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.1660 and 1729. The Gaelic name ''Sìleas'' is anglicised variously as Cicely or Julia.

Life

Sìleas came from a landowning family within the

clan system A Scottish clan (from Gaelic , literally 'children', more broadly 'kindred') is a kinship group among the Scottish people. Clans give a sense of shared identity and descent to members, and in modern times have an official structure recogni ...

still prevalent in the Highlands at the time. She was the daughter of the 15th Chief 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 ...

, Archibald (Gilleasbuig) Macdonald, and Mary Macmartin of the Macmartin Camerons. Her brother

Coll Coll (; gd, Cola; sco, Coll)Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 31 is an island located west of the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Coll is known for its sandy beaches, which rise to form large sand dunes, for its corncrakes, and ...

was 16th Chief. Although the family of Keppoch had lost some status, they were still considered to be in the upper levels of Gaelic society. She was married to Alexander Gordon of Camdell, estate factor to the

Duke of Gordon The title Duke of Gordon has been created once in the Peerage of Scotland and again in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The Dukedom, named after the Clan Gordon, was first created for the 4th Marquess of Huntly, who on 3 November 1684 was c ...

, and lived much of her adult life at

Beldorney Castle Beldorney Castle is a Z-plan castle dating from the mid-16th century, about two miles south of Glass, Huntly, Glass, in hilly country in the valley of the Deveron, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.Lindsay, Maurice (1986) ''The Castles of Scotland''. Co ...

Banffshire Banffshire ; sco, Coontie o Banffshire; gd, Siorrachd Bhanbh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. The county town is Banff, although the largest settlement is Buckie to the west. It borders the Moray ...

, although she grew up 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 ...

. She is known to have had at least eight children, five sons and three daughters.

Work

She is most notable for the 23 poems she wrote in the

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 ...

language. Many of her poems are political, having a strongly Jacobite theme.Watson, ''The Literature of Scotland'', 2006, p.156 Others include laments for friends killed in the uprisings of the period, humorous advice to ummarried women, and a handful of devotional poems. Among the Jacobite poems attributed to her is ''Tha mi am chadal'', "I am sleeping", closely related to the Irish air ''Táimse im' chodladh''.Mackenzie, ''Sar-obair nam bard gaelach'', 1865, p.60 Her best known poem is her c. 1723 lament for Alasdair Dubh, 11th Chief of

Glengarry The Glengarry bonnet is a traditional Scots cap made of thick-milled woollen material, decorated with a toorie on top, frequently a rosette cockade on the left side, and ribbons hanging behind. It is normally worn as part of Scottish military ...

, which hearkens back to the mythological poetry attributed to

Amergin Glúingel Amergin ''Glúingel'' ("white knees") (also spelled Amhairghin Glúngheal) or ''Glúnmar'' ("big knee") is a bard, druid and judge for the Milesians in the Irish Mythological Cycle. He was appointed Chief Ollam of Ireland by his two brothers th ...

. Like her other work, the lament seems to have been aimed at an audience mainly within the various branches of

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 ...

.Gaelic Bards of Keppoch
National Library of Scotland Her surviving poems are in a mixture of

classical Gaelic Classical Gaelic or Classical Irish () was a shared literary form of Gaelic that was in use by poets in Scotland and Ireland from the 13th century to the 18th century. Although the first written signs of Scottish Gaelic having diverged from Ir ...

syllabic metres and newer stressed metres, and were clearly intended to be sung, with some being based on popular songs of the time.Sanger and Kinnaird, ''Tree of Strings: a history of the harp in Scotland'',2015

References

''''

External links

'Hymn to the Virgin Mary' (words by Sìleas na Ceapaich, as performed by Maggie MacInnes on her album 'Leaving Mingulay')
18th-century Scottish Gaelic poets Scottish Gaelic women poets Scottish Gaelic poets Clan MacDonald of Keppoch 17th-century Scottish Gaelic poets 18th-century Scottish people 18th-century Scottish women writers {{Scotland-poet-stub Scottish_Catholic_poets