, Ray ...
, both living conditions and discipline were very spartan at Blair's College during the 1870s. So much so, that Fr. MacDonald often said in later years that, after what he had experienced at Blair's College, all the hardships of being a priest in the
Outer Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coast ...
looked luxurious by comparison.
According to his biographer Roger Hutchinson, Fr. Allan MacDonald would maintain, "a cordial dislike", of the Blair's College Rector, Fr. Peter Joseph Grant, for the remainder of his life. For example, in a Gaelic poem ''Rannan do Mgr Mac an Tòisich'' ("Verses to Fr John MacIntosh of Bornish"), addressed three decades later to a seminary friend, Fr. MacDonald recalled the Blair's College Rector as, "that ghastly man called Grant" ( gd, riaghladh a' Ghranndaich ghrànda). Fr. MacDonald further expressed disgust at how Fr. Grant used, "to make our pens scratch hard", every Tuesday and Wednesday evening before feeding his desperately hungry students their porridge. Fr. MacDonald added, "All the same to him were Latin, English, or a thousand lines of that monster
Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
!" ( gd, "'S bu choingeis leis Laideann, no Beurla, No mìle rann na béist' ud Hòmar!")
His other instructors included Fr. James A. Smith, the future
Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh
The Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh is the ordinary of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh. The archdiocese covers an area of 5,504 km2. The metropolitan see is in the City of Edinburgh where the archbishop's s ...
. The main linguistic focus was upon the study of
Ecclesiastical Latin
Latin, also called Church Latin or Liturgical Latin, is a form of Latin developed to discuss Christian thought in Late Antiquity and used in Christian liturgy, theology, and church administration down to the present day, especially in the Cathol ...
. Seminarians who wished to also learn
Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...
, were given Fr. Ewen MacEachen's Gaelic dictionary and his
literary translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transl ...
of
Thomas a Kempis
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the A ...
's '' Imitatio Christi'' as textbooks. They were then encouraged to pursue their studiy of Gaelic on their own time. According to
John Lorne Campbell
Dr John Lorne Campbell FRSE LLD OBE ( gd, Iain Latharna Caimbeul) (1906–1996) was a Scottish historian, farmer, environmentalist and folklorist, and recognized scholar of Scottish Gaelic literature.
Early life
According to his biographer, Ray ...
, however, the careful study of Latin and
Koine Greek
Koine Greek (; Koine el, ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος, hē koinè diálektos, the common dialect; ), also known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek or New Testament Greek, was the common supra-reg ...
had already well prepared the seminarians of Blair's College to acquire additional languages and many were very successful at learning Gaelic using this method.
Allan MacDonald's acquisition of the language was also helped by the many native Gaelic-speakers among the seminarians of Blair's, including the aforementioned John MacIntosh. MacIntosh, who was a native of
Roybridge
Roybridge (Scottish Gaelic: ''Drochaid Ruaidh'', "the bridge over the Roy") is a small village, that lies at the confluence of the rivers River Roy and River Spean, located east of Spean Bridge, in Kilmonivaig Parish, Inverness-shire, Scottish ...
in
Lochaber
Lochaber ( ; gd, Loch Abar) is a name applied to a part of the Scottish Highlands. Historically, it was a provincial lordship consisting of the parishes of Kilmallie and Kilmonivaig, as they were before being reduced in extent by the creation ...
, was very much an outdoorsman compared with Allan MacDonald and was known for his prowess as a hunter,
fiddler
A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Although in many ...
, and
shinty
Shinty ( gd, camanachd, iomain) is a team game played with sticks and a ball. Shinty is now played mainly in the Scottish Highlands and amongst Highland migrants to the big cities of Scotland, but it was formerly more widespread in Scotland, an ...
player. Following his own ordination and assignment to
Bornish
Bornish ( gd, Bòrnais) is a village and community council area on South Uist in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Bornish is also within the civil parish of South Uist. The A865 passes through Bornish, on the route between Lochmaddy and Lochboisda ...
,
South Uist
South Uist ( gd, Uibhist a Deas, ; sco, Sooth Uist) is the second-largest island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. At the 2011 census, it had a usually resident population of 1,754: a decrease of 64 since 2001. The island, in common with the ...
, Fr. MacIntosh would become known as, "The Big Priest of the Horses" ( gd, Sagart Mòr nan Each).
Other languages that were taught included
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
,
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
, and
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
, which were intended to prepare the seminarians at Blair's for further studies at the Scots Colleges
in Paris
"Niggas in Paris" (radio edit, edited for radio as "In Paris" or simply "Paris"; censored on the album as "Ni**as in Paris") is a song by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West from their collaborative album ''Watch the Throne'' (2011). The song ...
,
Douai
Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, D ...
,
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
, and
Valladolid
Valladolid () is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province o ...
.
Geography
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...
was also taught using a globe, as were, "
philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
in all its branches", and
theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
.
At the same time, though, both of Allan MacDonald's parents died during his studies at Blair's College. Iain Ailein Òg died at his Fort William hotel of
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
and chronic gastritis on 25 March 1873. He was only 58 years old. His widow, 45-year old Margaret MacPherson MacDonald, also died at Fort William of
pulmonary congestion
Pulmonary edema, also known as pulmonary congestion, is excessive liquid accumulation in the tissue and air spaces (usually alveoli) of the lungs. It leads to impaired gas exchange and may cause hypoxemia and respiratory failure. It is due t ...
on 20 December 1875. The surviving MacDonald siblings immediately left home and dispersed. 12-year old Elizabeth "Lizzie" MacDonald was taken in by her maternal great-uncle Alexander MacIntosh, who had similarly taken in her fatherless mother three decades earlier. After completing school in Fort William, Elizabeth MacDonald joined her older sister Charlotte MacDonald as a domestic servant in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
. Their teenaged brother Ronald MacDonald moved to
Glenshiel
Glen Shiel ( gd, Gleann Seile; also known as Glenshiel) is a glen in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland.
The glen runs approximately 9 miles from south-east to north-west, from the Cluanie Inn (216 metres, 708 feet) at the western end of Loch ...
in
Lochalsh
Lochalsh is a district of mainland Scotland that is currently part of the Highland (council area), Highland council area. The Lochalsh district covers all of the mainland either side of Loch Alsh - and of Loch Duich - between Loch Carron and Loch ...
, where he began working as a hired farm hand.
Valladolid
In September 1876, Allan MacDonald was advised by his professors to continue his priestly training at the
Royal Scots College
The Royal Scots College (Real Colegio de Escoceses) is a major seminary in Salamanca, Spain, for the Catholic Church in Scotland. It was located originally at Madrid, then Valladolid, and then Salamanca (from 1988).
History
The Royal Scots Colleg ...
, which had been founded in
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
Lochwinnoch
Lochwinnoch (; sco, Lochineuch, gd, Loch Uinneach) is a village in the council area and historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. Lying on the banks of Castle Semple Loch and the River Calder, Lochwinnoch is c ...
and his wife, Doña María de Ledesma in 1627, as a
major seminary
A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...
for the illegal and underground
Catholic Church in Scotland
The Catholic Church in Scotland overseen by the Scottish Bishops' Conference, is part of the worldwide Catholic Church headed by the Pope. After being firmly established in Scotland for nearly a millennium, the Catholic Church was outlawed fo ...
. Allan MacDonald began the journey to
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
shortly before his seventeenth birthday.
Since being reopened by Rector John Geddes at
Valladolid
Valladolid () is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province o ...
in 1771, the Royal Scots College had been located inside a three-storey 18th-century tenement located on a wide street just to the south of the city center. The windows were always kept shuttered as men on the street outside led donkey carts back and forth from the main plaza.
In September 1876, Allan MacDonald arrived at Valladolid after a railway journey via
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
and
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
. Valladolid was once again nominally at peace following local battles and skirmishes of the
Second Carlist War
The Second Carlist War, or the War of the Matiners (Catalan for "early-risers," so-called from the harassing action that took place at the earliest hours of the morning), was a civil war occurring in Spain. Some historians consider it a direct ...
and, as a new student, MacDonald would immediately have joined the students and faculty for their autumn break in nearby
Boecillo
Boecillo is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. As of 2018, the population is 4,154.
It has its own casino, opened in 1986. It is located in the Palace of Condes de Gamazo, neoclassical building of the ...
, where the Royal Scots College owned a
vineyard
A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...
.
At the time, the Rector was Fr. John Cowie, a native of
Fochabers
Fochabers (; gd, Fachabair or Fothabair) is a village in the Parish of Bellie, in Moray, Scotland, east of the cathedral city of Elgin and located on the east bank of the River Spey. 1,728 people live in the village, which enjoys a rich mus ...
in
Morayshire
Moray; ( gd, Moireibh ) or Morayshire, called Elginshire until 1919, is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland, bordering Nairnshire to the west, Inverness-shire to the south, and Banffshire to the east. It w ...
and longtime professor of
Classics
Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
, philosophy, and theology under previous Rector Fr. John Cameron. Fr. Cowie, as the Vice-Rector, was considered to be the heir apparent after Fr. Cameron retired, but suffered terribly from, "agonies of self doubt", and had to be encouraged and persuaded by the Church hierarchy to accept the promotion. During his "dutiful and uninspiring" 1873 through 1878 tenure as Rector, Fr. Cowie, according to Roger Hutchinson, "clung like a drowning man to the written and unwritten rules of his predecessor." According to the historian of the Scottish Colleges in Spain, Bishop
Maurice Taylor
Maurice De Shawn Taylor (born October 30, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He played power forward and center positions. Originally from Detroit, Taylor played college basketball at Michigan and was selected by the L ...
