Blair Collection > Gaelic bards

128
after the passing of the Indemnity Act, in June,
1747, he was appointed Bailie of the Island of
Canna, His poems were published in Edinburgh
in 1 75 1. He lived for a while at Eigneig. He
was deprived of Eigneig by Clanranald, and com-
pelled to migrate to Knoydart. Whilst at Eigneig
he was on very bad terms with Father Harrison,
priest of Moydart. In Knoydart he lived at
Inverey, lonar-aoidh. He resided for some time
at Strath-Arisaig, then at a place between Camus-
an-talmhuinn and Ru, and finally at Sanndaig,
where he died.
On the night on which the poet died two young
men were sitting up with him. Finding the time
long, they began composing a song. The poet
made some remarks about their want of success,
and came to their help by making a few verses for
them. He had scarcely finished the last verse
when he fell back on his pillow and breathed his
last. The year of his death is unknown. He
was buried in the cemetery of Kilmhoire, near the
present Roman Catholic Church in Arisaig.
Mac Mhaighster Alasdir was born and brought
up an Episcopalian. He was unquestionably a
Protestant when he wrote the preface to his vo-
cabulary, or in 1741. He was professedly a
Protestant until he gave up his school in May,
1745. He became a Roman Catholic about the
time of the arrival of Prince Charles, or in July,
1745. He belonged to the Presbyterian Church
whilst teaching in Ardnamurchan.
Reid, in his Bibliotheca Scoto-Keltica, page 82,
gives the following description of the poet : —
" In person Macdonald was large and ill-favour-
ed. His features were coarse and irregular. His
clothes were very sluggishly put on, and generally
very dirty. His mouth was continually fringed
with a stream of the juice of tobacco, of which
he chewed a very great quantity. "