“Your Gaelic intuition must be extraordinary”

Fr. Allan McDonald and Alexander Carmichael were regular correspondents from at least the mid-1890s if not earlier until the former’s lamentably early death that took place on his adopted isle of Eriskay in 1905. This interesting and important letter was written just after Fr. Allan had received and obviously absorbed a great deal of Carmina Gadelica which, after all, had been a long time in the making and to which he had been given due acknowledgement in the introduction to Carmichael's masterwork. In general terms, the letter praises the work although at one particular point it is couched in irony bordering perhaps even on the sarcastic. One wonders whether Carmichael even detected this. Fr. Allan was in a position to know for he had done a great deal of collecting himself and he knew – though perhaps he does not state this explicitly – where Carmichael had been disingenuous with his sources and had been gilding the lily.

Eriskay

Sept[ember] 20th, 1900

Dear Mr. Carmichael,

The “Ortha” arrived safely and I am very thankful for it.

The work is well done. I am not surprised now at your delay. There is nothing to cavil at and everything to admire in the finished book you put together. The notes come in so well, scattered as they are instead of being all kept for the end. They balance the book and keep the interested equally divided between the sweetness of the hymns and the variety of your own patient researches. The translation is marvellous. It is a puzzle to me how you were able to interpret what I know the reciters themselves would tell you they could not understand, and yet when I read any such piece and look at the translation I say “Yes, it must be that”.

Your Gaelic intuition must be extraordinary. I once used to think that Alasdair Mac Mh[aighsti]r Alasdair coined words impromptu to express his feelings. If it had been the case, you intuition would have interpreted.

The English translation could not be excelled.

Your vocabulary is the most interesting I ever read. It hasn’t even the fault that the man found with Johnson’s English Dictionary when he said it was good reading if it didn’t change the subject so often. Every page of your vocabulary affords only another phase of the Gaelic spirit and culture.

You have done what no other could do now. Forty years have worked havock [sic] in our traditions. You stepped in and picked up these fragments in the search, and they more than anything else that we have will prove to the world the thoroughness of the Christianity that was spread from Iona and the piety of the people whose life in its every action was but a new act of worship of God. The traditions and the spirit are nearly gone and a bombastic bluster with no high or distinct ideals is nearly all we have left.

Many a time I have said, when hearing a pretty expression of politeness of the old Christian kind: What a fine old people were here when these expressions and the like of them were the natural expressions of the heart and not a mere lip of courtesy and politeness.

You have linked us with the Christian past, the best era that the Scottish Gael ever had, and have given us something more to be proud of than broadswords and bloodshed.

I am glad your picture is in the book. It could be nowhere better framed and set then there.

With thanks and congratulations and very good wishes,

I am, dear Mr. Carmichael

Yours truly,

Allan McDonald

P.S. Kindest wishes to Mrs. Carmichael and Miss Carmichael

Reference:

Canna House Archive, Letter of Fr. Allan McDonald to Alexander Carmichael, 20 September 1900.

Image:

Fr. Allan McDonald, styled Maighstir Ailein.

Latha Fhèill Mìcheil – Michaelmas

Alexander Carmichael in a letter of 1898 to his friend Fr Allan McDonald (of Eriskay) once wrote with regard to Michaelmas: ‘The more I think of the Festival of Michael the more convinced I am that there was no festival in the wide world like it. A variety of interests combined to render it great.’ Certainly, there was a great deal of festivities (in particular horse-racing) going on around 29 September, particularly in the Southern Outer Hebrides, when it came to celebrate Michaelmas. By the time Carmichael came to write about Michaelmas it had all but died out but his older informants and those from whom Fr Allan received information would have remembered a great deal of this old custom. An excerpt from his letter to Carmichael, Fr Allan relates that: ‘The religious functions most commonly assigned by the people here to St Michael are his meeting of the souls of the elect at the moment of death, and his presiding at the balance where the soul’s good and bad works are weighed.’ This reflects the esteem and importance of the Archangel Michael in Hebridean tradition and doubtless elsewhere.

Elsewhere, John Ewen (Iain Eòghann) MacRury of Torlum, Benbecula, notes down some of the customs that were once commonly held at this particular time of the year:

(In general) was observed
all over the country.
Every wife in the family
way had to go round
local burying ground or
some other burying place
agreed upon previously
Believing that the sanc-
timonious odour of the
graves was sufficient
to prevent premature
birth. In like manner
every mare expected
to be in foal went rou-
nd it also ‘A dol deas
al a chlaidh’ Going right
round it or following the
sun. There was no bridle
in the mouth of the animal
“Aodhstar” was the head
gear Cock-fi[gh]ting was
also to the fore. Every
defeated cock went to
the schoolmaster gratus [sic]
The winners were taken
back by their respective
masters, with a share
of the spoil. After all
the performances were
over the balls were held
one in each township and
many a ball terminated very
suddenly, by a severe fight.