, this was because Fr. Cowie, "had a dread of
innovation
Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a new or changed entity ...
s that might lead to
precedent
A precedent is a principle or rule established in a previous legal case that is either binding on or persuasive for a court or other tribunal when deciding subsequent cases with similar issues or facts. Common-law legal systems place great valu ...
s." This led, however, one professor at the Royal Scots College to lament in 1875, "Lord, save us from
scrupulous
Conscience is a cognitive process that elicits emotion and rational associations based on an individual's moral philosophy or value system. Conscience stands in contrast to elicited emotion or thought due to associations based on immediate sens ...
Rectors."
According to a 1906 article for ''The Celtic Review'' by his Valladolid friend, Fr. George Henderson, Allan MacDonald understood the necessity for learning Latin, but intensely disliked both Greek, which Fr. Henderson ascribed to Fr. John Cowie's flaws as a teacher, and philosophy, which Henderson commented, "may have been in part his loss, if not his wisdom."
A less negative influence than Fr. Cowie was
Inverness
Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...
-born Fr. James MacDonald, both a specialist in and an enthusiast for the ongoing Neo-Thomistic revival.
Literary scholar
Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. T ...
John Lorne Campbell
Dr John Lorne Campbell FRSE LLD OBE ( gd, Iain Latharna Caimbeul) (1906–1996) was a Scottish historian, farmer, environmentalist and folklorist, and recognized scholar of Scottish Gaelic literature.
Early life
According to his biographer, Ray ...
, however, would later credit the
Royal Scots College
The Royal Scots College (Real Colegio de Escoceses) is a major seminary in Salamanca, Spain, for the Catholic Church in Scotland. It was located originally at Madrid, then Valladolid, and then Salamanca (from 1988).
History
The Royal Scots Colleg ...
's Vice-Rector, Fort William native and native Gaelic-speaker Fr. David MacDonald, with being, "the main influence" upon Allan MacDonald's student life in Spain and his subsequent development. Fr. MacDonald was known for his intense dislike of with what he saw as the excessive strictness of Frs. Cameron and Cowie, which he made no effort to conceal. His battles against both Rectors ultimately resulted, much to the relief of the student body, in Fr. MacDonald's own promotion to Rector, following Fr. John Cowie's death in March 1879. John Lorne Campbell has termed Fr. David MacDonald, "a man remarkable for piety and learning, who spent nearly forty years of his life at the College and improved it greatly."
For example, after the
Restoration of the Scottish Catholic hierarchy
The re-establishment of the hierarchy of the Catholic Church in Scotland took effect on 15 March 1878. This followed the restoration of the English hierarchy in 1850.
The restoration was carried out on the instructions of Pope Leo XIII and was ...
in 1878, Fr. David MacDonald also set up an experimental Gaelic-language immersion program for students who wished to serve as priests in the newly erected Diocese of Argyll and the Isles. Fr. MacDonald did this not only out of ethnic pride and love for his native language, but due to his awareness that many of his students would be serving parishes with enormous numbers of Scottish Gaelic
monoglot
Monoglottism (Greek μόνος ''monos'', "alone, solitary", + γλῶττα , "tongue, language") or, more commonly, monolingualism or unilingualism, is the condition of being able to speak only a single language, as opposed to multilingualism. ...
speakers.
According to Roger Henderson, "There was therefore from 1878 onwards a vocational purpose to Allan MacDonald's pursuit of fluency in the 'mother tongue' which his parents had 'given over'. In every other way he was a north-west Highlander to his core. He cannot have visualised an ideal future for himself outside the Diocese of Argyll and the Isles. But without fluent Gaelic he could not realistically expect to be posted to such heartlands as
Arisaig
Arisaig ( gd, Àrasaig) is a village in Lochaber, Inverness-shire. It lies south of Mallaig on the west coast of the Scottish Highlands, within the Rough Bounds. Arisaig is also the traditional name for part of the surrounding peninsula south ...
or the
Hebrides
The Hebrides (; gd, Innse Gall, ; non, Suðreyjar, "southern isles") are an archipelago off the west coast of the Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner and Outer Hebrid ...
. Without Gaelic his future was more likely to lie in some benighted
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
parish or among the John Cowie's and Peter Grants of the dour northeast. With Gaelic, the hills and islands of his people beckoned him."
According to John Lorne Campbell, "At Valladolid there were several Highland students and they used to produce a
holograph
An autograph or holograph is a manuscript or document written in its author's or composer's hand. The meaning of autograph as a document penned entirely by the author of its content, as opposed to a typeset document or one written by a copyist o ...
Gaelic magazine, of which at least one copy has been preserved. Fr. Allan contributed to this, apparently under several
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
s, for his handwriting appears frequently in the surviving copy."
For the rest of his life, Fr. George Henderson would always treasure a small copy of the Gaelic edition of
Thomas a Kempis
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the A ...
' ''Imitatio Christi'' which Allan MacDonald had given to him during their studies in the Royal Scots College at Valladolid.
In March 1882, a 22-year old Allan MacDonald returned to Scotland after five years in Spain.
At the same time, however, the future poet would always look back with fondness on his years of seminary studies in Spain. In his Gaelic poem ''Rannan do Mgr Mac an Tòisich'' ("Verses to Fr John MacIntosh of Bornish"), Fr. MacDonald recalled:
:"Thug sinn a greis le chéile san Spáinte,
:Àite nach bu ghann ar sòlas,
:'S bhuain sinn ar dearcag fhìona
:'S chaisg sinn ar miann le h-ùbhlan òrbhuidh',
:'S chan eil teagamh nach do chinn sinn
:An geurad inntinn mar by chòir dhuinn...".
:"We spent a while in Spain together,
:A place of no small happiness to us,
:And we plucked the grape of wine,
:And quenched our appetites with oranges.
:There's no doubt that we grew
:In sharpness of mind as was proper for us."
Ordination
Following his return, Allan MacDonald's examiners reported to Archbishop
Charles Eyre
Sir Charles Eyre (died 1729) was an administrator of the British East India Company and founder of Fort William, Calcutta. He was a President of Fort William.
Career
While in office, Eyre started work on Fort William, Calcutta in 1696. On 1 ...
that they were, "well satisfied, not only with his theoretical knowledge, but also with the prudence and good sense with which he applies this knowledge to particular cases." Allan MacDonald was, in the words of Rector Fr. David MacDonald, "without any canonical impediment, except want of age."
Allan MacDonald was accordingly ordained to the priesthood at St Andrew's Cathedral,
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
by Archbishop Eyre on 9 July 1882.
Priestly ministry
Diocese of Argyll and the Isles
Oban
After his ordination, Archbishop Eyre offered Fr. Allan MacDonald a teaching position at Blair's College, which the latter declined.
He was then assigned instead as assistant Rector of
St Columba's Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of St Columba in Oban is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Argyll and the Isles and mother church of the Diocese of Argyll and the Isles. The cathedral is located on the sea front at the northern end of Oban.
Hist ...
in
Oban
Oban ( ; ' in Scottish Gaelic meaning ''The Little Bay'') is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William. During the tourist season, th ...
( gd, an t-Òban), which was a temporary wooden
pro-cathedral
A pro-cathedral or procathedral is a parish church that temporarily serves as the cathedral or co-cathedral of a diocese, or a church that has the same function in a Catholic missionary jurisdiction (such as an apostolic prefecture or apostolic ...
located on the site of the modern Cathedral Hall. Fr. Allan immediately developed a close and long-term friendship with
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
Roman Catholic Diocese of Argyll and the Isles
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Argyll and the Isles (Latin ) is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Scotland, in the Province of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh.
Overview
The diocese covers an area of 31,080 km² and ...
.
At the time, the fishermen and shopkeepers of Oban were overwhelmingly Gaelic-speaking, but were religiously a mixture of Presbyterians and
Episcopalian
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...
s. Catholics were a tiny minority and
anti-Catholicism
Anti-Catholicism is hostility towards Catholics or opposition to the Catholic Church, its clergy, and/or its adherents. At various points after the Reformation, some majority Protestant states, including England, Prussia, Scotland, and the Uni ...
in Oban was so intense that Bishop MacDonald is said to have needed an armed bodyguard even to safely stroll around the town during his first years there. The Diocesan See, however, had been placed in Oban anyway, because Oban was, according to the 1882 ''
Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland
Ordnance may refer to:
Military and defense
*Materiel in military logistics, including weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and maintenance tools and equipment.
**The military branch responsible for supplying and developing these items, e.g., the Unite ...
'', "the capital of the West Highlands and the
Charing Cross
Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Clockwise from north these are: the east side of Trafalgar Square leading to St Martin's Place and then Charing Cross Road; the Strand leading to the City; ...
of the
Hebrides
The Hebrides (; gd, Innse Gall, ; non, Suðreyjar, "southern isles") are an archipelago off the west coast of the Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner and Outer Hebrid ...
."
Roger Hutchinson
Roger Hutchinson (born 28 June 1952) is a former Northern Irish Unionist politician who was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for East Antrim from 1998 to 2003.
