''Dùn-Àluinn'' (1912) by Iain MacCormaic (1860–1947) was the first full-length novel in

Scottish Gaelic literature Scottish Gaelic literature refers to literary works composed in the Scottish Gaelic language, which is, like Irish and Manx, a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. Gaelic literature was also composed in Gàidhealtachd communities ...

. It was first published as a weekly serial in The People's Journal from May to September 1910. The name is sometimes anglicised as ''Dunaline''. It was closely followed by Angus Robertson's '' An t-Ogha Mòr'', which had actually been serialised prior to Dun Aluinn's publication, and so vies for the position of first novel. MacCormaic, a native of Mull, published in magazines sponsored by

Ruaraidh Erskine Ruaraidh Erskine of Marr (15 January 1869 – 5 January 1960) (Scottish Gaelic: Ruaraidh Arascain is Mhàirr) was a Scottish nationalist political activist, writer and Scottish Gaelic language revival campaigner. Early life Ruaraidh Erskin ...

. Prior to the novel, he had published collections of short stories and a novella, ''Gu’n Tug i Spéis do’n Armunn'', in 1908.

Plot summary

The novel is about the horror of the

Highland Clearances The Highland Clearances ( , 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 resulted from Scottish Agricultural R ...

, and the heir of a despotic landlord, Cailean Og, who is disinherited. The most interesting character is 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 of ...

who gives a sermon about social rights. For a novel of its period, it is fairly cosmopolitan, and the action ranges to locations as exotic as

gold mines Gold mining is the extraction of gold by mining. Historically, mining gold from alluvial deposits used manual separation processes, such as gold panning. The expansion of gold mining to ores that are not on the surface has led to more complex ...

in New Zealand.

Reception

After publication the novel was reviewed in

The Oban Times ''The Oban Times'' is a local, weekly newspaper, published in Oban, Argyll and Bute on a Thursday. It covers the West Highlands and Islands of Scotland, reporting on issues from the Mull of Kintyre to Kyle of Lochalsh on the mainland, to the Inn ...

and by

An Comunn Gàidhealach An Comunn Gàidhealach (; literally "The Gaelic Association"), commonly known as An Comunn, is a Scottish organisation that supports and promotes the Scottish Gaelic language and Scottish Gaelic culture and history at local, national and intern ...

. There were suggestions that the vocabulary used in the novel was local to Mull.

References

Scottish novels 1912 British novels Scottish Gaelic literature Novels first published in serial form Works originally published in British magazines Scottish Gaelic novelists Highland Clearances {{1910s-hist-novel-stub