References:
CW 1, fos. 15v–16r.
Carmina Gadelica, iii, pp. 138–42
Image: Horses Racing.

Folklore from the Hebrides: A Disclaimer

The reputation of Miss Ada Goodrich-Freer (1857–1931) was made upon the collection of folklore gathered together  by Fr. Allan McDonald of Eriskay (1859–1905). Maighstir Ailein, as he was affectionately known, originally hailed from Lochaber but will be for ever associated with Eriskay, an island lying at the southern tip of South Uist, where he served the remaining years of his priesthood. More than anyone else John Lorne Campbell proved that Goodrich-Freer unashamedly plagiarised McDonald’s folklore collection without paying him due acknowledgement.  She had accepted all the plaudits for his hard work while her own selfish end must have been at the uppermost of her mind. McDonald’s motivation for writing this short reply was to distance himself completely from Goodrich-Free while making it clear that Carmichael had in no way borrowed material from him. Some two years earlier, on 7th October 1901, Carmichael had written to McDonald expressing his concerns over Goodrich-Freer: “We hear from various sources that Miss Freer is not genuine and some call her a clever imposter. I never got my wife to believe in her. In London it is said that one society after another, and one man after another, have thrown her off.”

In a paper entitled “More Folklore from the Hebrides,” by Miss A. Goodrich-Freer, read at a meeting of 6th November, 1901, and published 25th March, 1902, occur the following words: “In the very few cases in which I have presented examples already published by Mr. Carmichael in his Carmina Gadelica, it is because we have both borrowed from a common fount, the Rev. Allan Macdonald, &c.”

I should be guilty of an injustice to my good friend Mr. Carmichael if I were to allow the statement to pass without comment. The author of Carmina Gadelica borrowed nothing from me. I did put a book of notes at his disposal, as he courteously mentions in the introduction of his great work, but, as he tells us in the same paragraph, he was unable to make use of these notes, having so much material of his own. Mr. Carmichael has done more for the collection of Island folklore than any living man.

ALLAN M’DONALD.

Eriskay, South Uist, 7th January, 1903.

References:

Campbell, John L. & Hall, Trevor H. Strange Things (London: RKP, 1968), p. 211.

McDonald, Fr. Allan, ‘Folklore from the Hebrides: A Disclaimer’, Folk-lore, vol. 14, no. 1 (1903), p. 87.

Image: Miss Ada Goodrich-Freer (1857–1931).

A Letter from Carmichael to Fr Allan McDonald

On 13 February 1894, Alexander Carmichael wrote a short letter to Fr Allan McDonald (1859–1905), styled Maighstir Ailein, who has recently been the subject of a biography (Father Allan) written by Roger Hutchinson. Previous to this, John Lorne Campbell carefully researched McDonald’s life and wrote a short account of him entitled Fr Allan McDonald: Priest, Poet and Folklorist (1956), and which, to a remarkable degree, sums up the character and traits of Fr Allan. During research for this booklet and a longer study that later appeared in book format as Strange Things (1968), Campbell would have come across this letter (as well as many others) and so preserved them for future generations in Canna House.

Dear Father Allan,

I am glad that you are going to Eirisga. You will have more time there to do work near your heart.

Why did you pass us? I hope you believe that we would have been – each and all of us – delighted to see you here?

And so good Father Campbell is gone! Good kind man I shall always remember him gratefully for his kindness to me and mine.

Professor Geddes is desirous to get up Celtic lectures in connection with his Universities Extension classes. He has asked me to analyse many for his proposal. We are anxious to bring Celtic to the front and I am sure you will help. Now like a true friend do come to our help. I have mentioned Henderson for Celtic mythology. Mr John Murdoch for the poetry of Ossian; Mr Jolly for the scenery of the Highlands and its effect upon the character of the people &c &c. Professor Geddes is most desirous to bring about a Celtic revival and we must all help. The lectures are in August and I hope you will do us the great pleasure of being our guest.

Let me hear from you soon and say what you do. I must give in my names and their subjects soon. I meant to have written you at length but I am interrupted much.

All here join me in warm love to you an la chi agus nach faic.

Yours very truly,

Alexander Carmichael

After ten years of hard work ministering the parish of Daliburgh in South Uist, sometimes in the most trying of conditions, Fr Allan, who was mentally and physically worn out, had to be transferred to nearby Eriskay for the sake of his health. Carmichael captures news of his impending move well and, so it would turn out, has a prophetic resonance to it.