After attending Larne Technical College, Hutchinson became a relig ...
has accordingly written that, while the Catholics of Oban would have been too few to overwork Fr. Allan MacDonald as a pastor, the
language immersion
Language immersion, or simply immersion, is a technique used in bilingual language education in which two languages are used for instruction in a variety of topics, including math, science, or social studies. The languages used for instruction ...
experience there would have done wonders for his Gaelic, which may have been the real reason for not immediately giving him a parish of his own. The anonymous author of an obituary in ''The Celtic Monthly'' later recalled that, in Oban, "Father Allan was a veritable son of
Anak
Anak (; he, , homophone to a word for "giant, long neck, necklace"; ) is a figure in the Hebrew Bible. His descendants are mentioned in narratives concerning the conquest of Canaan by the Israelites. According to the Book of Numbers, Anak was a ...
, being 6ft. 3in. in height, and was known in his communion as the 'high priest.'" ( gd, Sagart Mòr).
According to John Lorne Campbell, "The only Catholic family then living in the town of Oban itself was that of Donald McLeod, a native of the Isle of
Eigg
Eigg (; gd, Eige; sco, Eigg) is one of the Small Isles in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It lies to the south of the Isle of Skye and to the north of the Ardnamurchan peninsula. Eigg is long from north to south, and east to west. With an a ...
, and from Donald McLeod Fr Allan recovered traditional
hymn
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
s, some of which were later printed in the hymn book he published in 1893. This was the beginning of an interest in
oral tradition
Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas and cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another. Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (1985 ...
to which Fr Allan applied his energies in his spare time for the next seventeen years, taking down the traditional Gaelic oral lore, prayers, hymns, songs, stories, place names, customs and history, whenever he got the chance."
By 1884, Fr. MacDonald's grasp of Gaelic was at last termed adequate enough. After again declining the offer of a faculty position at Blairs College, a 24-year-old Fr. Allan MacDonald was assigned to a parish in the
Outer Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coast ...
and crossed
The Minch
The Minch ( gd, An Cuan Sgitheanach, ', ', '), also called North Minch, is a strait in north-west Scotland, separating the north-west Scottish Highlands, Highlands and the northern Inner Hebrides from Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides. It ...
.
South Uist
He was then assigned to St Peter's Roman Catholic Church in
Daliburgh
Daliburgh ( gd, Dalabrog) is a crofting township on South Uist, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Daliburgh is situated west from Lochboisdale, has the second largest population of any township in South Uist, and is also in the parish of South Ui ...
( gd, Dalabrog), on the Isle of
South Uist
South Uist ( gd, Uibhist a Deas, ; sco, Sooth Uist) is the second-largest island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. At the 2011 census, it had a usually resident population of 1,754: a decrease of 64 since 2001. The island, in common with the ...
( gd, Uibhist a Deas), which, according to John Lorne Campbell, was "the most populous, as well as the poorest, island in the Diocese of Argyll and the Isles", which, according to Roger Hutchinson, was "the most impoverished Diocese in Britain."
According to John Lorne Campbell, "Dalibrog in those days could only be reached by steamer from Oban or
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
– a full day's sail in the first case. Here Fr Allan landed in July 1884. His congregation was one living on the very margin of existence. Nearly all the best land in the island had been taken, within the preceding three generations, for big sheep farms, and the people had either been evicted or forced, in many cases, to occupy miserable holdings near the shore with a view to pursuing the
kelp
Kelps are large brown algae seaweeds that make up the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genera. Despite its appearance, kelp is not a plant - it is a heterokont, a completely unrelated group of organisms.
Kelp grows in "underwat ...
or fishing industries, the first of which had long ago failed, while very few of them had enough capital to pursue the fishing."
Campbell continues, "The present generation, even in the Isles themselves, can hardly visualise the difficulties involved in the work of a priest in the days before the coming of the motor car, motor boat, the
telephone
A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...
and the
telegraph
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...
. Fr Allan's parish, about forty square miles, is completely exposed to the wild storms which sweep across the Atlantic... His parishioners were scattered, some villages being only approached by rough tracks... All the duties which fall on the shoulders of a parish priest in a large, poor, scattered and exposed rural parish were on Fr Allan's shoulders: Sunday work, confessions, instructions, sick calls, the repair of Dalibrog Church, the teaching of the children (in which Fr Allan was particularly interested). The foundation of Dalibrog Hospital, built by the
Marquess of Bute
Marquess of the County of Bute, shortened in general usage to Marquess of Bute, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1796 for John Stuart, 1st Marquess of Bute, John Stuart, 4th Earl of Bute.
Family history
John Stuart ...
, sprang from a suggestion put forward by Fr Allan and Fr Mackintosh."
Meanwhile, the island's
Anglo-Scottish
Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to, or descent from, the Angles, England, English culture, the English people or the English language, such as in the term ''Anglosphere''. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to people o ...
absentee landlord
In economics, an absentee landlord is a person who owns and rents out a profit-earning property, but does not live within the property's local economic region. The term "absentee ownership" was popularised by economist Thorstein Veblen's 1923 book ...
, Lady
Emily Gordon Cathcart
Lady Emily Eliza Steele Gordon Cathcart (née Pringle) was born in 1845. Her father was John Robert Pringle. Her first marriage was to Captain John Gordon in 1865. The natural son of Colonel John Gordon "the richest commoner in the northern kingd ...
, is said to have visited South Uist only once in her life. She refused to spend any money on improvements to the estate, as she feared that doing so might tempt her tenants not to
emigrate
Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...
, as she wished them to do. In her absence, South Uist, "was, like other such estates, ruled by a tight little
oligarchy
Oligarchy (; ) is a conceptual form of power structure in which power rests with a small number of people. These people may or may not be distinguished by one or several characteristics, such as nobility, fame, wealth, education, or corporate, r ...
, composed of her
factor
Factor, a Latin word meaning "who/which acts", may refer to:
Commerce
* Factor (agent), a person who acts for, notably a mercantile and colonial agent
* Factor (Scotland), a person or firm managing a Scottish estate
* Factors of production, suc ...
or agent, the large farmers", and the
Church of Scotland minister
A Church of Scotland congregation is led by its minister and elders. Both of these terms are also used in other Christian denominations: see Minister (Christianity) and Elder (Christianity). This article discusses the specific understanding o ...
s. In addition to being the landlord, Lady Cathcart was also the
de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
political boss
In politics, a boss is a person who controls a faction or local branch of a political party. They do not necessarily hold public office themselves; most historical bosses did not, at least during the times of their greatest influence. Numerous off ...
of South Uist and even though Catholics comprised more than 80% of South Uist's population, they were deliberately kept out of local government and the school board, which refused to hire Catholic teachers for the local schools founded under the 1872 Education Act.
Bishop Angus MacDonald, however, cared very deeply, as he once wrote to the Crofter's Commission, about working, "to obtain redress for the people", by urging his priests to lead local chapters of the
Highland Land League
The first Highland Land League ( gd, Dionnasg an Fhearainn) emerged as a distinct political force in Scotland during the 1880s, with its power base in the country's Highlands and Islands. It was known also as the Highland Land Law Reform Associat ...
and activism inspired by that of the Irish
Land War
The Land War ( ga, Cogadh na Talún) was a period of agrarian agitation in rural Ireland (then wholly part of the United Kingdom) that began in 1879. It may refer specifically to the first and most intense period of agitation between 1879 and 18 ...
.
According to Roger Hutchinson, the Bishop's choice to assign Gaelic-speaking priests from the Scottish mainland to parishes in the Isles was accordingly no accident. About that time, when the Bishop and his priests were the leaders of
direct action
Direct action originated as a political activist term for economic and political acts in which the actors use their power (e.g. economic or physical) to directly reach certain goals of interest, in contrast to those actions that appeal to oth ...
,
rent strike
A rent strike is a method of protest commonly employed against large landlords. In a rent strike, a group of tenants come together and agree to refuse to pay their rent ''en masse'' until a specific list of demands is met by the landlord. This can ...
s, and other acts of resistance to the
Anglo-Scottish
Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to, or descent from, the Angles, England, English culture, the English people or the English language, such as in the term ''Anglosphere''. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to people o ...
landlords, Fr. Michael MacDonald has since commented, "I think that one of the things that may have influenced the boldness of the priests at that time was simply that they had no relations on the islands who could have been got at by the estate
Factor
Factor, a Latin word meaning "who/which acts", may refer to:
Commerce
* Factor (agent), a person who acts for, notably a mercantile and colonial agent
* Factor (Scotland), a person or firm managing a Scottish estate
* Factors of production, suc ...
or others."
Therefore, Fr. MacDonald was active in demanding greater rights for the impoverished
Crofters
A croft is a fenced or enclosed area of land, usually small and arable, and usually, but not always, with a crofter's dwelling thereon. A crofter is one who has tenure and use of the land, typically as a tenant farmer, especially in rural area ...
who were his parishioners. Fr. MacDonald also began urging his parishioners to vote against the candidates favored by Lady Cathcart and her factor. This was a task which required great tact and, according to
John Lorne Campbell
Dr John Lorne Campbell FRSE LLD OBE ( gd, Iain Latharna Caimbeul) (1906–1996) was a Scottish historian, farmer, environmentalist and folklorist, and recognized scholar of Scottish Gaelic literature.
Early life
According to his biographer, Ray ...
, it is very telling that the Protestants of South Uist still speak very highly of Fr. Allan MacDonald.
At long last, the absolute power wielded by the Anglo-Scottish landlords was curtailed and the
Highland Clearances
The Highland Clearances ( gd, Fuadaichean nan Gàidheal , the "eviction of the Gaels") were the evictions of a significant number of tenants in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, mostly in two phases from 1750 to 1860.
The first phase resulte ...
