John Duncan, R. S. A. on Carmina Gadelica

Deirdre of the Sorrows

In a beautifully produced and lavishly illustrated book, Voices from the Hills / Guthan o na Beanntaibh (1927) edited by John ‘Celtic’ MacDonald and printed by Archibald Sinclair of the Celtic Press, John Duncan (1866–1945), a leading artist of the Scottish Symbolist movement, wrote eulogistically about Alexander Carmichael’s Carmina Gadelica. The review begins thus:

To praise this book duly would be but to print it again in its own words, adding nothing and taking nothing away—it is its own best praise. From its first hymn, an act of adoration, “I am bending my knee in the eye of the Father who created me,” to its last note at the end, “This is what I would ordain to thee, the daughter of a King, with gold and gems,” it is a necklace for a King’s daughter, of spiritual gold and jewels, to be worn like the talisman of Patrick, as a breastplate against all evil.

Carmichael and Duncan were acquainted with one another from at least the mid-1890s probably through their mutual association with Patrick Geddes (1854–1932). When Carmichael published his book-length account of Deirdire (1905), Duncan provided an illustration as a frontispiece although this was only given due acknowledgement in the second edition that made its appearance in 1914.

After giving some representative examples, including The Invocation of the Graces, from Carmina, Duncan ends his review with the following rather optimistic and idealistic thoughts:

We have here the richest body of ancient spiritual poetry, given again to us in our own time. About this spiritual inheritance of the Gael will rise, we hope, seanachies, seers, singers, and artists of all kinds, as a strong guard of paladins, to protect it, and to shape it into ever fresh forms to speak to the changing generations, and chief of these paladins stands, and shall stand, Alexander Carmichael, seannachie, seer, singer and artist in one.

This book is the result of much search and much pondering. Alexander Carmichael was a true artist, and had the artist’s hunger for perfection. He went for days, weighing the exact word to render the finest had of the meaning of the original, the word that gave the colour and the quality to it. One may say of him what he said of Catherine Macaulay:—Alexander Carmichael was greatly gifted in speaking, and was marvellously endowed with memory for old tales and hymns, runes and incantations, and for literature and traditions of many kinds. He went from house to house, from townland to townland, warmly welcomed and cordially received wherever he went. May his book travel as he travelled, bringing joy, and beauty, and inspiration wherever it goes.

Reference:

MacDonald, John (ed.), Voices from the Hills / Guthan o na Beanntaibh (Glasgow: An Comunn Gàidhealach (The Highland Association), 1927), pp. 24–30.

Image: Deirdre of the Sorrows by John Duncan, c. 1905.

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.