Those that are name-checked in the letter are Fr Alexander Campbell, a native of South Uist, who died in Daliburgh in 1893. This man was highly influential on Fr Allan for it was he who encouraged his interest in Hebridean folklore. The other is Sir Patrick Geddes (1854–1932), an Aberdeenshire-born polymath of the old school, being as he was a biologist, philanthropist and pioneering town planner. Evidently, his interests were not even circumscribed to those subjects as he was involved in the revival of Celtic Studies as well. At the time of Carmichael writing this letter Geddes was Professor of Botany at University College, Dundee but seems to have maintained close links with his former University of Edinburgh as he had been a lecturer in Zoology during his days there. The three others mentioned by Carmichael are old friends in the shape of George Henderson, John Murdoch and William Jolly, all of whom have been mentioned before in this blog.

References:

Black Ronald, ‘Eriskay Business’, Scottish Book Collector (2004), pp. 7–11 (http://textualities.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/collecting/features-h-m/mcdonalda01.pdf).

Campbell, John Lorne, Fr Allan McDonald of Eriskay, 1859–1905: Priest, Poet and Folklorist (Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd, 1956).

Canna House Archives, Letter dated 13 February 1894, from Alexander Carmichael to Fr Allan McDonald.

Hutchinson, Roger, Father Allan (Edinburgh: Birlinn, 2010).

MacDonald, Fr. Michael, The Priestly Life of Fr. Allan McDonald (http://www.rcdai.org.uk/attachments/Fr_Allan_MacDonald_Talk.pdf).

Image: Patrick Geddes, c. 1886.

Transcription of the letter reproduced with the permission of Canna House Archives.

Fr Allan McDonald’s Note to Alexander Carmichael

The latest discovery on the Carmichael Watson Project came as something of a pleasant surprise – a book sent by the compiler of Comh-chruinneachadh de laoidhean spioradail (Oban: H. Macdonald, 1893), a collection of Gaelic spiritual hymns, along with a dedicatory note to Alexander Carmichael. The compiler of this text was none other than Maighstir Ailein or Fr Allan McDonald (1847–1905) and, in all likelihood he should also be credited for composing some of the material to be found within this book's covers. Both men had been friends for a number of years for Carmichael and McDonald shared many common interests, especially their dedication for perserving Gaelic oral traditions in all their various forms.

Moidart
8th July 1893
 Dear Mr Carmichael,
I have not been well
of late and have been orderd off
for 3 months by the Doctor. So sorry
about your manuscripts. I could
not aid you much. I tried to get
light thrown on them by consulting
the people, but failed.
What a terrible thunderstorm there
is here at present.

With best wishes,
Your truly
Allan McDonald

Fr. Donald is well
Please give the other copy to Mr Hend-
erson as I forgot his exact address.

As can be seen from the short note enclosed with the copy of the book, Fr McDonald suffered from chronic ill-health and he had been laid up in Moidart for the past three months. He also is also apologetic that he was not able to help his friend with regard to some manuscripts that Carmichael had sent to him. Neverthess, where McDonald could help he would and he is credited by Carmichael for his assistance that he managed to give him when he was compiling Carmina Gadelica:

The Rev. Father Allan Macdonald, Erisgey, South Uist, generously placed at my disposal a collection of religious folk-lore made by himself. For this I am very grateful, though unable to use the manuscript, having so much material of my own.

A letter from Fr McDonald to Carmichael appeared in Carmina Gadelica, vol. iii (140) about Michaelmas customs. Dr John Lorne Campbell wrote thus of the collaborative venture between the two men:

Nevertheless, it is a fact that Fr Allan’s MS. collections of folklore were frequently lent to Carmichael, whose practice seems to have been to dovetail different versions of traditional poems, etc., in order to produce the best possible literary version, and who used frequently to consult Fr Allan about variant readings and the meanings of particular words. The third volume of Carmina Gadelica reproduces part of a letter from Fr Allan on Michaelmas customs (p. 140). The fourth volume contains some anecdotes which bear a very close resemblance to material in Fr Allan’s papers. Alexander Carmichael, whose biography should certainly be written, collected Gaelic folklore on a remarkable scale and over a long period of years. He was helped by many friends and correspondents, and his papers could well form the basis of a Scottish National Folklore Archive.

Thus in no small part Carmichael was assisted by many different people and Fr Allan McDonald was but one of these who, in his short lifetime, managed to gather in much material, most of which still remains unpublished.

References:
Black, Ronald, ‘Eriskay Business’, Scottish Book Collector (2004), 7–11  (http://textualities.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/collecting/features-h-m/mcdonalda01.pdf)

Carmina Gadelica, vols. i & iii.

Campbell, John Lorne, Fr Allan McDonald of Eriskay, 1859–1905, Priest, Poet, and Folklorist (Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd, 1956)

MacDonald, Fr. Michael, The Priestly Life of Fr. Allan MacDonald (http://www.rcdai.org.uk/attachments/Fr_Allan_MacDonald_Talk.pdf)

Image: Fr. Allan McDonald