John Lorne Campbell
Dr John Lorne Campbell FRSE LLD OBE ( gd, Iain Latharna Caimbeul) (1906–1996) was a Scottish historian, farmer, environmentalist and folklorist, and recognized scholar of Scottish Gaelic literature.
Early life
According to his biographer, Ray ...
, was nothing less than "the
Magna Carta
(Medieval Latin for "Great Charter of Freedoms"), commonly called (also ''Magna Charta''; "Great Charter"), is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by the ...
of the
Highlands and Islands
The Highlands and Islands is an area of Scotland broadly covering the Scottish Highlands, plus Orkney, Shetland and Outer Hebrides (Western Isles).
The Highlands and Islands are sometimes defined as the area to which the Crofters' Act of 1886 ...
, which conferred on the small tenants there something which the peasantry of
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
n countries had known for generations, security of tenure and the right to the principle of compensation for their own improvements at the termination of tenancies. Nothing was suggested in the report, or contained in the Act, to restrict
absentee landlord
In economics, an absentee landlord is a person who owns and rents out a profit-earning property, but does not live within the property's local economic region. The term "absentee ownership" was popularised by economist Thorstein Veblen's 1923 book ...
ism or limit the amount of land any one individual might own in Scotland, but for the moment a great advantage has been secured.".
In the early spring of 1888, what John Lorne Campbell has termed, "the first school board election in South Uist that can be considered a really free one", finally took place. Fr MacDonald later wrote to Bishop MacDonald that, even though the day of the election had been bitterly cold, only three of the people of Daliburgh parish stayed away from the poll. The result was the election of four Catholics and three Protestants to the school board. Rev. Roderick MacDonald, the
Church of Scotland minister
A Church of Scotland congregation is led by its minister and elders. Both of these terms are also used in other Christian denominations: see Minister (Christianity) and Elder (Christianity). This article discusses the specific understanding o ...
, finished the election at the foot of the other elected members. Fr. MacDonald later wrote to his Bishop, "The manner and bearing of the people was most consoling to one who has been only a few years here. They spoke out manfully and defiantly – a great contrast to the last election."
Eriskay
From the time of his first assignment to Daliburgh, according to Campbell, "Three hundred or so of his congregation of 2300 lived on the Island of
Eriskay
Eriskay ( gd, Èirisgeigh), from the Old Norse for "Eric's Isle", is an island and community council area of the Outer Hebrides in northern Scotland with a population of 143, as of the 2011 census. It lies between South Uist and Barra and is ...
", ( gd, Èirisgeigh) "separated from South Uist by half a mile of reef-strewn sea with strong tidal currents. To answer a sick call on Eriskay Fr Allan had to walk six or seven miles, often in the rain, to Eriskay Sound and there make a fire on the shore so that the Eriskay boatmen would know to sail over and fetch him. On one of these crossings he was in danger of being drowned."
However, his health was broken in an epidemic during which MacDonald tirelessly provided the Sacraments to the dying. To assist his recovery, MacDonald was assigned to Eriskay which he immortalised in his poem, ''Eilein na h-Òige'' (Isle of Youth). He swiftly earned the love of his parishioners and oversaw the construction of a new parish church, upon "Cnoc nan Sgrath, which dominates the western side of the island and has a beautiful view looking southward over the
Sound of Barra
The Sound of Barra is a large ocean inlet or sound situated to the north of the isle of Barra and to the south of South Uist in the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. Since 2014 it has been designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The Sound ...
and northward to South Uist", and an adjacent
rectory
A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage.
Function
A clergy house is typically ow ...
.
During a visit to Eriskay, schoolmaster Frederick Rea learned that the people of the island were building the church and rectory with their own hands. They dressed the stones themselves and made their own mortar out of burnt shells and sand. Balks of woods salvaged from wrecked or distressed timber ships was also used. When Rea expressed concern about, "the exposed position", of Cnoc nan Sgrath, Fr. MacDonald, "drew himself to his full height, raised his arms", and exclaimed, "What could be grander? Exposed to the four winds of heaven!"
The fishermen of Eriskay always donated all revenue from the sale of every other Friday's catch to the parish building fund. The fishermen's catch on that day was always a bumper, according to
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
merchant Ewen MacLennan, who tended the store in the Haun, the main town of Eriskay.
To general rejoicing upon Eriskay, the church was consecrated on 7 May 1903 by Bishop George Smith, and dedicated to
St Michael
Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...
the
Archangel
Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the hierarchy of angels. The word ''archangel'' itself is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions, but beings that are very similar to archangels are found in a number of other relig ...
, the
patron saint
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...
of the
Outer Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coast ...
.
In May 1905, Fr. MacDonald wrote to his friend from
Royal Scots College
The Royal Scots College (Real Colegio de Escoceses) is a major seminary in Salamanca, Spain, for the Catholic Church in Scotland. It was located originally at Madrid, then Valladolid, and then Salamanca (from 1988).
History
The Royal Scots Colleg ...
, Fr. George Henderson, "I am in better health than when I saw you last, and as happy as a king.
The Bishop
A bishop is a person of authority in a Christian church.
Bishop, Bishops or Bishop's may also refer to:
Religious roles
* Bishop (Catholic Church)
* Bishop (Eastern Orthodox Church)
* Bishop (Latter Day Saints)
* Bishop (Methodism)
Places An ...
offered me charge of Fort William, for which I thanked him. I told him I had much sooner stay where I was, and I was left in peace."
Death
According to his
death certificate
A death certificate is either a legal document issued by a medical practitioner which states when a person died, or a document issued by a government civil registration office, that declares the date, location and cause of a person's death, as ...
at the
General Register Office
General Register Office or General Registry Office (GRO) is the name given to the civil registry in the United Kingdom, many other Commonwealth nations and Ireland. The GRO is the government agency responsible for the recording of vital record ...
in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
, ''Maighstir Ailein'' died of
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
,
pleurisy
Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity (pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing. Occasionally the pain may be a constant dull ache. Other sy ...
, and
influenza
Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptoms ...
in the bed of his Rectory at 1 o'clock am on 8 October 1905. His younger brother, Ronald MacDonald, who had recently come over from his farm in
Glenshiel
Glen Shiel ( gd, Gleann Seile; also known as Glenshiel) is a glen in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland.
The glen runs approximately 9 miles from south-east to north-west, from the Cluanie Inn (216 metres, 708 feet) at the western end of Loch ...
, was present at his passing. Fr. Allan MacDonald was also survived by his married younger sister, Mrs. Elizabeth. By the 1930s, Elizabeth's daughter, Margaret "Meg" MacInnes, had become well known as a Gaelic
traditional singer
A traditional singer, also known as a source singer, is someone who has learned folk songs in the oral tradition, usually from older people within their community.
From around the beginning of the twentieth century, song collectors such as Cecil ...
. Until her death c.1947, MacInnes regularly visited Eriskay, where she was locally regarded as Fr. Allan's heir.
A Tridentine
Requiem Mass
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...
was offered for his soul at St. Michael's Church by Fr. Allan MacDonald's first cousin, Canon Alexander MacKintosh (1853–1922), who also wrote and published an
obituary
An obituary ( obit for short) is an article about a recently deceased person. Newspapers often publish obituaries as news articles. Although obituaries tend to focus on positive aspects of the subject's life, this is not always the case. Ac ...
, "which has provided the basis for all subsequent biography." In 1909, a
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
High cross
A high cross or standing cross ( ga, cros ard / ardchros, gd, crois àrd / àrd-chrois, cy, croes uchel / croes eglwysig) is a free-standing Christian cross made of stone and often richly decorated. There was a unique Early Medieval traditi ...
was dedicated at Fr. Allan MacDonald's grave in the parish cemetery.
He is still fondly remembered on Barra, South Uist, and Eriskay. In a 1958 article,
John Lorne Campbell
Dr John Lorne Campbell FRSE LLD OBE ( gd, Iain Latharna Caimbeul) (1906–1996) was a Scottish historian, farmer, environmentalist and folklorist, and recognized scholar of Scottish Gaelic literature.
Early life
According to his biographer, Ray ...
praised the "sensitivity and scientific detachment" with which Fr. MacDonald had approached the Gaelic
oral tradition
Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas and cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another. Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (1985 ...
. Campbell further wrote, "Fr Allan imself although possessed of a sense of humour, was a man of austere temperament and disciplined intellect. He was well aquainted with the concreteness of Gaelic oral tradition as with the earthier side of human nature. He hated anything savoring of sentimentalism, affectation, or pretense..."
In his 27 October 1933 letter to the ''
Stornoway Gazette
The ''Stornoway Gazette'' is a local newspaper reporting on local issues in the Western Isles of Scotland, specifically Stornoway and the Outer Hebrides.
In 2004, nine months of head-to-head competition with a rival title ended with ''The Hebri ...
'',
Skye
The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated b ...
-born Seanchaidh John N. MacLeod (1880–1954), recalled of Fr. MacDonald, ( gd, "Cha d' fhuair 'an duine mi-fhein', aite riamh an cridhe Mgr Ailean, agus nach e sin aon de na n-aobharan airson an tug clann nan Gaidheal agus nan eileanan an gu h-araidh a leithid de ghradh dha.")
"'The man myself' never found a place in Fr Allan's heart, and that is surely one of the reasons why the
people
A person (plural, : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of pr ...
of the
Highlands and Islands
The Highlands and Islands is an area of Scotland broadly covering the Scottish Highlands, plus Orkney, Shetland and Outer Hebrides (Western Isles).
The Highlands and Islands are sometimes defined as the area to which the Crofters' Act of 1886 ...
in particular loved him so well."
