Plaque to Duncan Ban MacIntyre, Roxburgh Close, Edinburgh

Donnchadh Bàn Mac an t-Saoir, anglicized as ''Duncan Ban MacIntyre'' (20 March 1724 – 14 May 1812), was one of the most renowned of

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 a ...

poets. He formed an integral part of one of the golden ages of

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 ...

poetry in Scotland during the 18th century.

Life

Born in Druim Liaghart in

Glen Orchy Glen Orchy ( gd, Gleann Urchaidh) is a glen in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It runs from Bridge of Orchy to Dalmally. Geography Glen Orchy is about 17 km or 11 miles long, and runs south-west from Bridge of Orchy () to Dalmally () f ...

, he went on to work in various occupations, including as a soldier in the

Argyll Regiment of Militia Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...

, as a forester, and as a constable of

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 ...

City Guard. While a soldier in the Argyll regiment he fought for the

Hanoverian The adjective Hanoverian is used to describe: * British monarchs or supporters of the House of Hanover, the dynasty which ruled the United Kingdom from 1714 to 1901 * things relating to; ** Electorate of Hanover ** Kingdom of Hanover ** Province o ...

forces during the Jacobite rising of 1745–6. He took part in the

Battle of Falkirk The Battle of Falkirk (''Blàr na h-Eaglaise Brice'' in Gaelic), on 22 July 1298, was one of the major battles in the First War of Scottish Independence. Led by King Edward I of England, the English army defeated the Scots, led by William W ...

as a substitute for a local gentleman, Archibald Fletcher of Crannach, and managed to lose his sword during the fighting — an event which would later lead to the composition of a humorous poem about the battle. Slainte
. When he returned from the battle, MacIntyre was refused his pay by the gentleman who had commissioned him to fight in his stead because of the lost sword and it was in reply that Duncan composed the aforementioned poem, satirising the gentleman and the sword he had lost.
. Duncan moved to

in 1767 and was to spend the rest of his life there serving with the Breadalbane Fencibles and the City Guard before retiring in 1806. During his time in Edinburgh he composed several prize winning poems and attempted to win the place of Bard to the Highland and Agricultural Society, losing to Donald Shaw despite receiving much praise for his poetry.

Poetry

Duncan Ban's native region had no schoolBards - Donnchadh Bàn Mac an t-Saoir
and he remained illiterate throughout his life and kept his work by memory. Initially his work was memorized and transmitted orally, and later written down by the minister of Lismore, Donald MacNicol. The poetry of Duncan Bán would later be translated into English by such notable figures as

Hugh MacDiarmid Christopher Murray Grieve (11 August 1892 – 9 September 1978), best known by his pen name Hugh MacDiarmid (), was a Scottish poet, journalist, essayist and political figure. He is considered one of the principal forces behind the Scottish Ren ...

Derick Thomson Derick Smith Thomson (Scottish Gaelic: ''Ruaraidh MacThòmais''; 5 August 1921, Stornoway – 21 March 2012, Glasgow) was a Scottish poet, publisher, lexicographer, academic and writer. He was originally from Lewis, but spent much of his life i ...

and

Iain Crichton Smith Iain Crichton Smith, (Gaelic: ''Iain Mac a' Ghobhainn''; 1 January 1928 – 15 October 1998) was a Scottish poet and novelist, who wrote in both English and Gaelic. He was born in Glasgow, but moved to the Isle of Lewis at the age of two, w ...

. Most of his poetry is descriptive and the influence of his contemporary,

Alasdair MacMhaighstir Alasdair Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair (c. 1698–1770), legal name Alexander MacDonald, or, in Gaelic Alasdair MacDhòmhnaill, was a Scottish war poet, satirist, lexicographer, political writer and memoirist. The poet's Gaelic name means "Alasdair, s ...

, is notable in much of it. Despite the

Jacobite Jacobite means follower of Jacob or James. Jacobite may refer to: Religion * Jacobites, followers of Saint Jacob Baradaeus (died 578). Churches in the Jacobite tradition and sometimes called Jacobite include: ** Syriac Orthodox Church, sometimes ...

upheavals that wracked

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 th ...

during his lifetime it was his experience as a gamekeeper in

Argyll Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...

and

Perthshire Perthshire ( locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the nor ...

in the employ of the

Duke of Argyll Duke of Argyll ( gd, Diùc Earraghàidheil) is a title created in the peerage of Scotland in 1701 and in the peerage of the United Kingdom in 1892. The earls, marquesses, and dukes of Argyll were for several centuries among the most powerful ...

which had greatest impact upon his poetry. His greatest work, ''Moladh Beinn Dòbhrain'', stems from this period. The significance of Duncan Bàn's nature themed poetry is such that it has, along with that of the aforementioned MacMhaighstir Alasdair, been described as "the zenith of Gaelic nature poetry".

Commemoration

He died in Edinburgh on 14 May 1812. He was buried in

Greyfriars Kirkyard Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 16th century, and a nu ...

in Edinburgh. A memorial was erected to his memory several years later, having been erected by friends and well-wishers of the man who had gained fame during his lifetime as ''Donnchadh Bàn nan Òrain'' or "Fair Duncan of the Songs". The monument is poorly repaired in cement, losing much of its original detail. Another monument, designed by

John Thomas Rochead John Thomas Rochead (28 March 1814 – 7 April 1878) was a Scottish architect. He is most noteworthy on a national scale for having been the designer of the Wallace Monument. Life He was born in Edinburgh, the son of John Rochead and Catheri ...

, was erected to honour MacIntyre in the hills near Dalmally, overlooking Loch Awe. The monument was built following a public subscription in 1859. A plaque was erected to his memory on Roxburgh Close off the

Royal Mile The Royal Mile () is a succession of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland. The term was first used descriptively in W. M. Gilbert's ''Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century'' (1901), des ...

in 2019 but there is no documentary evidence that he lived here as claimed. The

anti-racist Anti-racism encompasses a range of ideas and political actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and deliberate ...

and

anti-colonialist Decolonization or decolonisation is the undoing of colonialism, the latter being the process whereby imperial nations establish and dominate foreign territories, often overseas. Some scholars of decolonization focus especially on separatism, in ...

poet Duncan Livingstone, a major figure in 20th-century

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 Iris ...

, grew up being told that his mother, Jane MacIntyre (''Sine nighean Donnchaidh mhic Iain'') (1845-1938), a native of

Ballachulish The village of Ballachulish ( or , from Scottish Gaelic ) in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, is centred on former slate quarries. The name Ballachulish (Ballecheles, 1522 – Straits town) was more correctly applied to the area now called ...

, was the grandniece of Duncan Ban MacIntyre.Ronald Black (1999), ''An Tuil: Anthology of 20th Century Scottish Gaelic Verse'', p. 726.

Notes

References

*Thomson, Derick S. ''The Companion to Gaelic Scotland'', (Blackwell Reference 1987), *Thomson, Derick S. ''Gaelic Poetry in the Eighteenth Century'', (Association of Scottish Literary Studies 1993),

External links

His page on Làrach nam Bàrd
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macintyre, Duncan Ban 1724 births 1812 deaths People from Argyll and Bute Burials at Greyfriars Kirkyard 18th-century Scottish poets 18th-century Scottish Gaelic poets British Army personnel of the Jacobite rising of 1745