Ossian Collection > Macdonald bards from mediaeval times

ander and Ronald. Alexander — Alasdair Mòr —
succeeded his father. Alasdair Buidhe, third son
of Alexander nan Cleas, had acted as tutor of
Keppoch for a number of years. He was an
ambitious, selfish man, and resolved to get rid of
his two nephews, Alexander and Ronald, by
assassination, in order to secure the chieftainshi])
of the MacDonalds of Keppoch for himself. He
had five sons — Allan, Archibald, Alexander,
Donald, and Ronald. Allan and Donald, assisted
by Alasdair Ruadh Mac Dhughaill of Inarlaire
(inverlair), and his six sons, went stealthily to
Keppoch House, and murdered Alasdair Mòr and
his brother Ronald, who was only a young boy
at the time. This horrible massacre was com-
mitted in September, 1663. ' Iain Lom's ' poem
on the occasion — " Mort na Ceapaich " — extends
to 184 lines, and is a beautiful poem ; it shows
the author at his best. He stands before us as a
tender-hearted and faithful friend, a preacher of
truth and righteousness, and a man of firm faith
in a just God."
The " Siol Dùghaill " from which Alasdair
Ruadh, the instigator of the Keppoch murders
was descended, were MacDonalds who came from
Moidart to Lochaber, about 1547. Alasdair
Ruadh was the principal man among them in
Alasdair Buidhe's time, and lived as already
mentioned at Inverlair. So well had the poet
and his coadjutors laid their plans, chief of whom
was the " Ciaran Mapach," that the assassins
were surprised in their beds in September, 1665,
and had summary justice inflicted upon tliem —
seven in all — Alasdair Ruadh and his six sons.
By dawn next day, so goes the traditional story,
at Kepjioch, their heads were laid at the feet of
Lord iVIacDonell* at Invergarry Castle, by " An
Ciaran Mapach," " lainLom," and theSleat or Uist
men. On their way to Invergarry the heads were
washed in a spring or well, since called " Tobar
nan Ceann " — the well of the heads — and over
which a chieftain representative of Lord Mac-
Donell erected a monument with a long inscrip-
tion upon it in Gaelic. Many is the time the
writer has ridden past this " Tobar nan Ceann,"
at all hours of the day and night and viewed it,
and the old tree at Invergarry on which one of the
Glengarry's used to hang some of his subjects
with intense interest and wonder. From Inver-
garry John Lom and his men proceeded to Inver-
ness by direction of Lord MacDonell, and an
incident occurred on the way which shows the
stern and satirical character of our poet. The
man who carried the creel with the heads on
arrival at the Inn of Cluanmore in Glenurquhart,
* ^neas MacDonell, 9th of Glengarry was raised to
the Scottish Peerage in 1660 by the title of Lord
MacDonell and Arcs.
threw it carelessly down, whereupon there was a
rattling of the heads. John exclaimed on hearing
it — " Ud ! ud ! nach cord sibh ! nach cord sibh !
's gur cloinn chàirdean sibh !" (" What ! what !
wont you agree ; wont you agree, and j'ou being
so near a kin."t) Soon after the above event the
poet and Glengarry were reconciled. The chief
well knew the influence which the poet exercised
in the country, and had the prudence not to
despise one so skilled in diplomacy. No one of
his rank could command greater respect and de-
ference. He seems to have been born for the age
in which he lived, and the influence which he
possessed and swayed amongst all classes was
very remarkable. He entered heart and soul into
whatever cause he espoused, and was in con-
sequence both feared and respected. It is alleged
of him that he was no soldier, yet he managed to
set people against each other. Men of influence
throughout the country knew this as well as the
chieftains at a distance, and dreaded his influence
accordingly.
So great was his power as an indispensable
agent to his friends that he received a yearly pen-
sion from Charles II., who made him his Gaelic
poet laureate. He was the means of bringing
together the armies of Montrose and Argyll at the
battle of Inverlochy, which was fought on Sunday,
2nd February, 1045, where so many of the heads
of the families of the Clan Campbell were slain.
The Campbells on hearing of the intention of their
enemies to make a second raid on their coun-
try, marched north to prevent that course being
taken. "Iain Lom" was aware of what was
taking place, and hastened or sent a message to
the army of Montrose at Fort Augustus with the
intelligence that the Campbells were in Lochaber,
numbering 3000 strong, under the Marquis of
Argyll, who was burning and laying waste the
country.
Montrose marched back with all possible speed,
and arrived at Glen Nevis on the evening of
February 1st, 1645, and the battle was fought
next day. In the meantime, Argyll, after
committing his army to the charge of his cousin,
Campbell of Auchinbreck, abandoned his men, by
going during the night on board a boat in the
loch, excusing himself by alleging his incapacity
to enter the field of battle, in consequence of a
contusion he had received by a fall. Montrose's
army consisted of the Irishmen who came over to
Scotland with Alasdair Mac-ChoUa, the Mac-
Donalds, the Stewarts and Robertsons of Athole
the Farquharsons, Camerons, and others.
Montrose won a signal victory. He lost only 8
men, Lord Ogilvie, a Captain Brian, and 6 privates.
t See Rev. Allan Sinclair's paper in Celtic Magazine.
January, 1880.