Folklore collector
MacDonald began collecting folklore when he was assigned to
Oban
Oban ( ; ' in Scottish Gaelic meaning ''The Little Bay'') is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William. During the tourist season, th ...
shortly after his ordination. From Donald MacLeod, a fisherman and parishioner of
St Columba's Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of St Columba in Oban is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Argyll and the Isles and mother church of the Diocese of Argyll and the Isles. The cathedral is located on the sea front at the northern end of Oban.
Hist ...
from the
Isle of Eigg
Eigg (; gd, Eige; sco, Eigg) is one of the Small Isles in the Scotland, Scottish Inner Hebrides. It lies to the south of the Isle of Skye and to the north of the Ardnamurchan peninsula. Eigg is long from north to south, and east to west. W ...
, Fr. MacDonald collected multiple Catholic
hymn
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
s in
Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...
. He supplemented these with several of his own compositions and translations and anonymously published a Gaelic hymnal in 1893.
MacDonald, a lifelong admirer of the Jacobite movement, was an expert in the history of the
Jacobite rising of 1745
The Jacobite rising of 1745, also known as the Forty-five Rebellion or simply the '45 ( gd, Bliadhna Theàrlaich, , ), was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Franci ...
. His manuscripts are still preserved and, although unpublished, remain a rich source of
Scottish mythology
Scottish mythology is the collection of myths that have emerged throughout the history of Scotland, sometimes being elaborated upon by successive generations, and at other times being rejected and replaced by other explanatory narratives.
Natu ...
and
history
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
.
According to John Lorne Campbell, "His folklore collections, much of which have still to be published, run to hundreds of thousands of words, probably the greatest collection of folklore connected with one definite locality ever made by one person. He enjoyed the friendship and respect of many noted scholars in Scotland and Ireland who did not hesitate to ask him frequently the kind of questions that can only be answered by the man on the spot. He left, amongst other things, a vocabulary of South Uist Gaelic and a short diary in Gaelic, which has been printed in the quarterly magazine ''
Gairm
''Gairm'' was a Scottish Gaelic quarterly magazine founded in 1951 by Derick Thomson, and Finlay J. MacDonald (Fionnlagh Domhnallach). Its first issue was published in Autumn 1952. MacDonald served as an editor until 1964; Thomson remained presen ...
'', and many original poems."
Fr. MacDonald supplied most of the material that was published by
Ada Goodrich Freer
Ada Goodrich Freer (born 15 May 1857 in Uppingham, Rutland, England, died in New York, 24 February 1931), was a medium, clairvoyant, psychical researcher and author. Much of her work was published under the pseudonym Miss X.Brake & Demoor (200 ...
second sight
Extrasensory perception or ESP, also called sixth sense, is a claimed paranormal ability pertaining to reception of information not gained through the recognized physical senses, but sensed with the mind. The term was adopted by Duke Universit ...
by the
Society for Psychical Research
The Society for Psychical Research (SPR) is a nonprofit organisation in the United Kingdom. Its stated purpose is to understand events and abilities commonly described as psychic or paranormal. It describes itself as the "first society to condu ...
in 1894–1895. Goodrich Freer published reports under own name, in the journal ''
Folklore
Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...
'' and gave almost no credit to Fr. MacDonald, for which she received very harsh criticism from both Dr. George Henderson and Alexander Carmichael.
After the rediscovery of Father Allan's diary and notebooks,
John Lorne Campbell
Dr John Lorne Campbell FRSE LLD OBE ( gd, Iain Latharna Caimbeul) (1906–1996) was a Scottish historian, farmer, environmentalist and folklorist, and recognized scholar of Scottish Gaelic literature.
Early life
According to his biographer, Ray ...
also became aware that almost all of Goodrich Freer's research had been supplied, without the proper credit or acknowledgement, by Fr. Allan MacDonald. According to Ray Penman, "Reading through the diaries, John found several references to work Fr Allan was doing to provide material for Miss Freer's lectures, sometimes working late to meet her deadlines at the expense of his own failing health. With painstaking thoroughness, John and Sheila Lockett went through
Ada Goodrich Freer
Ada Goodrich Freer (born 15 May 1857 in Uppingham, Rutland, England, died in New York, 24 February 1931), was a medium, clairvoyant, psychical researcher and author. Much of her work was published under the pseudonym Miss X.Brake & Demoor (200 ...
's lectures, papers, and book and compared them against Fr Allan's notebooks. They discovered at least two dozen instances of outright
plagiarism
Plagiarism is the fraudulent representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 '' Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close imitation of the language and thought ...
, sometimes of extensive passages with only small changes of words. Sometimes she blatantly misrepresented his findings. To support her argument that 'second sight' existed on the islands, she reproduced his retellings of folk memories as if they had happened recently. Where he added qualifications, she substituted certainties."
When Campbell went public with his findings about the degree to which Ada Goodrich Freer owed her entire reputation as a pioneer
folklorist
Folklore studies, less often known as folkloristics, and occasionally tradition studies or folk life studies in the United Kingdom, is the branch of anthropology devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currenc ...
to the research of Fr. Allan MacDonald, Campbell's writings were, "not universally well-received. Despite the evidence, some academics and folklorists believed that John had overstepped the bonds of decency in attacking the reputation of a dead women. He countered by arguing that only be destroying Miss Freer's reputation could he rescue that of Fr Allan, whose notes had been plundered to such an extent that the publication of his own work had been stifled. To add insult to injury, Miss Freer had claimed copyright of the material in her book and papers."
Poet
Religious poetry
MacDonald's poetry is mainly
Christian poetry
Christian poetry is any poetry that contains Christian teachings, themes, or references. The influence of Christianity on poetry has been great in any area that Christianity has taken hold. Christian poems often directly reference the Bible, while ...
, as would be expected from one of his calling. He composed Scottish Gaelic
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol (a song or hymn) on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas holiday season. The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French ori ...
s,
hymn
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
s and verse in honour of the
Blessed Virgin
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...
, the
Christ Child
The Christ Child, also known as Divine Infant, Baby Jesus, Infant Jesus, the Divine Child, Child Jesus, the Holy Child, Santo Niño, and to some as Señor Noemi refers to Jesus Christ from his nativity to age 12.
The four canonical gospels, a ...
, and the
Blessed Sacrament
The Blessed Sacrament, also Most Blessed Sacrament, is a devotional name to refer to the body and blood of Christ in the form of consecrated sacramental bread and wine at a celebration of the Eucharist. The term is used in the Latin Church of the ...
. In many of his Christmas poems, however, Fr. MacDonald points out that the
Christ child
The Christ Child, also known as Divine Infant, Baby Jesus, Infant Jesus, the Divine Child, Child Jesus, the Holy Child, Santo Niño, and to some as Señor Noemi refers to Jesus Christ from his nativity to age 12.
The four canonical gospels, a ...
came to earth and was not greeted by joyfulness, but by
religious persecution
Religious persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or a group of individuals as a response to their religion, religious beliefs or affiliations or their irreligion, lack thereof. The tendency of societies or groups within soc ...
and hatred by the human race.
Fr. MacDonald also translated the
Tridentine Mass
The Tridentine Mass, also known as the Traditional Latin Mass or Traditional Rite, is the liturgy of Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church that appears in typical editions of the Roman Missal published from 1570 to 1962. Celebrated almo ...
and Latin hymns and religious poetry into Gaelic verse; including
Thomas of Celano
Thomas of Celano ( it, Tommaso da Celano, italic=no; c. 1185 – c. 1265) was an Italian friar of the Franciscans (Order of Friars Minor) as well as a poet and the author of three hagiographies about Francis of Assisi.
Life
Thomas was born some ...
Stabat Mater
The Stabat Mater is a 13th-century Christian hymn to Mary, which portrays her suffering as Jesus Christ's mother during his crucifixion. Its author may be either the Franciscan friar Jacopone da Todi or Pope Innocent III.Sabatier, Paul ''Life o ...
'', ''
Ave Maris Stella
"Ave maris stella" (Latin for 'Hail, star of the sea') is a medieval Marian hymn, usually sung at Vespers. It was especially popular in the Middle Ages and has been used by many composers as the basis of other compositions.
Background
Authorship ...
Te lucis ante terminum
''Te lucis ante terminum'' (English: ''To Thee before the close of day'') is an old Latin hymn in long metre. It is the hymn at Compline in the ''Roman Breviary''.
Origin
S.-G. Pimont argued for the authorship of Ambrose of Milan. The Benedict ...
'', and ''
Salve Regina
The "Salve Regina" (, ; meaning 'Hail Queen'), also known as the "Hail Holy Queen", is a Marian hymn and one of four Marian antiphons sung at different seasons within the Christian liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church. The Salve Regina ...
''.
According to John Lorne Campbell, "He was quick to see the immense interest, both religious and secular, of the vast but sometimes ignorantly despised Gaelic
oral tradition
Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas and cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another. Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (1985 ...
, of which Uist was then, as it is now, the main storehouse, and his efforts to rescue what he could from the danger of oblivion and to incorporate the traditional religious material into modern devotional literature were worthy of the greatest praise."
For example, due to his awareness that a lost catechism in Gaelic
oral poetry
Oral poetry is a form of poetry that is composed and transmitted without the aid of writing. The complex relationships between written and spoken literature in some societies can make this definition hard to maintain.
