Fionn Mac Colla (born Thomas Douglas MacDonald; 4 March 1906 – 20 July 1975) was a Scottish

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

closely connected to the

Scottish Renaissance The Scottish Renaissance ( gd, Ath-bheòthachadh na h-Alba; sco, Scots Renaissance) was a mainly literary movement of the early to mid-20th century that can be seen as the Scotland, Scottish version of modernism. It is sometimes referred to as ...

. Although he wrote in English, he was very interested in

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 ...

and culture and campaigned for it to return to, what he perceived to be, its rightful place in the Scottish mainstream. He was a good personal friend of

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 Rena ...

and

Helen Cruickshank Helen Burness Cruickshank (15 May 1886 – 2 March 1975) was a Scottish poet and suffragette and a focal point of the Scottish Renaissance. Scottish writers associated with the movement met at her home in Corstorphine. Early life and edu ...

Life

Mac Colla was born in Montrose to Donald and Jessie Macdonald (née Anderson Douglas). His father was a native Gaelic speaker, and it is from his father that MacColla was made aware of the language as a young boy. As a child, Mac Colla's family were Plymouth Brethren, although he converted to Roman Catholicism in later life. After graduating first in the country for his teaching exams, Mac Colla was appointed headmaster of Laide Public school in Wester Ross at the age of 19. The following year he left for Palestine to teach history for a school run by the United Free Church. He remained in Palestine for 3 years, before returning to Scotland permanently in 1929. Mac Colla was a founding member of the National Party of Scotland from its birth in 1928. He was a close friend of the artist Edward Baird, also a member of the National Party of Scotland, who portrayed him, wearing a nationalist quasi-military uniform in Portrait of a Young Scotsman, acquired by the National Galleries of Scotland in 2011. According to Martin Hopkinson, "It was James Whyte, a St Andrews-based American supporter of the Nationalists and patron of contemporary Scottish art and culture, who bought Baird's portrait of Mac Colla, a painting that has sadly disappeared." His best known novels are ''The Albannach'' and ''And the Cock Crew''. ''And the Cock Crew'' takes its title from the gospel story of

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

the

disciple A disciple is a follower and student of a mentor, teacher, or other figure. It can refer to: Religion * Disciple (Christianity), a student of Jesus Christ * Twelve Apostles of Jesus, sometimes called the Twelve Disciples * Seventy disciples in t ...

who ended up denying and thus betraying

Jesus 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 ...

. The protagonist is a minister in a

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

, Sachari, whose congregation is being cleared. ''The Albannach'' has a modern (20th century) setting, and makes wry comments on contemporary Gaelic, and general Scottish attitudes. Fionn Mac Colla is commemorated in Makars' Court, outside The Writers' Museum, Lawnmarket, Edinburgh. After nearly 20 years living in the Western Isles, Mac Colla returned to Edinburgh, where he died of heart failure in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on 20 July 1975. Selections for Makars' Court are made by

The Writers' Museum The Writers’ Museum, housed in Lady Stair’s House, Lady Stair's House at the Lawnmarket on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, presents the lives of three of the foremost Scottish writers: Robert Burns, Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. Run ...

;

The Saltire Society The Saltire Society is a membership organisation which aims to promote the understanding of the culture and heritage of Scotland. Founded in 1936, the society was "set up to promote and celebrate the uniqueness of Scottish culture and Scotland’s ...

;

The Scottish Poetry Library The Scottish Poetry Library is a public library specialising in Scottish poetry. Since 1999, the library has been based at 5 Crichton's Close, just off the Canongate in Edinburgh's Old Town. History and status The library was founded in 1984 ...

Bibliography

* ''The Albannach'' (1932) * ''And the Cock Crew'' (1945) * "Mein Bumpf" in ''Essays on Fionn Mac Colla'', edited by David Morrison (1973) - autobiographical essay and non-fiction. "Bumpf" is WWII slang for propaganda or tedious printed informationWorld Wide Words: Bumf
/ref> and is a

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or e ...

pun A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...

Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...

's autobiography. * ''Ro Fhada Mar So a tha Mi (Too Long in this Condition)'' (1975) - Autobiography *''Scottish Noel'' (1958). *''At the Sign of the Clenched Fist'' - (1967). Philosophical Polemic *''The Ministers'' (1979). *''Move Up, John'' (1994). *''Ane Tryall of Heretiks'' (play, Edinburgh Festival 1963). Some of his articles and other works can be found in contemporary magazines of Scotland such as ''

Catalyst Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...

''.

Reviews

* Neill, William (1976), review of ''Ro Fhada Mar So a Mi'', in Burnett, Ray (ed.), ''Calgacus'' No. 3, Spring 1976, p. 51,

Life

Bibliography

Reviews

References

Further reading