Background
Oral poetry is ...
had formerly been in use among the Catholics of
South Uist
South Uist ( gd, Uibhist a Deas, ; sco, Sooth Uist) is the second-largest island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. At the 2011 census, it had a usually resident population of 1,754: a decrease of 64 since 2001. The island, in common with the ...
, Fr. MacDonald composed a series of "didactic hymns", which he based upon ''A Catechism of Christian Doctrine'', the famous "Penny Catechism" of Bishop
Richard Challoner
Richard Challoner (29 September 1691 – 12 January 1781) was an English Roman Catholic bishop, a leading figure of English Catholicism during the greater part of the 18th century. The titular Bishop of Doberus, he is perhaps most famous for hi ...
.
For example, in his song-poem ''An Eaglais'' ("The Church"), Fr. MacDonald drew upon the ancient metaphor of the Catholic Church as the
Barque of St. Peter
The term Barque of St. Peter or Ship/Boat of St. Peter or Barque of the Church, symbolises the Roman Catholic Church as a barque. The symbolism refers to St. Peter, the first Pope, a fisherman who became one of the 12 Apostles of Jesus. The Roman ...
, adapted it to the culture of the
Outer Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coast ...
, and reimagined
Jesus Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
as a Hebridean
shipwright
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...
. Furthermore, Fr. MacDonald, who was always interested in adapting the traditions of Gaelic
oral literature
Oral literature, orature or folk literature is a genre of literature that is spoken or sung as opposed to that which is written, though much oral literature has been transcribed. There is no standard definition, as anthropologists have used vary ...
to religious instruction, composed this poem after the style of a
Waulking song
Waulking songs ( gd, Òrain Luaidh) are Scottish folk songs, traditionally sung in the Gaelic language by women while fulling (waulking) cloth. This practice involved a group of women, who traditionally prepared cloth, rhythmically beating new ...
.
Furthermore, as both a musical accompaniment for
Low Mass
Low Mass (Latin ''Missa lecta'', "read Mass") is a Tridentine Mass defined officially in the Code of Rubrics included in the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal as a Mass in which the priest does not chant the parts that the rubrics assign to him. A ...
Gàidhealtachd
The (; English: ''Gaeldom'') usually refers to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland and especially the Scottish Gaelic-speaking culture of the area. The similar Irish language word refers, however, solely to Irish-speaking areas.
The term ...
the 16th century practice of exclusive and unaccompanied
Gaelic psalm singing
Gaelic psalm singing, or Gaelic psalmody (), is a tradition of exclusive psalmody in the Scottish Gaelic language found in Presbyterian churches in the Western Isles of Scotland. It is a form of Gaelic music.
Structure and style
The psalms are su ...
in a form called precenting the line, Fr. MacDonald composed a series of sung Gaelic
paraphrase
A paraphrase () is a restatement of the meaning of a text or passage using other words. The term itself is derived via Latin ', . The act of paraphrasing is also called ''paraphrasis''.
History
Although paraphrases likely abounded in oral tra ...
s of Catholic doctrine about what is taking place during the
Tridentine Mass
The Tridentine Mass, also known as the Traditional Latin Mass or Traditional Rite, is the liturgy of Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church that appears in typical editions of the Roman Missal published from 1570 to 1962. Celebrated almo ...
. These paraphrases continued to be routinely sung during Mass upon
Benbecula
Benbecula (; gd, Beinn nam Fadhla or ) is an island of the Outer Hebrides in the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Scotland. In the 2011 census, it had a resident population of 1,283 with a sizable percentage of Roman Catholics. It is in a ...
,
Barra
Barra (; gd, Barraigh or ; sco, Barra) is an island in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, and the second southernmost inhabited island there, after the adjacent island of Vatersay to which it is connected by a short causeway. The island is na ...
,
South Uist
South Uist ( gd, Uibhist a Deas, ; sco, Sooth Uist) is the second-largest island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. At the 2011 census, it had a usually resident population of 1,754: a decrease of 64 since 2001. The island, in common with the ...
and Eriskay until the aftermath of the
Second Vatican Council
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...
. Even though the same basic melodies were used by Catholic Gaels on every island, each parish developed its own distinctive style of singing them.
Fr. Mark Dilworth, who did not know of this custom, later recalled that when he first said Mass upon South Uist during the 1950s he was shocked to hear the congregation behind him spontaneously break into song. Fr. Dilworth later recalled that he found the custom, "very distracting."
The sung texts and the tunes were both transcribed based on recordings made during the 1970s at St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church in Daliburgh, South Uist. They were published for the first time with
musical notation
Music notation or musical notation is any system used to visually represent aurally perceived music played with instruments or sung by the human voice through the use of written, printed, or otherwise-produced symbols, including notation fo ...
in the 2002 bilingual Mungo Books edition of Fr. Allan MacDonald's poetry and songs.
Secular poetry
However, several secular poems and songs were also composed by him.
For example, in his iconic song poem ''Eilein na h-Òige'' ("Island of the Young"), Fr. MacDonald praises the beauty of Eriskay, its wildlife, and the fondness of its people for telling tales from the
Fenian Cycle
The Fenian Cycle (), Fianna Cycle or Finn Cycle ( ga, an Fhiannaíocht) is a body of early Irish literature focusing on the exploits of the mythical hero Finn or Fionn mac Cumhaill and his warrior band the Fianna. Sometimes called the Ossian ...
of
Celtic mythology
Celtic mythology is the body of myths belonging to the Celtic peoples.Cunliffe, Barry, (1997) ''The Ancient Celts''. Oxford, Oxford University Press , pp. 183 (religion), 202, 204–8. Like other Iron Age Europeans, Celtic peoples followed a ...
inside the ceilidh house. He also commented upon the visits to Eriskay by
Saint Columba
Columba or Colmcille; gd, Calum Cille; gv, Colum Keeilley; non, Kolban or at least partly reinterpreted as (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is toda ...
Chief
Chief may refer to:
Title or rank
Military and law enforcement
* Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force
* Chief of police, the head of a police department
* Chief of the boa ...
Prince Charles Edward Stuart
Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (20 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, grandson of James II and VII, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Scotland and ...
. Fr. MacDonald also denounced the
Highland Clearances
The Highland Clearances ( gd, Fuadaichean nan Gàidheal , the "eviction of the Gaels") were the evictions of a significant number of tenants in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, mostly in two phases from 1750 to 1860.
The first phase resulte ...
upon the island, but expressed joy that the crofters had been granted greater rights against the landlords.
In his comic
verse drama
Verse drama is any drama written significantly in verse (that is: with line endings) to be performed by an actor before an audience. Although verse drama does not need to be ''primarily'' in verse to be considered verse drama, significant portion ...
, ''Parlamaid nan Cailleach'' ("The Parliament of
Hags
HAG is a Swiss maker of model trains. The company was founded by Hugo and Alwin Gahler on 1 April 1944 in St. Gallen, Switzerland.
The Gahler brothers originally manufactured model trains in O scale but due to competition, particularly by Märk ...
"), however, Fr. MacDonald lampoons the
backbiting
Backbiting or tale-bearing is to slander someone in their absence — to bite them behind their back. Originally, backbiting referred to an unsporting attack from the rear in the blood sport of bearbaiting.
Causes
Backbiting may occur as a form ...
and
gossip
Gossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others; the act is also known as dishing or tattling.
Gossip is a topic of research in evolutionary psychology, which has found gossip to be an important means ...
ing of his female parishioners and local courtship and marriage customs. Ronald Black has compared the play to similar works of comic poetry from
Irish literature
Irish literature comprises writings in the Irish, Latin, English and Scots ( Ulster Scots) languages on the island of Ireland. The earliest recorded Irish writing dates from the 7th century and was produced by monks writing in both Latin an ...
in the
Irish language
Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...
, such as Domhnall Ó Colmáin's 1670 ''Párliament na mBan'' ("The Women's Parliament") and
Brian Merriman
Brian Merriman or in Irish Brian Mac Giolla Meidhre (c. 1747 – 27 July 1805) was an Irish language bard, farmer, and hedge school teacher from rural County Clare. His single surviving work of substance, the 1000-line long Dream vision poem ( ...
's 1780 ''Cúirt an Mheán Oíche'' ("The Midnight Court").
His poem ''Banais nan Cambeulach'' ("The Campbell Wedding"), was composed about the 7 February 1899 marriage of his housekeeper, Kate Campbell, to crofter and fisherman Donald Campbell ( gd, Dòmhnall mac Alastair). Father MacDonald irately skewers
Clan Campbell
Clan Campbell ( gd, Na Caimbeulaich ) is a Highland Scottish clan, historically one of the largest and most powerful of the Highland clans. The Clan Campbell lands are in Argyll and within their lands lies Ben Cruachan. The chief of the clan be ...
( gd, clann
Diarmuid
Diarmaid () is a
masculine given name in the Irish language, which has historically been anglicized as Jeremiah or Jeremy, names with which it is etymologically unrelated. Earlier forms of the name include Diarmit and Diarmuit. Variations of the ...
) over the
Massacre of Glencoe
The Massacre of Glencoe ( gd, Murt Ghlinne Comhann) took place in Glen Coe in the Highlands of Scotland on 13 February 1692. An estimated 30 members and associates of Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed by Scottish government forces, alleged ...
and for repeatedly siding against the
House of Stuart
The House of Stuart, originally spelt Stewart, was a royal house of Scotland, England, Ireland and later Great Britain. The family name comes from the office of High Steward of Scotland, which had been held by the family progenitor Walter fi ...
during the
Jacobite risings
, war =
, image = Prince James Francis Edward Stuart by Louis Gabriel Blanchet.jpg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = James Francis Edward Stuart, Jacobite claimant between 1701 and 1766
, active ...
. He also compared Donald Campbell's marriage to his housekeeper to the centuries-old
Clan Campbell
Clan Campbell ( gd, Na Caimbeulaich ) is a Highland Scottish clan, historically one of the largest and most powerful of the Highland clans. The Clan Campbell lands are in Argyll and within their lands lies Ben Cruachan. The chief of the clan be ...
tradition of
cattle raiding
Cattle raiding is the act of stealing cattle. In Australia, such stealing is often referred to as duffing, and the perpetrator as a duffer.Baker, Sidney John (1945) ''The Australian language : an examination of the English language and English ...
, the aftermath of which often left Fr. MacDonald's
Clan Donald
Clan Donald, also known as Clan MacDonald ( gd, Clann Dòmhnaill; Mac Dòmhnaill ), is a Highland Scottish clan and one of the largest Scottish clans. The Lord Lyon King of Arms, the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry i ...
ancestors similarly destitute. While the priest further expressed a deep sense of chagrin that the bride and groom would be giving birth to more Campbells, Fr. MacDonald ended the poem by offering the couple his warmest blessings and good wishes.
John Lorne Campbell
Dr John Lorne Campbell FRSE LLD OBE ( gd, Iain Latharna Caimbeul) (1906–1996) was a Scottish historian, farmer, environmentalist and folklorist, and recognized scholar of Scottish Gaelic literature.
Early life
According to his biographer, Ray ...
later wrote, however, "The late Ewen MacLennan who kept the shop at Eriskay from 1890 to 1900 and was present at the Campbell wedding, told me he did not recollect its being recited."
MacDonald's secular verse, it is accordingly believed, was written for his own amusement and was never intended to see publication.
Legacy
Despite the decades of obscurity that followed his death, interest in Fr. Allan MacDonald continued.
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
ethnomusicologist
Ethnomusicology is the study of music from the cultural and social aspects of the people who make it. It encompasses distinct theoretical and methodical approaches that emphasize cultural, social, material, cognitive, biological, and other dim ...
Margaret Fay Shaw
Margaret Fay Shaw (9 November 1903 – 11 December 2004) was a pioneering Scottish-American ethnomusicologist, photographer, and folklorist. She is best known for her work among Scottish Gaelic-speakers in the Hebrides and among Canadian Gaelic ...
credited the beginning of her lifelong passion for collecting Gaelic songs from
traditional singer
A traditional singer, also known as a source singer, is someone who has learned folk songs in the oral tradition, usually from older people within their community.
From around the beginning of the twentieth century, song collectors such as Cecil ...
s in both Scotland and
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
to when she was a teenaged student at St. Bride's
boarding school
A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...
in
Helensburgh
Helensburgh (; gd, Baile Eilidh) is an affluent coastal town on the north side of the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, situated at the mouth of the Gareloch. Historically in Dunbartonshire, it became part of Argyll and Bute following local governm ...
, near
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
. The school was treated to a recital by
Marjory Kennedy-Fraser
Marjory Kennedy-Fraser (1 October 1857 – 22 November 1930) was a Scottish singer, composer and music teacher and supporter of women's suffrage and pacifism. According to Ray Perman, Kennedy-Fraser "made a career of collecting Gaelic songs in ...
, who sang, "her own
Anglicized
Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...
versions", of the Gaelic songs she had collected with the help of Fr. Allan MacDonald. According to Ray Perman, her husband's biographer, "The songs entranced Margaret, but at the same time she was aware that there must be more to them and determined that one day she would hear the originals."
During her first tour of the
Highlands and Islands
The Highlands and Islands is an area of Scotland broadly covering the Scottish Highlands, plus Orkney, Shetland and Outer Hebrides (Western Isles).
The Highlands and Islands are sometimes defined as the area to which the Crofters' Act of 1886 ...
in 1926, Fay-Shaw made a deliberate point of visiting
Eriskay
Eriskay ( gd, Èirisgeigh), from the Old Norse for "Eric's Isle", is an island and community council area of the Outer Hebrides in northern Scotland with a population of 143, as of the 2011 census. It lies between South Uist and Barra and is ...
and paying her respects at the grave of Fr. Allan MacDonald.
The primary credit, however, for rescuing Fr. Allan MacDonald from obscurity and restoring both his reputation and importance to
Scottish Gaelic literature
Scottish Gaelic literature refers to literature composed in the Scottish Gaelic language and in the Gàidhealtachd communities where it is and has been spoken. Scottish Gaelic is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages, along with Irish ...
, must go to Margaret Fay-Shaw's husband,
literary scholar
Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. T ...
and
Scottish nationalist
Scottish nationalism promotes the idea that the Scottish people form a cohesive nation and national identity.
Scottish nationalism began to shape from 1853 with the National Association for the Vindication of Scottish Rights, progressing into t ...
John Lorne Campbell
Dr John Lorne Campbell FRSE LLD OBE ( gd, Iain Latharna Caimbeul) (1906–1996) was a Scottish historian, farmer, environmentalist and folklorist, and recognized scholar of Scottish Gaelic literature.
Early life
According to his biographer, Ray ...
. Campbell's research into Fr. MacDonald began in 1936, after being asked by ''Outlook'' magazine to review the second edition of musicologist Amy Murray's memoir ''Father Allan's Island''. Campbell, despite having been raised in the
Scottish Episcopal Church
The Scottish Episcopal Church ( gd, Eaglais Easbaigeach na h-Alba; sco, Scots Episcopal(ian) Kirk) is the ecclesiastical province of the Anglican Communion in Scotland.
A continuation of the Church of Scotland as intended by King James VI, and ...
, "was very drawn to Father Allan", about whom he heard very high praise from residents of
South Uist
South Uist ( gd, Uibhist a Deas, ; sco, Sooth Uist) is the second-largest island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. At the 2011 census, it had a usually resident population of 1,754: a decrease of 64 since 2001. The island, in common with the ...
,
Eriskay
Eriskay ( gd, Èirisgeigh), from the Old Norse for "Eric's Isle", is an island and community council area of the Outer Hebrides in northern Scotland with a population of 143, as of the 2011 census. It lies between South Uist and Barra and is ...
, and
Barra
Barra (; gd, Barraigh or ; sco, Barra) is an island in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, and the second southernmost inhabited island there, after the adjacent island of Vatersay to which it is connected by a short causeway. The island is na ...
who had known him.
While reading Amy Murray's memoir, Campbell learned that Fr. MacDonald folklore studies, poetry, and other unpublished writings had filled ten notebooks, many more than Campbell had thought. Campbell then decided to begin a search for them. In 1937, Campbell discovered a Fr. MacDonald notebook entitled ''Stange Things'' in his friend
Compton Mackenzie
Sir Edward Montague Compton Mackenzie, (17 January 1883 – 30 November 1972) was a Scottish writer of fiction, biography, histories and a memoir, as well as a cultural commentator, raconteur and lifelong Scottish independence, Scottish nation ...
's personal library in Barra. Campbell immediately borrowed the notebook and began to transcribe it, his quest for the remaining notebooks was interrupted by the outbreak of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
It was only after John Lorne Campbell was received into the Catholic Church inside
St. Ninian's Cathedral
ST, St, or St. may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Stanza, in poetry
* Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band
* Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise
* Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...
in
Antigonish
, settlement_type = Town
, image_skyline = File:St Ninian's Cathedral Antigonish Spring.jpg
, image_caption = St. Ninian's Cathedral
, image_flag = Flag of Antigonish.pn ...
,
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
in 1946, however, that his fascination with Fr. Allan MacDonald ripened into an obsession.
According to his biographer Ray Penman, "Over 20 years John was to devote a considerable amount of time and money to tracing the work of Fr. Allan, publishing much of it for the first time, righting wrongs he believed had been done to the priest and writing a short biography. The more he learned of him and read his work, the more he identified with him."
With the help of various friends and the universities of
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
and
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
, Campbell succeeded in tracking down the poetry manuscripts, diaries, and detailed folklore collections of Fr. Allan MacDonald, which had been missing and presumed lost since his death in 1905. As word spread, others shared surviving letters to and from Fr Allan. Further detailed research by Campbell about Fr. MacDonald's life, times, and writings, as well as his diary, was similarly collected and housed at Canna, in the
Inner Hebrides
The Inner Hebrides (; Scottish Gaelic: ''Na h-Eileanan a-staigh'', "the inner isles") is an archipelago off the west coast of mainland Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, whic ...
of Scotland.
According to Ray Penman, "Together they revealed a life's work by a diligent and sensitive man who not only faithfully recorded the stories and songs of others, but himself wrote poetry in Gaelic and English and translated hymns and a
Mass
Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...
into Gaelic. But why had none of this been published under Fr Allan's own name at the time?"
The first collection of Fr. MacDonald's Gaelic verse, ''Bàrdachd Mghr Ailein: The Gaelic Poems of Fr Allan McDonald of Eriskay (1859–1905)'', was self published by John Lorne Campbell in 1965. In 1966, future Gaelic
literary scholar
Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. T ...
Ronald Black received a suitcase full of Gaelic books from Dr. Campbell and brought them to Eriskay for sale aboard a ferry from Ludag, South Uist. At the time, Eriskay still had many Scottish Gaelic
monoglot
Monoglottism (Greek μόνος ''monos'', "alone, solitary", + γλῶττα , "tongue, language") or, more commonly, monolingualism or unilingualism, is the condition of being able to speak only a single language, as opposed to multilingualism. ...
speakers who had known Fr. MacDonald personally. Black has since recalled that the poetry book and Campbell's "little blue biography of Father Allan", both accordingly, "sold like hotcakes".
At the urging of
Ferdi McDermott Ferdi may refer to:
* Ferdi Elmas (born 1985), Turkish footballer
* Ferdi Hardal (born 1996), is a Turkish weightlifter
* Ferdi Özbeğen (1941-2013), Turkish-Armenian singer and pianist
* Ferdi Sabit Soyer (born 1952), former de facto Prime Minist ...
of
Saint Austin Press
Saint Austin Press is a British Roman Catholic publishing house founded in 1996. Its editor-in-chief is Robert Asch.
In its first ten years of operation, when it was based in Brockley, Saint Austin Press published around 50 books on various th ...
, an expanded and bilingual anthology of the priest's Gaelic verse, both religious and secular, was edited by Ronald Black and was published in 2002 by Mungo Books, which was then the Scottish imprint of Saint Austin Press. Ronald Black commented, however, that so much of Fr. MacDonald's poetry remains unpublished that the Mungo Books edition could easily have been twice as long.
For example, Fr. MacDonald's
Ecclesiastical Latin
Latin, also called Church Latin or Liturgical Latin, is a form of Latin developed to discuss Christian thought in Late Antiquity and used in Christian liturgy, theology, and church administration down to the present day, especially in the Cathol ...
to Scottish Gaelic
literary translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transl ...
of the
Compline
Compline ( ), also known as Complin, Night Prayer, or the Prayers at the End of the Day, is the final prayer service (or office) of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours, which are prayed at fixed prayer times.
The English wo ...
service from the
Roman Breviary
The Roman Breviary (Ecclesiastical Latin, Latin: ''Breviarium Romanum'') is a breviary of the Roman Rite in the Catholic Church. A liturgical book, it contains public or canonical Catholic prayer, prayers, hymns, the Psalms, readings, and notati ...
, the manuscript of which
John Lorne Campbell
Dr John Lorne Campbell FRSE LLD OBE ( gd, Iain Latharna Caimbeul) (1906–1996) was a Scottish historian, farmer, environmentalist and folklorist, and recognized scholar of Scottish Gaelic literature.
Early life
According to his biographer, Ray ...
located in the possession of Canon William MacMaster at Fort William in 1950, remains unpublished.
South Uist
South Uist ( gd, Uibhist a Deas, ; sco, Sooth Uist) is the second-largest island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. At the 2011 census, it had a usually resident population of 1,754: a decrease of 64 since 2001. The island, in common with the ...
vocalist
Kathleen MacInnes
Kathleen MacInnes, or Caitlin NicAonghais in Scottish Gaelic, (born 30 December 1969) is a Scottish singer, television presenter and actress, who performs primarily in Scottish Gaelic. She is a native of South Uist, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, and ...
performed Fr. MacDonald's
literary translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transl ...
of Fr.
Frederick William Faber
Frederick William Faber (1814–1863) was a noted English hymnwriter and theologian, who converted from Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism in 1845. He was ordained to the Catholic priesthood subsequently in 1847. His best-known work is the hymn ...
's
Marian
Marian may refer to:
People
* Mari people, a Finno-Ugric ethnic group in Russia
* Marian (given name), a list of people with the given name
* Marian (surname), a list of people so named
Places
* Marian, Iran (disambiguation)
* Marian, Queenslan ...
hymn
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
"O Purest of Creatures", , on her 2006 album ''Summer Dawn''.
Quotes
* Diary entry 13 February 1898: ( gd, "Sìde chorrach ghruamach, Mar bu dual dhith 'san Fhaoilleach Sìoban geal nam bruach 'Ga fhuadach feadh an t-saoghail, Marcan-sìne luaithreach 'Na ruaig thar a' chaolais, Sgrath is sgliot 'gam fuasgladh Le luathbheum na gaoithe. Frasan garbh a tuath Toirt crathadh air gach stuagh, Clachan meallain cruaidh A bheumadh barr nan cluas; Daoine laithte fuar, Nach fhaod iad sealltuinn bhuap', A stigh an oir a' luaith 'Gan caibhleachadh. Ceann na beinn' ud shuas Air a shuaineadh 'san anart, Bho na mharbhadh leis an fhuachd Na bha bhuadhannan oirr' an ceangal; Chaill i gu buileach a tuar, Thàinig suain a' bhàis 'na caraibh, 'S chan-eil coltas oirre gluasad, Mur fuasgail am blàths a h-anail.") "Rough, gloomy weather, as is usual in early February; white spindrift off the sandbanks driven everywhere; spray like ashes driven across the
Sound
In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...
; sod and slate loosened by the quick blows of the wind. Fierce squalls from the north shaking every gable, hard hailstones which would cut the top of one's ears, men so chilled with cold that they cannot look outside huddled indoors at the edge of the ashes. The head of yonder hill above is sheathed in a shroud, since the cold has killed her natural virtues. She has lost her appearance entirely, the sleep of death has come on her, and there is no likelihood of her moving until the warmth of spring unbinds her."
* Diary entry 22 February 1898: "Read
Rob Donn
Rob Donn (Brown-haired Rob) (1714–1778) was a Scottish Gaelic poet from Sutherland. It is generally assumed that his name was Robert MacKay (MacAoidh),W. Ross or
Alasdair
Alasdair is a Scottish Gaelic given name. The name is a Gaelic form of ''Alexander'' which has long been a popular name in Scotland. The personal name ''Alasdair'' is often Anglicised as ''Alistair'', '' Alastair'', and ''Alaster''.''A Dictionary o ...
. Even Alein Dall is superior to him in rhyme, rhythm, and humour... Took up W. Ross and read pieces. His vocabulary has not so many strange words as Rob Donn's Reay Country Gaelic... He makes you feel with him and for him. Pity for the language that he died so young."
* Diary entry 25 March 1898: ( gd, "Là 'Eill-Moire na h-Eill-Pàdruig, Latha 's uaisle thig no thàinig. Cóig bliadhna fichead an diugh o'n dh'eug m'athair, 's chuir mi suas an ìobairt le anam. A' ghaoth 'n earthuath a' leantail roimpe.") "Our Lady's Day of
St Patrick
Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints be ...
's, The noblest day that has been or will come. Twenty-five years since my father died, and I offered up the sacrifice of the
Mass
Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...
for his soul. The north-east wind blows on."
Published works
* Published anonymously (1889), ''Laoidhean Caitliceach airson Chloine'', Oban, republished 1936.
* Published anonymously (1893), ''Comh-Chruinneachadh de Laoidhean Spioradail'', Oban. Contains Gaelic hymns, like '' Tàladh Chrìosda'', which were collected from the
oral tradition
Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas and cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another. Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (1985 ...
, as well as original hymns and literary translations by Fr. MacDonald.
*Collected by Fr. Allan MacDonald (1958), ''Gaelic Words from
South Uist
South Uist ( gd, Uibhist a Deas, ; sco, Sooth Uist) is the second-largest island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. At the 2011 census, it had a usually resident population of 1,754: a decrease of 64 since 2001. The island, in common with the ...
'' – Edited,
Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies
The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) ( ga, Institiúid Ard-Léinn Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a statutory independent research institute in Ireland. It was established in 1940 on the initiative of the Taoiseach, Éamon de Valera, in Dub ...
. Second edition with supplement, published by the
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
John Lorne Campbell
Dr John Lorne Campbell FRSE LLD OBE ( gd, Iain Latharna Caimbeul) (1906–1996) was a Scottish historian, farmer, environmentalist and folklorist, and recognized scholar of Scottish Gaelic literature.
Early life
According to his biographer, Ray ...
(1965), ''Bàrdachd Mhgr Ailein: The Gaelic Poems of Fr Allan McDonald of Eriskay (1859–1905)'', Privately printed. H2/1/1/13ref>Edited by Ronald Black (2002), ''Eilein na h-Òige: The Poems of Fr. Allan MacDonald'', Mungo Press. Page 503.
*''Eilein na h-Òige; The Poems of Fr. Allan MacDonald'', Edited by Ronald Black, Mungo Books,
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
, 2002.
References
Further reading
Books
*
*
*
Periodicals
*
John Lorne Campbell
Dr John Lorne Campbell FRSE LLD OBE ( gd, Iain Latharna Caimbeul) (1906–1996) was a Scottish historian, farmer, environmentalist and folklorist, and recognized scholar of Scottish Gaelic literature.
Early life
According to his biographer, Ray ...
, ''The Sources of the Gaelic Hymnal, 1893'', ''
The Innes Review
The ''Innes Review'' is a biannual academic journal, published by Edinburgh University Press on behalf of the Scottish Catholic Historical Association in May and November of each year. It was founded in 1950 and covers the part played by the Ca ...
'', 1956 Vol. VII p. 101.
* Fr. Allan MacDonald, translated by Ronald Black, ''A Christmas Hymn: May the Trinity be Praised'',
St Austin Review
The ''St. Austin Review'' (StAR) is a Catholic international review of culture and ideas. It is edited by author, columnist and EWTN TV host Joseph Pearce and literary scholar Robert Asch. StAR includes book reviews, discussions on Christian art, ...
Allan
Allan may refer to:
People
* Allan (name), a given name and surname, including list of people and characters with this name
* Allan (footballer, born 1984) (Allan Barreto da Silva), Brazilian football striker
* Allan (footballer, born 1989) ...